New Delhi: A 48-year-old man died after a kite string coated with sharp glass (manja) slit his neck while he was riding a motorcycle in Karnataka’s Bidar district on Wednesday, triggering renewed concerns over the continued use of banned kite strings during the Sankranti festival.
The deceased, Sanjukumar Hosamani, a resident of Bambalagi village, was travelling near the national highway close to Talamadagi Bridge in Chitaguppa taluk at around 11 am when a taut kite string stretched across the road got entangled around his neck, police said. Hosamani, who worked as a lorry cleaner, was on his way to pick up his daughter from a local hostel.
The string caused a deep cut, leading to profuse bleeding. Hosamani lost control of his motorcycle, fell onto the road and died on the spot.
Video of man drenched in blood goes viral
A video that surfaced later showed Hosamani critically injured and drenched in blood, attempting to dial his daughter’s phone number moments before he collapsed. A passerby tried to stop the bleeding by placing a cloth on the wound. Locals said an ambulance was called, but Hosamani died before medical help could reach the spot.
Family members alleged that a delay in the arrival of the ambulance proved fatal and said he might have survived had emergency services reached the location sooner.
Following the incident, Hosamani’s relatives and local residents staged a protest at the accident site, demanding strict action against the sale and use of nylon kite strings and improvements in emergency response services.
Sale and use of manja remain criminal offence
Bidar Superintendent of Police Pradeep Gunti said both the sale and use of manja strings are criminal offences and warned of strict action against violators. He said police had already conducted raids on several shops across the district in view of Sankranti, a period when the sale of kite strings tends to rise.
A case has been registered at the Manna Ekhelli police station, and an investigation is underway.
Flying kites during Makar Sankranti is a long-standing tradition in several parts of the country. While cotton strings coated with powdered glass were earlier used, nylon strings, often referred to as Chinese manjha, have increasingly replaced them due to their durability and low cost. However, authorities and safety experts warn that nylon strings are extremely dangerous, particularly for two-wheeler riders who may not see the thin strings stretched across roads and flyovers.