The Festival of Kites in Hyderabad turned deadly this year. Kite-flying enthusiasts used banned Chinese ‘manja’ to disable their opponent’s kites, resulting in tragic incidents. Within the last two days, four people, including an army officer, lost their lives.
In Langer Houz, an army soldier named Koteswara Rao got entangled with Chinese manja, which slit his throat and caused his death. Rao, who was from Visakhapatnam, worked in a military hospital. After finishing work on Saturday, he was riding his two-wheeler home when his throat was severely cut on the local flyover. He was taken to the local military hospital but died during treatment. The police have registered a case under Section 304 for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Three more people, including two children, also lost their lives while flying kites. In the first incident, an 11-year-old boy named Tanishq from Attapur died due to electrocution when he came in contact with high-tension wires while flying a kite on the rooftop of an apartment. The police have filed a negligence case against the apartment owners.
In the second incident, a 13-year-old student named Shiva Kumar fell off the terrace of a four-storey building while flying a kite. He suffered serious injuries after landing on the asbestos roof of an adjacent house and later died at a private hospital.
In another incident in Alwal, a 20-year-old assistant sub-inspector named Akash died after accidentally falling from the top of a building while flying a kite. The Petbasheerabad police have registered a case and started an investigation.
Musharraf Ali Faruqui, the chairman and managing director of Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd, has advised people not to fly kites near electricity installations. He warned that using metal-coated ‘manja’ thread can cause electrocution and disrupt the power supply network. Instead, he urged people to use cotton, linen, or nylon string for flying kites.
