Biker killed in freak accident after throat slit by glass-coated kite string

A biker in India died after his throat was slit by a glass-coated kite string while he was on his way to his sister’s home to celebrate the Hindu festival of Rakhi.

The Delhi-based man, Vipin Kumar, 35, was on his way to his sister’s house on Thursday when a sharp string — commonly known as the Chinese synthetic manja — struck his neck.

Kumar was driving his motorcycle on the Shastri Park flyover when the incident took place.

Soon after he was struck, his wife got him to the trauma centre at Civil Lines where the doctors declared him dead on arrival. Rakhi or rakshabandhan is a festival in which a sisters tie a sacred thread on the wrist of their brothers, who in turn promise to love and protect them. Gifts are exchanged during the festival.

According to the police, the body has been sent for post-mortem and the matter is being investigated.

In the past, glass-coated strings, which are banned in Delhi since 2016, have caused several accidents in India.

Despite the ban, these strings continue to be widely used across the country.

Kumar’s death is not the only one caused by this kind of thread in Delhi.

In 2016, two children and a motorcyclist also died after their throats were slit by glass-coated kite strings on the country’s Independence Day.

The children had both been looking out through the sunroofs of their cars when their throats were cut.

Zafar Khan, 22, was riding his motorbike when his throat was slit, according to BBC.

Flying kites is a popular activity during many festivals in India, but the manja strings are harmful because they are coated with powdered glass to make them sharper and stronger.

These cheap synthetic strings have flooded the Indian market from China, while the tradition of flying kites in August has become more competitive and dangerous as people try to cut through other people’s strings while flying their kites.