Hyderabad: Banned Chinese Manja Once Again Puts a Life at Risk

 Despite a ban, the sale and use of Chinese manja (synthetic kite thread) in Hyderabad has once again led to a near-fatal incident. An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) attached to the Nallakunta Police Station narrowly escaped death after the dangerous thread became entangled around his neck, causing severe injuries.

Incident Details

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening when ASI Nagaraju was riding his motorcycle from his residence in Uppal to attend exhibition duty at Nampally. At around 4:20 pm, while passing through South Swaroop Nagar, a strand of Chinese manja flying in the air suddenly wrapped around his neck. The sharp synthetic thread caused a deep cut, leaving him critically injured.

He was immediately rushed to Kamineni Hospital in LB Nagar by fellow police personnel and local residents. Doctors performed emergency surgery, and hospital authorities later confirmed that his condition is currently stable.

Strict Police Action Against Chinese Manja

In view of Sankranti celebrations and the associated increase in kite-flying activities, the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Rachakonda Police Commissionerates have intensified enforcement measures against the banned thread.

Task Force Inspections: Plainclothes police teams are conducting continuous inspections in major markets such as Old Basti, Doolpet, Begum Bazaar, and Secunderabad. Large quantities of illegal manja have been seized in recent days.

Drone Surveillance: Drones have been deployed to monitor rooftops and open areas to detect the use of prohibited threads. Kite flying near metro rail tracks has been strictly prohibited, as the metallic content in Chinese manja poses a serious risk of electrocution.

Legal Action: Those involved in the sale or use of banned manja will be booked under environmental protection and wildlife protection laws. Convictions may attract penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment or fines of up to ₹1 lakh, or both.

Awareness and Public Advisory

As part of the “Safe Sankranti” campaign, police are conducting awareness programmes in schools, colleges, and residential localities. Authorities have reiterated that Chinese manja is not only a grave threat to birds and animals but also to human lives, as demonstrated by the incident involving ASI Nagaraju.

The public has been urged to use only traditional cotton thread for kite flying and to strictly avoid synthetic or glass-coated threads in the interest of public safety.

Police officials stressed that collective responsibility and adherence to safety guidelines are essential to ensure a joyous and incident-free festive season.