CHENNAI: A Stray ‘manja’ kite thread slit the throat of a techie C Siva Prakasham (40) while he was riding his bike along Anakaputhur stretch of Chennai Bypass. The man allegedly lost control of his bike and rammed into the iron railing on the road side. He died on the spot while his father Chandrasekaran (73) who was riding pillion was injured.
“While they were riding the motorcycle on Maduravoyal bypass, a stray ‘manja’ thread got entangled around his neck despite him wearing a helmet.
However, Siva tried to push it out with his hand and lost balance. He rammed into the iron railing on the roadside and fell off the bike. He injured his neck, face and hand and died on the spot,” said a senior police officer.
Passers-by, who saw the mishap unfold took them to a hospital where doctors declared Siva ‘brought dead’. His father Chandrasekaran is being treated at a private hospital.
Police said the two lived in Kolathur and had visited a land at Agaramthen village near Selaiyur. They were returning home around 5.45 pm via Chennai bypass when a kite thread slashed him.
Siva Prakasam worked as a software engineer in a private company in Thiruvanmiyur and is survived by his wife and two daughters.
Police suspect, the manja thread (the kite string that has ground glass and other materials pasted and dried on it which is used by kite fliers to cut others’ kites) was snapped by some heavy vehicle before it fell on Siva’s neck, slitting it.
They were also probing to check if any groups were involved in flying manja kites in the open-spaced Chennai bypass which was popular among kite flyers.
“This stretch is famous for bike and auto rickshaw racing, as well as kite flying,” said police.
Kite flying is banned under Section 71 of the City Police Act. In Oct 2015, the Chennai city police banned flying kites with manja thread for 60 days in the city after a five-year-old boy suffered cuts from kite thread and died.