Woman dies after kite string catches her neck in Hubballi

A 38-year-old woman died in Hubballi after kite string caught around her neck while she was riding a two-wheeler, prompting police to announce a special enforcement drive against the string’s sale and use. Police identified the woman as Vidya Manjunath Goudar, a laboratory technician. According to police accounts, the string caught her neck as she travelled to work near Shivashankar Colony on Karwar Road on Thursday, October 22. She lost control of her vehicle and fell. Police said she suffered severe bleeding and died before or soon after reaching hospital; one account said she was declared dead on arrival. The reports differ over whether the string was specifically banned manja, an abrasive kite-flying string. Police accounts described it as manja, while some reports identified it as Chinese manja. The precise type of string has not been independently established in the available accounts. One report also placed the incident near Siddharoodha Mutt and said Goudar was returning to the lab, while the other accounts located it on Karwar Road and said she was travelling to work. Police Commissioner Bhushan Borase said teams had been formed to seize manja and remove hazardous...