12-year-old boy died after throat slit by kite string in Kota

Kota (Rajasthan): A 12-year-old boy died after his throat was slit by a glass-coated kite string while five others were injured in similar incidents in the district, police said on Tuesday.

Surendra Bheel, a student of class 5, was flying kites along with his friends on the rooftop of his house on Monday evening when the incident took place. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him dead, assistant sub-inspector Bhanwar Singh said.

Five other persons, including a 60-year-old man, sustained critical injuries due to the banned kite string during Makar Sankranti.

The man, identified as Ramlal Meena, was critically injured after a kite string slashed his neck in Satur village when he was returning home on a motorcycle on Sunday.

Meena has received 13 stitches and has been admitted to a hospital in Kota, his family said.

Ahead of the festival of Makar Sankranti, districts collectors of Kota, Bundi and Jhalawar had issued orders banning glass-coated strings or Chinese strings.

The Uttarayan festival, also known as Makar Sankranti, is traditionally associated with kite flying.

The sharp kite strings have also left seven birds dead and 34 others injured in Kota city, according to the president of an NGO that helps provide treatment to injured birds.