BELAGAVI: A shocking incident at Shahapur in Belagavi on Sunday evening left a three-year-old girl seriously injured after a kite string, believed to be the banned Chinese manja, got entangled around her neck.
The child, who was travelling with her parents on a two-wheeler to the market, sustained deep neck injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital. Doctors say that while her condition is serious, a major tragedy has fortunately been averted.
Despite the strict ban on the sale and use of Chinese manja, it continues to be sold openly across the city. Over the past few years, at least three to four people have lost their lives in similar incidents. Just last week, a two-wheeler rider suffered severe injuries after being hit by manja near the central bus stand.
The injured girl, a resident of Vadgaon, was travelling with her parents to Shahapur around 7 pm on Sunday. As they rode along the road behind the Shahapur police station, a kite string suddenly slashed across the road and wrapped tightly around the child’s neck. The parents immediately rushed her to a nearby private hospital, where she was admitted for urgent medical care.