Six people, including three children, have died after their throats were slit by glass kite strings during an annual kite flying festival in India.
Hundreds flocked to terraces and rooftops to fly their kites skyward at the Uttarai festival in the western Indian state of Gujarat over the weekend.
The victims reportedly bled to death when the kite’s razor-sharp strings became entangled around their necks, officials told the Press Trust of India (PTI). At least another 176 people were injured due to cuts and falls.
Some contestants have been known to cover their kite strings with powdered glass to cut their opponent’s ropes while in the air. Although the practice has been banned since 2016, critics say it is rarely enforced.
A two-year-old girl reportedly died after a kite string hit her neck while she was riding a scooter with her father, PTI quoted an official from Bortalav police station as saying.
A man covers flying kite strings with colored glass dust before the Uttarai Kite Festival in Ahmedabad. Photo: Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images
The girl, known only as Kirti, is said to have died during treatment at a hospital on Sunday.
Another girl, three years old, was walking home with her mother in Visnagar town on Saturday when a string cut her neck. She was taken to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival, a Visnagar police official said.
Rishab Verma, a seven-year-old boy who was riding a scooter with his parents, was also hit by a rope in Rajkot, an official from the Aji Dam police station said.
🔸Amdavadamaan अद्वारायनने अच्चारी रही चैट्य पुलीस बंडोबस्ट अग्यावाम अधे खे खे खे
🔸 6,000 police officers, employees and 4,000 Home Guards will remain in place
🔸Police to make people aware about Chinese roads Police held 175 awareness meetings too @AhMedabadpolice @sanghaviharsh #uttrayan #gujarat pic.twitter.com/advhjenayh
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According to the police, similar incidents were reported in Vadodara, Kutch and Gandhinagar districts, where three men were killed in similar circumstances.
Nikunj Sharma, an activist with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) India, previously told the Guardian that using manja, a nylon string used to fly kites instead of cotton, could cause serious injuries. “Unlike cotton strings, they are non-biodegradable, do not break easily and continue to cause injuries months after the festival,” said Sharma.
A kite seller in a back street in Ahmedabad sells colorful kites. Some participants use strings coated with glue and mixed with powdered glass to allow flyers to cut those of opponents. Photo: Saurabh Sirohiya/Zuma/Rex/Shutterstock
In Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s largest city, the police department warned against flying covered kites at the festival.
“Do not use a deadly Chinese manja to fly kites,” it said. Police urged participants to be careful while flying kites during the festival, saying the “momentary fun” of cutting another kite could come at the cost of one’s life.
However, Jayesh Shinde, an activist campaigning against the use of manja, said the government had failed to comply with the ban and should compensate victims for their treatment.
“Citizens should not have to pay for the incompetence of the government machine. If the official ban is not implemented, then the government should offer compensation to the victims,” Times of India quoted Shinde as saying.
The popular festival marks the arrival of spring, where kite flying is often used in celebrations across the country.
Hundreds of birds also fly into or become entangled in kite strings, causing deep cuts to their wings, nerve injuries, fractures, dislocations and in many cases death.
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