Punjab: One more life lost, but banned Chinese string still in use

Punjab: The family of Harpreet Singh is inconsolable. He was a daily wage labourer who was on his way to work on his scooter on Saturday when his throat was slit by a Chinese manjha (string of thread), a day after which he died in a Chandigarh hospital. Harpreet’s death is a reminder of the failure of the administration to stop kite flyers from using banned manjha. The banned manjha is usually made of nylon and plastic and is sharpened with glass, metal or any sharp object. On Monday too, kite flyers in Jalandhar and Ludhiana celebrated Lohri on the rooftops of their houses. Violation of the ban by kite flyers starts a few days before Lohri and Sankranti, leaving birds, animals and humans vulnerable to injuries. A case was registered against unidentified persons in Harpreet’s case on Saturday. Later, the police caught a man from Alawalpur who was selling the banned manjha.

The police said that the man will now be questioned. SSP Jalandhar (rural) HPS Khakh promised to keep a check on those selling dore. “Chinese dore is not made here as there is no big market here. But we will arrest those violating the ban. They will be asked from where they got the dore,” the police officer said. However, Harpreet’s wife demanded strict action against those violating the orders. Harpreet, a resident of Adampur in Jalandhar, was the sole breadwinner for his four-member family, she said. “Our lives have been ruined, I want strict action against those who still sell the banned dore,” Satinder Kaur said, pointing to her two children. “My husband was not able to take even a day off. Even when he was enjoying Lohri celebrations with us, he wanted to go to work so that he could earn for us,” a grieving Satinder Kaur said. Harpreet’s death is not an accidental incident. Last year, in a horrific incident, a 13-year-old boy from Adampur died after the banned string cut his blood vessels. No FIR was registered in the case. Earlier this month, three people were reported injured from Ludhiana. On January 7, Ashish (21) was seriously injured when his throat was slit by a Chinese manjha while he was riding a motorcycle. The incident took place when Ashish, an air conditioner repairman, was returning home after dropping his friend in Basti Jodhewal. The seriously injured youth was rushed to two hospitals. He was later referred to Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH). On January 5, two people got entangled in Chinese manjha in Ludhiana. Inderjit Singh was badly injured. The manjha pierced his nose and he received 30 stitches. A biker was similarly injured near Haibowal Chuharpur Road.