Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath on Thursday directed that deaths caused by “Chinese manja (razor-sharp kite strings)" be treated as murder. He also ordered the strictest possible action against those found guilty. The directive comes after a motorcyclist in Lucknow allegedly died when a kite string slit his throat, amid a rise in similar incidents across the state capital.

Adityanath's office said in a post on X that he has “taken serious note of fatalities linked to Chinese manja” and instructed authorities to act against its manufacture, sale, and use.