Retired Soldier Dies After Banned Chinese Manjha Slits Throat in Jammu

A retired army serviceman has died after his throat was slit by a banned Chinese manjha (kite string) while he was riding a two-wheeler in Jammu and Kashmir. The incident occurred on Sunday evening when Naib Subedar (Retd) Lakhwinder Singh, a resident of Mamka in R S Pura, was returning home after finishing his shift as a private security guard at an industrial unit in Bari Brahmana.

The razor-sharp thread got entangled around his neck, causing critical injuries. He was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his wounds.

Police have registered a case and begun a crackdown on vendors selling the lethal string. The Chinese manjha, also known as 'Gattu Dor', is made of synthetic nylon coated with glass powder and metal, making it sharp enough to cause fatal injuries to riders and pedestrians. It also poses a serious threat to birds and can cause power outages and electrocution when it comes into contact with high-voltage lines.

The Jammu district has imposed a blanket ban on the manufacture, sale, purchase, storage, transport, and use of the thread. Despite this, it continues to be sold illegally.

Grief-stricken relatives of the victim have demanded stern action against those selling the string. Jammu Police have been conducting intensive market raids, seizing hundreds of rolls and registering FIRs against violators under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).