Varanasi: Death of a sari trader after his neck was slit by Chinese manjha (kite string) on Kajjakpura railway overbridge led to the lodging of a case of culpable homicide against unidentified persons by Jaitpura police station late on Sunday night. Police commissioner Mohit Agrawal issued strict instructions to launch a massive drive to crack down on the network pumping Chinese manjha in the district and ensuring its sale. In protest against the incident, a group of lawyers staged a demonstration at the DM portico on Monday.Jaitpura police station in-charge Upendra Pratap Singh said the FIR was registered after a complaint from Sunil Kumar’s family. Kumar (55) of Chaukhanbha died after the banned kite string slit his throat while he was moving on the flyover on Sunday morning.At a meeting at his camp office on Sunday evening, Agrawal directed all gazetted officers to show zero-tolerance towards prohibited Chinese manjha. He said sellers, buyers and those using it for kite flying would face immediate cases and stringent legal action under a special campaign.Angered by the trader’s death, lawyers led by former Banaras Bar general secretary Nityanand Rai and Gautam Jha reached the DM portico at 2 pm with placards, shouting slogans against Chinese manjha. They submitted a five-page memorandum to ACM-III Vijay Kumar Trivedi.It demanded Rs 1 crore compensation each for the families of Kumar and other manjha victims, including Kritika, who died on Aug 30, 2020, and Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh for the injured. It sought accountability and action against officials failing to curb the trade.
