ON THIS DATE THE BALKAN MADNESS STARTED: This shot started the civil war

In front of the Old Orthodox Church in the center of the city of Sarajevo, on March 1 1992, a wedding guest Nikola Gardović was killed and the Serbian flag was burned, which triggered the beginning of the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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A referendum was held in Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 1, 1992 where 62,7% people voted for the independence from former Yugoslavia.

In this country this day is remembered as the Independence day, whereas Serbs in the Republic of Srpska see this day as a day of illegitimate decision of Muslims and Croats against Serbian people.

A member of the military force "Green berets" Ramiz Delalić started shooting at the wedding procession in the city center and killed the groom's father Nikola Gardović.

After this incident became public, para-military Serbian formations started controlling people and erected check points, thus adding to the tensions which will escalate into open skirmish.

This is the way how this event lead to the beginning of the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As a response, Serbs in the city of Sarajevo made barricades and they continued doing this in the period of March 1-5 in other towns, Šamac, Derventa, and Odžaci.

Just to remind, the wedding between Milan Gardović and Dijana Tambur was performed at 2:30 PM in the municipality of Novo Sarajevo.

When the wedding procession was going into the yard of the temple, a white car stopped out of which came 4 persons.

They came out and started beating the groom's father.

Delalić tried to take the flag of the Serbian Orthodox church, after which the short fight ensued.

Printskrin: RTRS

Then he started shooting from a pistol and gravely wounded the groom's father Nikola Gardović, while his associate wounded the priest of the Orthodox Church Radenko Miković.

Right after shooting, the attackers left with the flag, which they later burned.

Nikola Gardović died from sustained injuries a couple of minutes later in the ambulance.

The witnesses identified the attackers: Suad Šabanović from the town of Zvornik, Muhamed Švrakić, the son of the founder of the "Green berets" Emin Švrakić, and the fourth man was Taib Torlaković.

Delalić soon became a member of the Nithh Muslim brigade, and he got a pistol with the engraved signature of former Bosnian leader Alija Izetbegović for his services.

Printskrin: RTRS

No one was yet called for responsibility for the murder of Nikola Gardović.

Ramiz Delalić was killed in 2007 in an alleged mob shooting.

Taib Torlaković was also killed in the city of Sarajevo, and Suad Šabović was in Italy during the trial so he was pardoned.

(Telegraf.co.uk)