Two Chechen MIA officials dismissed for opening fire at wedding parties

Policeman Ramzan Daduev and Djokhar Magomadov, a fighter of the regiment on protection of oil and gas complex of Chechnya, have been dismissed from service after they had violated a ban on opening fire during wedding parties. Residents of Chechnya interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have expressed different opinions concerning the use of firearms at wedding parties.

Today, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has been informed by an official of the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) that two wedding parties with incidents with opening fire took place in the Chechen Republic in recent weekend.

Some local residents interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent have claimed that the shooting in the air is an old tradition of Chechens.

"Even in Kazakhstan, where Chechens stayed at the period of their deportation, a lot of them supported that tradition. They just have to notify the police in advance, and that was not officially forbidden," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Aslan, a resident of Chechnya.

Other local residents, by contrast, support a ban on shooting at wedding parties.

"Firstly, it is a kind of pagan rite to scare off evil spirits, and it has nothing in common with Islam. Secondly, indiscriminate shooting at wedding parties never resulted in anything good," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was reported by Saipti, a resident of Grozny.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.