MEERUT, July 18 -- A 24-year-old woman was critically injured after being shot by a married man on Thursday night for allegedly rejecting his marriage proposal despite repeatedly turning him down in the past. She is undergoing treatment and remains critical, said police on Friday. The incident took place at around 11 pm near Anjum Palace, about 300 metres from the Ganeshpur police outpost under Brahmpuri police station. Police said the accused intercepted the woman and her companions on a public road late on Thursday. When she again refused his proposal, he allegedly opened fire on her and fled the spot, threatening that he would never allow her to marry anyone else. Police and eyewitnesses said the woman, identified as Shahin, was riding on a bike with her friend, Ayesha (28), and Ayesha's husband, Sarfaraz, when the accused, identified as Kaif alias Ballu (in his late 20s), intercepted them. Ayesha alleged that Kaif began arguing with the woman, insisting that she marry him. When Ayesha and her husband tried to intervene, the accused allegedly pushed them aside and assaulted them. He then allegedly pulled out a firearm and opened fire, with the bullet striking the woman near her ear. She collapsed on the road with critical injuries. Local residents rushed the woman to KMC Hospital. Ayesha alleged that the accused, a resident of a locality near Gaddhe Wali Masjid, is already married but had continued to pressure the woman to marry him. She alleged that he had been harassing the victim for a long time despite her repeated refusals. Later, senior officers, including SP City Vinayak Gopal Bhosale, along with police teams from Brahmpuri and Lisari Gate police stations, rushed to the spot. Police registered a case and launched a manhunt to arrest the accused. The SP city said the preliminary investigation indicates that the attack was motivated by one-sided love. "The woman is undergoing treatment and the investigation is underway," he said....