A 48-year-old man lost his life on Wednesday, January 14, after a glass-coated Chinese manja slit his throat while he was riding a motorcycle in Karnataka’s Bidar district, the police said on Friday.
The deceased has been identified as Sanjukumar Gundappa Hosamani, a resident of Bambulgi village in Bidar taluk.
According to the police, Hosamani was reportedly on his way to Humnabad to bring his daughter home from a hostel for the Sankranti holidays when the accident took place near the Talamadagi village bridge in Chitguppa.
As Hosamani rode through the stretch, the banned nylon kite string that was stretched across the road got entangled around his neck, causing a deep cut. He collapsed on the road and bled profusely, dying on the spot.
Disturbing videos circulating on social media show Hosamani lying in a pool of blood, struggling to make a phone call to his daughter moments before his death.
The body was shifted to a government hospital for post-mortem examination and later handed over to the family after the procedure.
The police have registered a case at the Mannaekhelli police station under Section 106(1) for causing death by negligence and Section 281 for rash or negligent driving/riding, and further investigation is underway.
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Following the incident, residents and relatives of the deceased staged a protest, demanding strict action against the use and sale of Chinese manja. Protesters alleged that despite calling an ambulance immediately, it arrived late, and the delay contributed to Hosamani’s death due to excessive blood loss.
Pradeep Gunti, Superintendent of Police (Bidar), told The Indian Express, “Chinese manja is banned, and special checking drives were conducted ahead of the festival. Continuous patrolling is being carried out even after the incident, and cases have been booked against those found selling the banned kite strings”.
Public announcements against nylon kite strings
In response to the outrage, gram panchayat authorities made public announcements in the area, warning residents against using nylon and glass-coated kite strings.
Every year during Sankranti, the use of Chinese manja leads to multiple injuries and fatalities across the state. The nearly invisible and razor-sharp string has emerged as a serious public safety hazard, posing a threat to two-wheeler riders, pedestrians, birds, and stray animals alike.
