BHOPAL: Notwithstanding the ban on Chinese Manja and the continued crackdown against those stocking, selling and using it across various districts of Madhya Pradesh ahead of the Makar Sankranti festival, the razor-sharp string claimed the life of a 45-year-old motorcyclist in Indore on Sunday.
According to staff at Indore’s Tilak Nagar police station, Raghubir Dhakad (45), a tile contractor, was returning home on his motorcycle when his neck suddenly came in contact with the sharp kite string between Khajrana and Bengali squares, badly cutting his throat.
With the razor-sharp kite string inflicting a nearly two-inch-deep wound, the middle-aged man was rushed to a hospital, where he died during treatment.
“We’re getting details of the entire development and appropriate action will be taken,” a senior officer at the Tilak Nagar police station in Indore said.
This is reportedly the second such death in Indore in less than three months. On November 30, a 16-year-old boy riding a motorcycle in the city had reportedly died after his throat was slit by the sharp kite string.
On Sunday, meanwhile, a NEET aspirant, Narendra Jamod, sustained severe cuts to his throat after coming in contact with the same razor-sharp string while riding a motorcycle on Sapna-Sangeeta Road in western Indore. Hailing from the adjoining Dhar district but preparing for NEET in Indore, Narendra was rushed by his friend Anil Chauhan to a hospital, where his condition is stated to be critical.
In Chhindwara district, more than 40 stitches were reportedly required on the ear of a nine-year-old boy, Atharv Karade, which was severely cut by a kite string while he was playing outside his house on Sunday. The minor’s condition is stated to be stable.
Importantly, the local administration and police have initiated a crackdown against stockists, sellers and users of Chinese Manja, which is banned across the state.
In Indore—where the two deaths occurred on November 30, 2025 and January 11, 2026—the city police seized banned Chinese Manja worth over ₹3 lakh from different parts of the city last week. In adjoining Ujjain too, action has been initiated against those indulging in stocking and selling the banned string.