Ex-Army man dies in freak accident
The Statesman | 18 September 2025The victim, identified as Gautam Ghosh, a resident of Barrackpore, was travelling toward the airport on Kalyani Expressway near Khardah around noon when the razor-sharp nylon-coated string, commonly known as “Chinese manja,” got entangled around his neck. Witnesses said he collapsed on the road, bleeding profusely, before locals rushed him to Bandipur Hospital in Khardah. Doctors declared him dead on arrival.
“This was a tragic accident. He was on his way to duty when the kite string slit his throat,” said Kiranmoy Ghosh, chief security supervisor at Dum Dum Airport. “He had served in the military police and was once posted at Fort William. We lost a dedicated colleague.”
Doctors confirmed Ghosh died of excessive bleeding caused by the deep cut to his neck.
Airport officials and local residents voiced anger over the continued availability of the Chinese string, which has been banned in several states but remains widely sold in markets. “This illegal thread must be stopped. So many innocent lives are being lost because of it,” Ghosh added.
