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Bidar (Karnataka): A routine ride turned fatal when a nylon kite string slit the throat of a 48-year-old motorcyclist in Karnataka’s Bidar district, claiming his life in a chilling reminder of the deadly threat posed by banned kite-flying materials.

The victim, identified as Sanjukumar Hosamani, was riding near the Talamadagi Bridge when a taut kite string stretched across the road cut deep into his neck, causing profuse bleeding. Critically injured, Hosamani collapsed from his motorcycle but managed to place a final phone call to his daughter.

A disturbing video circulating on social media shows Hosamani drenched in blood, struggling to dial his daughter’s number as life ebbed away.

A passerby attempted to help by pressing a cloth against the wound to stop the bleeding. Locals said an ambulance was called immediately, but it arrived too late. Hosamani succumbed to his injuries before he could be taken to a hospital.

Family members have blamed the delay in emergency response for his death, alleging that timely medical assistance could have saved his life.

Following the incident, Hosamani’s relatives and local residents staged a protest at the accident spot, demanding strict action against the use of nylon kite strings and urgent improvements in emergency medical services.

Police have registered a case at Manna Ekhelli Police Station and said an investigation is underway.

Kite flying during Makar Sankranti is a long-standing tradition across many parts of India. While cotton strings coated with powdered glass were once common, they have increasingly been replaced by cheaper and more durable nylon strings. This durability, however, has proven lethal, as nylon can slice through skin with ease.

Commonly referred to as Chinese manjha, these strings pose a grave danger to two-wheeler riders, who often fail to notice the nearly invisible lines stretched across roads and flyovers.

The Karnataka incident is the latest in a series of such deaths reported across the country. Just this week, a 45-year-old man in Indore died after a kite string slit his throat. Delhi has witnessed multiple fatalities in recent years, including the deaths of a 22-year-old businessman in 2025, a biker in 2022, and a seven-year-old child in 2023.

Despite periodic raids and seizures by authorities, the recurring deaths underline serious gaps in enforcement, raising questions about whether current measures are sufficient to prevent further loss of life.

New Delhi: Setting speculation to the rest, the CPI(M) has made it clear that it is open to have an electoral understanding with the Congress “to defeat” the Trinamool Congress and the BJP in West Bengal Assembly election even as it is all set to take on the grand old party in Kerala accusing it of “found wanting” in fighting the Hindutva forces.

The CPI(M) also said that it will contest the Tamil Nadu election “with DMK and its allies to defeat the BJP and its allies”, amid a section in the Congress triggering confusion about its participation in the M K Stalin-led coalition over demand over power-sharing and more seats. It is also willing to join hands with Congress and others in Assam and Puducherry to defeat the BJP.

The decisions came at a three-day meeting of the CPI(M) Central Committee in Thiruvananthapuram, which ended on Sunday after reviewing the poll preparations in the poll-bound states.

The CPI(M)'s decision came even as a section led by West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar is averse to tying up with the Left Front, claiming that their party is not benefitted by the electoral understanding. Both Congress and CPI(M)-led Left Front had electoral understanding in 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Congress and the Left Front fought together for the first time in 2016 when Congress won 44 seats and the CPI(M) got 26. In 2021, the Left Front and the Congress drew a blank. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress managed to win one seat while the Left did not win any. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, both fought against each other with Congress winning two and the Left none.

“In Bengal, the party will work for the defeat of both the TMC and the BJP, which are trying to polarise the society. We will try to rally all the forces that are ready to work against them,” the CPI(M) said in a statement without naming Congress by name. Senior leaders said there is no change in its strategy of pooling all non-BJP, non-TMC votes.

However, the party was critical of the Congress in Kerala where both will fight against each other.

The CPI(M) said it would "expose the BJP-led Union government’s denial of rightful dues to Kerala, the fiscal constraints imposed and the overall attack on federalism" as also "expose the failure of the Congress to effectively counter this attack on federalism, as the largest opposition party in the Parliament".

"The Congress, especially in Kerala, was found wanting in the fight against communal RSS-BJP, ideologically and this will also be exposed before the people," it added.

In Assam, it said, the CPI(M) will work for the mobilisation of all the anti-BJP parties and forces and defeat the rabidly communal and divisive BJP government. The Left parties are cooperating with Congress in the north-eastern state. In Puducherry, it said it will work for the defeat of the BJP alliance government.

Chennai: The Madras High Court has strongly criticised the Tamil Nadu government for citing what it termed an “imaginary” law and order concern to delay the implementation of a court order permitting the lighting of the Deepam on the Deepathoon atop the Thiruparankundram hills in Madurai.

Upholding an earlier order passed by Justice G R Swaminathan, a division bench of Justices G Jayachandran and K K Ramakrishnan of the Madurai Bench dismissed the appeal filed by the state government and reaffirmed that the Deepam could be lit at the site during Karthigai Deepam.

The bench expressed displeasure over the government’s failure to implement the single judge’s directive, even after permission was granted for CISF personnel to accompany the petitioner, Rama Ravikumar, to the hilltop on December 3 to light the lamp. While allowing the ritual, the court clarified that the number of people permitted to climb the hill would be determined by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The state government had objected to the single judge’s order, arguing that allowing people to climb the hill and light the Deepam could trigger law and order issues, as the Sikkander Badusha Dargah is located about 50 metres from the Deepathoon. Meanwhile, officials of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department went ahead with lighting the lamp at the Uchipillaiyar temple at 6 pm, following established tradition.

Rejecting the government’s stand, the division bench said the apprehension of law and order problems was an “imaginary ghost” created by the authorities for their own convenience and criticised the district administration for not complying with the court’s order. The judges observed that instead of raising unfounded fears, the administration should have used the judgment as an opportunity to foster dialogue and harmony between communities.

The court also noted that neither the state government nor representatives of the dargah had produced any evidence to show that agama shastra prohibited the lighting of the Deepam at the site.

The Thiruparankundram hill has historically been a symbol of communal harmony, housing the Subramaniya Swamy temple, the Kasi Viswanathan temple and the Sikkander Badusha Dargah for centuries. However, the site became a flashpoint in February 2025 after protests by Hindu organisations over allegations that Lok Sabha MP Nawaz Kani consumed meat on the hill. Despite the controversy, local residents continue to live in peace and mutual coexistence.