05 February,2026 08:14 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
CM Adityanath stressed that the UP government is fully committed to protecting public life. FILE PIC
Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath on Thursday directed that deaths caused by "Chinese manja (razor-sharp kite strings)" be treated as murder. He also ordered the strictest possible action against those found guilty. The directive comes after a motorcyclist in Lucknow allegedly died when a kite string slit his throat, amid a rise in similar incidents across the state capital.
Adityanath's office said in a post on X that he has "taken serious note of fatalities linked to Chinese manja" and instructed authorities to act against its manufacture, sale, and use.
"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 added.
Adityanath stressed that the UP government is fully committed to protecting public life.
On Wednesday, 34-year-old Syed Shoaib, a medical representative from Sitee Bihar in Dubagga, died after a Chinese manja allegedly cut his throat on the Haiderganj overbridge in Lucknow's Bazarkhala area.
Police said the kite string, sharp and strong, severed a major vein while Shoaib was riding his motorcycle. Losing control, he fell onto the road. Bystanders rushed him to a trauma centre in an e-rickshaw, but doctors declared him dead due to excessive blood loss.
In another recent incident, metro services in Lucknow were disrupted when a kite string fell on a high-tension line, forcing trains to halt mid-route.
In a similar incident, 45-year-old Bharat Kadam was seriously cut by manja on the Andheri flyover, though his windpipe was spared. The life of a five-year-old in Hyderabad was claimed due to nylon kite strings. They cause multiple deaths annually. In Gujarat, four people, including children, died during Uttarayan, and emergency cases rose 33 percent due to kite strings, falls, and electrocutions. Activists have called for stricter enforcement and awareness campaigns.
During Makar Sankranti, Mumbai NGOs had rescued over 50 injured birds. A sub-adult macaque was critically injured after getting entangled in a kite string near Sanjay Gandhi National Park on January 27. Multiple cases like these surface and despite bans, glass, Chinese, and nylon manja continue to be used, harming animals and humans, said Advocate Pawan Sharma of RAWW.
(With PTI Inputs)
