Written By: N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe | Updated : January 7, 2026 12:36 AM IST
Vinay Tiwari, a 21-year-old priest from Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain goes under the knife after a Chinese Manja slit his throat while he was riding a motorcycle on Sunday. According to reports, the young priest had a two-hour surgery in which he was administered 10 stitches after he sustained deep cuts across his throat during the accident.
Dr Ashu Verma, who treated Vinay Tiwari, told the media that the injury was life-threatening. Explaining Tiwari's condition, the doctor said, "The string had penetrated deep into the neck. During a two-hour operation, we carefully removed the embedded kite string and administered 10 stitches. Any delay could have been fatal."
As of now, the21-year-old priest is in stable condition but is under close observation, according to Mahakal police station S.L. Kanoje. He said, "Tiwari received an injury and got some sutures to close the severe wound. He is now reported to be out of danger, though under close observation."
This is not the first time such cases have been encountered in Ujjain, as similar incidents have taken place previously in the city. Therefore, to take cognizance of the situation, the district administration had imposed a complete ban on the storage, sale and use of the dangerous synthetic string or kite manja ahead of the Makar Sankranti festival, which falls on January 14, a celebration when kite flying peaks. The same restrictions have been imposed in most urban centres across Madhya Pradesh.
A study released by the National Institute of Health (NIH) that examined a data of kite string-related injuries presenting to the emergency department or referred for medico-legal examination from January 2022 to January 2024 reported that 88.5 per cent were males and 11.5 per cent were female.
"Motorcyclists, cyclists, pedestrians, and innocent children form the most susceptible group, prone to sustaining injuries in the neck, facial region, and extremities," NIH explains. "Despite the increased reported cases in urban and rural communities, available literature is largely comprised of isolated case reports or small case series, leading to an enormous paucity of detailed epidemiological information."
Researchers claim that kite string casualties are growing burden in countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh where dozens of deaths and injuries annually occur during kite-flying festivals. "Case series from northern regions describe some of the most severe outcomes, including traumatic brain injuries, cervical vascular injuries, and airway compromise, with patients occasionally requiring tracheostomy or succumbing to their wounds," NIH explains. Kite string injuries can cause accidents, cuts, shoulder/neck sprain, eye-damage, skin tans and the list goes on. To prevent fatal casualties during kite festival follow these crucial steps to prevent kite string injuries:
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