Three people, including two children, have died after their throats were cut by glass-coated strings used for flying kites on India’s Independence Day.
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Tragic youngsters Saanchi Goyal, three, and four-year-old Harry were looking out of auto sunroofs in different parts of Delhi when their throats were slashed by the glass-coated strings. They had both been looking through the sunroofs of their cars when their throats were cut.
A three-year-old girl died and a police sub-inspector was injured after their necks got entangled in metal-coated kite string (manjha) in separate incidents in Delhi, police said on Tuesday. The adult male who passed away, 22-year-old Zafar Khan, died from excessive bleeding after he fell off his motorbike due to the manja, or kite string, becoming tangled around his neck.
He was thrown back down on to the seat nearly immediately, bleeding heavily from his neck after a kite string cut deep into his flesh.
Flying kites is a common sight during big celebrations in India.
The Deputy CM said safety of Delhiites is non-negotiable for the AAP government, and that kite flying though risky is a popular activity in Delhi, especially during the festive season of Independence Day, Raksha Bandhan and Makar Sankranti.
Police are investigating all of the incidents on suspicion of causing death by negligence. A 3-year-old girl got killed, her throat slit by a kite thread, locally called Manjha.
Glass-coated kite wires were banned by the India government after safety concerns were raised. Offenders could face fines of up to 100,000 rupees (US$1,497).
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Some states have already banned such strings following accidents.
