Festive celebrations of Makar Sankranti were marred by tragedy on Wednesday as at least four people across India died after coming into contact with nylon kite string, commonly known as “Chinese manjha”.
While colourful kites filled the skies to mark the seasonal festival, the banned string once again proved fatal due to its razor-sharp nature.
In Indore, a 45-year-old man, Raghubir Dhakad, died after his throat was slit by the nylon string while riding a motorcycle. Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur reported two deaths within an hour, with a teacher and a young biker losing their lives after stray manjha cut their necks.
A similar incident was reported from Karnataka’s Bidar district, where 48-year-old Sanjukumar Hosamani suffered a deep neck injury from a kite string while riding his motorcycle. He bled heavily and died before medical help arrived.
Despite being banned in several states, Chinese manjha continues to be sold, raising serious safety concerns during festive kite-flying.
