Boy, six, dies in India after throat cut by glass-coated kite string

A six-year-old boy has died after his throat was cut by a stray glass-coated kite string as he rode on a scooter with his father in Ludhiana, north India.

Daksh Giri was standing on the scooter on Tuesday, wedged between the steering unit and his father, when they drove into a plastic kite string coated with powdered glass. The string became wrapped around his neck, cutting his throat. Daksh died later in hospital.

Such deaths have become frequent at this time of year when India celebrates its independence from Britain by flying kites.

Some people take part in duels using kites flown on glass-coated string, which makes them more effective at attacking a rival’s kite. Afterwards, loose strings can remain hanging from buildings or trees, with unsuspecting scooter drivers riding through them, cutting their throats and sometimes bleeding to death.

Such strings have been banned in India since 2016 because of the threat they pose to humans, animals and birds, and selling them is illegal.

However, on 7 August, Narendra Kumar, was riding home on his scooter in New Delhi after a late shift delivering food when he became entangled in a kite string. As he struggled to free himself, he fell off his scooter and a car ran him over, crushing his skull.
In June, Sumit Ranga, 30, was travelling home on his scooter when he rode into a kite string. While trying to remove the string it penetrated even deeper into his windpipe and he died later in hospital. In January, a female student in Bhopal, also on a scooter, suffered a similar death.
The recent deaths have prompted the police in several states, including Delhi, to increase efforts to discourage people from selling kites with the glass-coated strings. On Monday, the 75th anniversary of independence, when thousands of kites were flown in the capital, hundreds of birds were injured after becoming entangled in strings lying on trees.

Scooter riders have had to come up with their own solutions, including creating a kind of protective belt for their necks with Velcro.

Kite flying is a popular pastime in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, especially during festivals. In India, kites are flown on Independence Day and have come to symbolise freedom and independence from the British Raj. Kites were also used to broadcast protest messages against British rule.

Delhi police are struggling to enforce the ban on glass-coated kite strings in a city of more than 20 million people. Their latest strategy has been to visit schools and urge children to take an oath pledging they will not buy kites with glass-coated strings.