A nine-year-old girl from Kardhani in Jaipur died due to electrocution while flying kites on January 5. The culprit, police found, was the China-made manjha (kite string) that was coated with powdered metal. It conducted electricity when the manjha came in contact with a high-tension wire. Traditional manjha, made in India, is covered with powdered glass.

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Seeing how life-threatening Chinese manjha can be, the district administration has banned its sale and use in Jaipur. Following Aafreen Bano's death, the police began raiding and confiscating Chinese strings from kite sellers in Jaipur on Friday.

"The string came into the market a few years back, and its popularity has increased since," said a police officer.

Aafreen's father Ashraf Khan was witness to his daughter's tragic death. The family lives on Sarwar Vatika area on Niwaru road, and at about 4.30 pm on Saturday, the child went to the terrace to fly kites. Soon, the family heard the little girl's scream and then a silence. Her family rushed to the terrace and found her on the floor in spasms.

"Realising what was transpiring, they used a wooden stick to unclasp her hand from the string. "Aafreen immediately fell unconscious and the family members called the ambulance, which took her to Sawai Man Singh Hospital. 

Aafreen fought for her life for four days, but succumbed to her injuries on 9th January," said officials.

"Aafreen's kite had a China-made manjha," says an official. "The kite nose-dived into an electric wire, and the current flowed through it and into the child."

Deathly Sport

  • China-made kite string is coated with powdered metal, which can conduct electricity 
  • Nine-year-old Aafreen Bano’s kite nose-dived into a high-tension wire on January 5 and electrocuted her
  • She fell unconscious and fought for her life for four days in a Jaipur hospital, before succumbing to her injuries