Groom Charged Over Viral Attack On Bride At Wedding Reception

A shocking video of the moment a groom strikes his newlywed wife on the stage of their ceremony went viral a few days ago and the horrifying scene enraged the public on social media as no one did anything to caution the unemotional man involved.

After the viral incident made international headlines, the Uzbekistan man who attacked his bride when she beat him in a game at their wedding has been charged with hooliganism.

The game, organized by wedding guests, involved a race to unwrap sweets, which the bride won.

“The angry groom hit her on the head,” a government committee said in a statement late on Wednesday (Jun 15).

The statement added that police had talked to the couple and their parents about the incident, which took place on Jun 6 in the southern region of Surkhandaryo.

The video shows the groom hitting his wife because she won a game during a toast at their wedding.

When the toastmaster asked the bride and groom to take the stage to play a game, all of the guests took out their phones to record as the couple was joined by the best man and the maid of honor. Both the bride and groom were given something to unravel or untie, revealing some sort of prize inside that whoever reached it first, would win the game.

As they both bent over and began tearing away at the parcel in their hands, the music blared away and the toastmaster commentated until the bride emerged victorious, drawing cheers from the crowd.

A defeated young groom looked over at his winning wife and held his hand up moments later to reveal that he had finally reached his prize before letting his anger get the best of him and striking his wife in the back of her head.

Uzbekistan’s state prosecutor said that the groom was charged with “petty hooliganism” and could be fined or spend a maximum of 15 days in detention if found guilty.

A separate committee in the Uzbek legislature’s upper house said the young man had “apologized to the bride and expressed regret at his actions” at a neighborhood hearing on the violence attended by community elders and relatives of the couple.

“On the same day, the bride and groom reconciled and now live together,” the committee said.

Saida Mirziyoyeva, daughter of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and an influential player in the country’s media scene, called the groom’s actions “disgusting” in a Facebook post.

“We shouldn’t remain silent about such cases, we should not pretend that they are one-offs,” Mirziyoyeva said.

“This is why we need an education that opens horizons and makes women independent and strong.”