Manja Dara, who had come to buy Diwali clothes, had his neck torn

A five-year-old boy died on the spot on the National Highway in Gandhi Nagar after a manja thread was tied around the neck of a boy who had come to buy Diwali clothes.

Vardhana Eranna Beli (5) of Anantapur village near Yamakanamaradi in Hukkeri taluk is the dead boy. He had come to Belgaum city with his father to buy clothes for Diwali festival. Later, Vardhana went to Tammur along with his father Eranna on a two-wheeler. Vardhana was sitting in front of the two-wheeler.

An invisible manja thread was tied directly around Vardhan's neck and he died on the spot. The boy's relatives have demanded that the district administration and the police should take necessary steps to ban Manja completely.