Kite-flying is a traditional sport of India. Children can be seen holding the manjha (kite-strings) on their roof competing with other kites in the sky to fly higher. But while it can be fun, the horrors of glass coated manjha cannot go unnoticed as the lethal kite-string claimed a victim in Delhi’s Paschim Vihar.
A 28-year old civil-engineer, Manav Sharma, was on his way to his aunt’s house with his two younger sisters on a 2-wheeler. But when he was driving on the Meera Bagh flyover, a Chinese glass-coated
Reportedly, the cut was deep enough to slash Manav’s windpipe. He was soon taken to a hospital, but the doctors declared him to be dead on arrival. However, the sisters escaped the accident unhurt, but had to endure the loss of a brother on Raksha Bandhan.
Police officials reported that the case has been registered under sections of the Indian Penal Code. But Manav’s wasn’t the only accident that day. Delhi police received 15 distress calls regarding similar kite-string mishaps on Thursday and eight other people reported injuries.
The glass-coated manjha was banned as per the Supreme Court’s order. Yet, the lethal string continues to be bought and sold in India. We must adhere to state mandated rules (including bans) even in times of celebration, because a failure to do so can lead to avoidable accidents and loss of life. If not, animals, nature and even humans who are innocent bystanders could bear the brunt of things.