Hyderabad, Jan 14: Tragedy struck on Saturday evening as an Indian Army soldier, Naik Kagithala Koteswar Reddy, lost his life on the Indira Reddy Flyover in Langer House, Hyderabad, due to an incident involving Chinese Manja.
The 30-year-old soldier, riding a two-wheeler, fell victim to the lethal thread, resulting in a slit throat. Despite being rushed to a hospital, the profusely bleeding soldier could not be saved.
Hailing from Pedda Valteru in Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, Koteswar Reddy’s untimely demise highlights the persistent use of manja, or glass-coated nylon/synthetic thread for kite flying, despite authorities imposing a ban.
In response to the incident, the police have registered a case under Section 304 (II) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
This unfortunate event underscores the challenges in enforcing the ban on manja, which was implemented to safeguard both birds and human safety during festivities. The Forest Department had claimed to have taken various measures to ensure compliance with the ban on manja during the Sankranti festival. The state government had issued orders in 2016, imposing a complete ban on the procurement, stocking, sale, and use of manja, emphasizing the importance of preserving wildlife and human well-being.
