Retired Army Naib Subedar Lakhvinder Singh Killed by Banned Chinese Kite String in Jammu
Jammu: A retired Army junior commissioned officer died on Sunday evening after a banned Chinese kite string slashed his throat while he was riding a two-wheeler on the Jammu Ring Road, officials said on Monday. Naib Subedar (retd) Lakhvinder Singh, a resident of Mamka in R S Pura, suffered severe neck injuries on the Bishnah stretch and later died in hospital.
According to officials, Singh had just finished duty as a private security guard at an industrial unit in Bari Brahmana and was on his way home when the thread, commonly known as Chinese manjha or Gattu Dor, got entangled around his neck. The string cut deeply into his throat as he rode, leaving him critically injured. Passers-by and members of his family rushed him for medical help, but he could not be saved.
Police have registered a case under relevant sections of law and started an investigation to identify both the person or persons who flew the kite and those responsible for selling or stocking the prohibited string. Officers said action against vendors has also been stepped up after the fatal incident.
Relatives of the former soldier have demanded strict action against sellers of the dangerous thread, arguing that the ban on Chinese kite string means little if the material is still available and can reach a busy highway. Their anger reflects a wider concern in the region over how a product known to cause serious injuries continues to circulate despite repeated restrictions.
The Jammu district administration has already imposed a blanket ban on the manufacture, sale, purchase, storage, transport and use of Chinese kite string. Even so, and despite recent arrests of shopkeepers accused of clandestine trade, the material continues to find its way into open spaces and onto roads.
Residents have also questioned how such a product can still be flown over the Ring Road, used every evening by two-wheeler commuters. The concern is not new: the string is widely regarded as especially dangerous because it is designed to cut through whatever it touches.
Chinese kite string is typically made of synthetic nylon and coated with glass powder and metal, giving it a razor-sharp edge. Doctors and civic officials have repeatedly warned that it can kill or maim riders and pedestrians within seconds, particularly when it is stretched invisibly across a roadway. The same non-biodegradable thread also endangers birds and can snap or short high-voltage lines, leading to outages and the risk of electrocution.
The death of Lakhvinder Singh has once again drawn attention to a recurring pattern in Jammu: a ban is announced, raids are carried out periodically, and then another person is injured or killed by the same thread on a public road. For Singh, who had completed military service and taken up civilian security work to support his household, the journey home from Bari Brahmana to R S Pura ended on a stretch of ring road where the banned kite string was still in the air.
Police said they are trying to trace the source of the string. In the meantime, families in the area say they want the material removed from the market before another commuter becomes the next victim.
