NEW DELHI: A 17-year-old slum dweller who gatecrashed a wedding ceremony in search of food was allegedly shot dead by a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) head constable in Delhi's Shahdara, an official said on Sunday.

According to police, the incident occurred on Saturday evening during a wedding procession (baraat) near the community centre at DDA market in Mansarovar Park.

The police received information about the shooting from a passerby and reached the spot, the officer said.

"Preliminary inquiry revealed that the juvenile, a resident of New Modern Shahdara, sustained a gunshot injury during the celebration. He was rushed to Hedgewar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shahdara, Prashant Gautam said in a statement.

The accused was identified as a CISF head constable, posted in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, he said.

"He was traced and apprehended. A pistol suspected to have been used in the incident was seized from his possession," the officer added.

Initial investigation suggests the firing was not pre-planned but occurred during a sudden altercation between the teenager and the accused at the venue, the police said.

"We got to know that the victim came to eat food after he witnessed a function was going on. He jumped a wall and was initially stopped by some locals. The CISF head constable was also there, and in a fit of rage, he pulled out a gun and shot him dead," a police officer said.

The body has been sent for a post-mortem, and the accused is being interrogated to ascertain the sequence of events and whether the weapon was a service firearm or a personal weapon, the police added.

Further legal proceedings, including verification of firearm licences and forensic examination of the seized pistol, are underway.