Mumbai: Maanja slits throat of 8-year-old looking out of car sunroof on national highway

Palghar: An 8-year-old boy enjoying the view out of a sunroof was fatally injured after a maanja (kite flying thread) got wrapped around his neck as his family drove to their vacation home in Palghar on Jan 21. The Tiwari family from Kandivali had planned a weekend at their home situated on Hamrapur Galtare Road off Manor Wada Road in Palghar. The boy's father, mother, sister and grandparents were also present in the vehicle.

The vehicle was travelling at a moderate speed when the maanja got wrapped around Dishan's neck around 10-15 km away from Manor on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway. The family rushed him in a profusely bleeding condition to a private hospital at Manor but took around 20 minutes to get there. Dishan's mother who is a doctor, along with a doctor from the hospital, tried to provide medical aid to the gash on his neck and stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, with great difficulty, arrangements were made for an ambulance which carried Dishan to Mumbai for treatment. However, he succumbed on the way.

The maanja which claimed Dishan's life was likely made of nylon. “The vehicle's rooftop has become life-threatening, especially during the kite flying season,” Dr Tiwari said while expressing her grief and apathy over the medical first aid facilities and the availability of ambulance services on the national highway.

The incident took place on the road that leads to Govardhan Ecovillage-ISKCON, which sees huge crowds over the weekend.

Pawan Patil, 40, a resident of Satpati village in Palghar, was travelling on his bike with his wife on Jan 21 when a maanja got wrapped around his neck near Panchali bridge and caused him serious injuries.

A 25-year-old man's ear got slit after a maanja got wrapped around his head on Jan 21.

Sanjay Hajare, 46, died on Jan 15 after his throat was slit by a nylon maanja. He was on the Balasaheb Thackeray flyover in Bhayandar, riding to his home in Ulhasnagar, when a maanja slit his throat after which he lost his balance and crashed into the retention wall of the flyover.