Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday directed that deaths caused by "Chinese manja" (kite string) be treated under the category of murder and ordered the strictest possible action against those found guilty.
The directive comes after a motorcyclist died allegedly after his throat was slit by a kite string in Lucknow's Bazarkhala area on Wednesday, and a sharp rise in similar incidents in the state capital.
In a post on X, the Chief Minister’s Office said that Adityanath has taken serious note of fatalities linked to "Chinese manja" and instructed authorities to initiate stringent action against its manufacture, sale and use across the state.
"Taking cognisance of accidents caused by Chinese manja, the chief minister has directed strict enforcement against it and ordered a statewide campaign along with a high-level review. The deaths due to this should be treated under the category of murder," the post said.
Adityanath asserted that the Uttar Pradesh government is fully committed to the safety of public life. In another recent incident, metro services were disrupted after a kite string fell on a high-tension line, forcing trains to halt mid-route.
On Wednesday afternoon, Syed Shoaib, 34, a resident of Sitee Bihar in Dubagga, died allegedly after his throat was slit by a Chinese manja on the Haiderganj overbridge in the Bazarkhala area, police said. Shoaib, a medical representative, was travelling by motorcycle from the Mill area towards Haiderganj.
According to the police, a kite string hanging in the air suddenly got entangled around Shoaib’s neck. The string was so sharp and strong that it severed a major vein. As he struggled in pain to remove it, his motorcycle went out of control and overturned, causing him to fall onto the road.
Bystanders rushed him to the trauma centre in an e-rickshaw, but doctors declared him dead due to excessive blood loss, police said.