Surat: Even a month before Uttarayan, manja-related injuries are already surfacing in the city. On Monday, a woman and her son were seriously injured when a kite string swept across the Limbayat flyover, causing their motorcycle to crash. A four-year-old grandson riding with them remained unharmed.

Sanjay Yadav of Vrindavan Nagar had sent his wife, 48-year-old Taradevi, and grandson Piyush to Valsad for an eye check-up. They were picked up from Udhna station by Sanjay’s son, Praveen, on his motorcycle.

As they rode towards Nilgiri Circle, a stray manja thread cut Praveen’s cheek, making him lose control. All three fell onto the road and were rushed to SMIMER Hospital, with Praveen and Taradevi seriously injured.

Surat and other major Gujarat cities continue to witness recurring injuries, and sometimes deaths, caused by dangerous kite strings each year. DeshGujarat