A young man's routine motorcycle ride in Lucknow turned into a nightmare on Monday afternoon when a deadly sharp kite string, known as manjha, slit his neck, causing him to lose balance and suffer injuries. The incident has once again highlighted the severe dangers posed by banned Chinese and synthetic kite strings during the kite-flying season.
Incident Details: A Sudden and Dangerous Attack
The frightening episode occurred around 2 pm on Monday on the Nagaram–Nilmatha Road near the Gangakheda turn. The victim, identified as 27-year-old Avinash Kumar Singh, a resident of Lekhraj, Maruti Puram under the Ghazipur police station, was travelling from the High Court side towards the Gosainganj jail area. According to police reports, a stray kite string suddenly got entangled around his neck with significant force.
The sharp, coated string acted like a blade, causing an immediate cut injury on his neck. The sudden attack and injury caused Avinash to lose control of his motorcycle. He managed to stop the vehicle to prevent a more serious accident. An emergency call was promptly made, alerting the local authorities to the crisis.
Police Response and Investigation
Responding swiftly to the distress call, a team from the Mohanlalganj police station reached the accident spot. They provided immediate assistance and rushed the injured Avinash to the PGI Trauma Centre for urgent medical attention. After examination, doctors confirmed a silver lining in the terrifying ordeal: the injury was minor. Avinash Kumar Singh received primary treatment and was discharged from the hospital.
During their inspection of the area, police officers found several individuals actively flying kites in the vicinity. Connecting their activity to the incident, the police detained six people for detailed questioning. Those detained have been named as Mohammad Saif (31), Imraz Mirza (32), Danish (30), Mohammad Shakib (37), Mridul Shukla (25), and Faraz (27).
Connection to Kite Competition and Legal Action
During the investigation, Yashpal Singh ‘Sodi', the secretary of the kite contest organisation, informed the police that the detained individuals were members of his group. He stated they were practising for an upcoming district-level kite competition. This revelation points to the organised yet perilous preparations for such events, often conducted without adequate safety measures for the public.
Confirming the legal proceedings, ACP Pandey told media that a case has been registered in connection with the incident. The police action underscores the enforcement of bans on dangerous manjha, which is often coated with glass or metal particles to cut competitor kites' strings but ends up endangering human and animal life.
This incident in Lucknow serves as a critical reminder of the life-threatening consequences of using illegal kite strings. It reinforces the urgent need for public awareness and strict policing during the kite-flying season to prevent such horrifying accidents on roads and in residential areas.
