Overview

• Rajneesh, 30, succumbed at AIIMS hours after a red glass-coated kite string tore through his neck on the Sarita Vihar–Faridabad flyover.
• Preliminary inquiries indicate the cut was caused by banned Chinese manjha, a nylon string coated with crushed glass outlawed in Delhi since 2017.
• Delhi Police and Crime Branch raids in New Seelampur, Sangam Vihar and Sunder Nagri have resulted in multiple arrests and the seizure of hundreds of rolls this month.
• Vendors are avoiding detection by rebranding and smuggling the hazardous strings into urban areas ahead of major festivals.
• Wildlife groups report hundreds of birds injured in festival-season manjha incidents, leading courts to urge tougher application of environmental and criminal statutes.