Guardians can be held legally responsible if minors fly kites using Chinese string: MP HC
Indore (PTI): The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday directed the state government to strictly enforce the ban on Chinese manja, noting that if a minor is found flying a kite using the banned string, his guardians can be held legally responsible.
A bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi also ordered wide publicity among the public that selling or using Chinese manja can invite action under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for causing death by negligence.
The bench took suo motu cognisance of deaths and accidents caused by the Chinese string on December 11, 2025.
During the hearing, the bench was informed by the state government that steps had already been taken to stop the sale of Chinese manja and several precautionary measures were being implemented to prevent accidents linked to the kite string.
The state government also told the court that awareness campaigns would be run in print and electronic media to curb the sale and use of Chinese string.
Issuing specific directions, the high court said, "They (respondents) are also directed to publish that if anybody is found selling or using the said thread, he may also be prosecuted for commission of offence under Section 106(1) of BNS, 2023 (304-A of the IPC).
"It should also be noted that if any minor is found using the Chinese Nylon Thread, then his guardian may also be made responsible," it observed.
During the hearing, Indore district magistrate Shivam Verma told the high court that the administration would issue necessary orders at the earliest in compliance with the directions, which would also be circulated immediately to neighbouring districts.
Officials said that in the past one-and-a-half months, a 16-year-old boy and a 45-year-old man had died in separate incidents in Indore after their throats were allegedly slit by Chinese manja.
Popularly known as Chinese manja, the sharp string is banned by the administration, but kite flyers continue to use it to cut rivals' kites.
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Six faculty members of dental college suspended following student's suicide
Bengaluru (PTI): Six faculty members of a dental college here have been suspended by the management pending further inquiry into the death of a 23-year-old student by suicide.
In an official communication dated January 12, Bengaluru-based institution, The Oxford Dental College, said that the inquiry in the matter would continue and that the suspension would remain in force till further notification.
The suspended faculty members include senior lecturers Anmol Razdan, Shabana Banu, Faika Kolkar and Alba Dinesh, Reader Sindhu R, and Professor Sushmini Hegde, all from the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, the communication said.
The action comes after a third-year dental student of the college, Yashaswini, was found hanging at her residence here on Friday.
Family members have accused the college management of harassing her, alleging that she was subjected to humiliation, which drove her to take the extreme step.
She was the only child of her parents, Parimala and Bhudevaiah, police added. According to her mother, Yashaswini had taken leave on Wednesday, citing eye pain.
When she returned to college the following day, she was allegedly humiliated in front of other students for not participating in a seminar, her mother alleged.
Following Yashaswini's death, aggrieved students staged a sit-in protest outside the morgue, demanding action against those responsible.
Police said a case has been registered in connection with the incident, and further investigation is underway.
