Constable among three injured due to kites strings in Telangana

The incidents occurred on 'Makar Sankranti,' a harvest festival during which kite flying is an integral part. A constable attached to the Langar House traffic police station suffered a bleeding injury when a manja string from a kite slit his throat while he was riding a two-wheeler on the Narayanguda flyover Tuesday evening, a police official said.

He was taken to a hospital by local people, treated, and subsequently discharged. Based on the constable's complaint, a case was registered, police said.

In another incident, reported from Navipet in Nizamabad district, a man in his 30s was hospitalised after a manja thread cut his throat, resulting in a bleeding injury while he was riding a two-wheeler on Tuesday.

In yet another incident, a middle-aged man driving a two-wheeler in Yadagirigutta on Wednesday suffered a minor cut on his neck after the thread of a kite got "entangled" around his neck, causing him to fall.

A man had died in January 2024 when a manja string from a kite allegedly slit his throat while he was riding a two-wheeler. Hyderabad Police said the use of "Chinese manja," a synthetic nylon string coated with abrasive materials like powdered glass or metal, poses significant risks to public safety, wildlife, and the environment.

Despite bans in several regions, its availability and use during kite festivals and other events continue to raise serious concerns, police said. Regarding a media report that "Chinese manja," despite being banned, is easily available online, Hyderabad Police Commissioner C V Anand said they may have to raid e-commerce storage houses and summon them for a meeting.

Anand posted on 'X' on Tuesday: "The real reason for the availability of the so-called Chinese manja, which is made by Indians in India, is e-commerce. Anyone can order it online. So, we may have to raid the e-commerce storage houses and call them for a meeting on this! Just see to what extent one has to go will people not do anything voluntarily if it is dangerous!?"

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Commissioner's Task Force) Y V S Sudeendra said police teams carried out several raids in different parts of the city between October 1, 2024, and January 13 this year, booking 107 cases and apprehending 148 accused persons involved in the illegal business of prohibited "Chinese manja." They also seized 7,334 manja bobbins worth around Rs 90 lakh. The sale and use of "Chinese manja" is illegal and punishable by law, with imprisonment of up to five years and a fine up to Rs one lakh, police added.