Ludhiana, Jan. 25 -- A 15-year-old boy was killed and his cousin critically injured after their motorcycle ran into a banned Chinese kite string near Chehlan village on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway on Saturday, once again exposing the lax enforcement of the ban on synthetic manjha.

The deceased, Taranjot Singh of Rohlan village, was returning from school with his cousin Prabhjot Singh when the sharp plastic string suddenly tightened around his neck, fatally slitting his throat. Prabhjot, who was riding pillion on the Royal Enfield motorcycle, sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment at the civil hospital in Samrala. Taranjot was the only child of his parents. His father, Harchand Singh, is the sarpanch of Rohlan village....