Three people reportedly died during the celebrations of Makar Sankranti 2024 across India after their throats were slit by glass-coated strings used for flying kites. An Indian Army jawan died in Hyderabad on Sunday after the string of a kite allegedly cut his throat while he was riding a bike on a flyover, according to the police as told to ANI. The soldier was identified as Koteshwar Reddy, a resident of Bapunagar and a native of Andhra Pradesh. He was going on a two-wheeler on the Langarhouse flyover when a manja (a string of a kite) cut his throat, Assistant Commissioner of Police Golconda Syed Faiz said.
Another incident was reported on Sunday by news agency PTI from Madhya Pradesh after a seven-year-old boy riding pillion on a motorcycle with his father died after his throat was slashed by the sharp string of a kite. The incident took place at Hatwara Chowk in Dhar when Vinod Chouhan was riding a bike with his seven-year-old son. City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Ravindra Vaskel said action would be taken against those people in possession of the Chinese string or sharp string.
Also, a four-year-old boy from Ahmedabad in Gujarat on Makar Sankranti faced a similar incident. The child, Tarun Machhi, was on his way home on his father's motorcycle when a kite string slashed his throat near Boradi village on the occasion of Uttarayan on Sunday, January 15.
The child was sitting at the front of the motorcycle's seat. He suffered a deep cut on his neck and died after bleeding profusely even before he could be given treatment, the official told PTI. Meanwhile, at least 66 persons sustained kite thread-related injuries in Gujarat on Uttarayan, said the EMRI Green Health Services, which operates the 108 ambulance service in the state.