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Chinese manjha for kites is banned in India. How is it still being sold here

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Amrutha Pagad
Amrutha PagadAug 16, 2022 | 13:48

Chinese manjha for kites is banned in India. How is it still being sold here

Kite threads become killer threads in India. Photo: Getty Images

Kite flying is a cultural favourite among children and adults alike during festivals in India. From Sankranti to Janmashtami, North, South, East, and West, people compete to see who can fly their kites higher and who can cut the threads of other kites. But kite-flying has often been marred in blood and death. 

And once again, several fatal incidents involving the Chinese manjha were reported during Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day festivities. 

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A manjha coated with glass powder being made. File Photo: Getty Images

1. A 35-year-old man died a tragic death when a Chinese manjha slit his throat while he was riding his motorcycle on Shastri Park flyover in northeast Delhi. The victim identified as Vipin was travelling to a relative's home along with his 7-year-old daughter and wife when the incident took place. Vipin stopped his bike, he removed the helmet only to find his neck bleeding. However, by the time he was taken to the hospital, doctors declared him brought dead. 

2. In another incident from Delhi, a 26-year-old businessman died after a Chinese manjha slit his throat when he was riding home on a bike on Nathu Colony flyover. He fell off his bike soon after the thread struck his neck and it started oozing blood. Locals took him to the hospital but doctors were unable to save his life. 

3. A 28-year-old food delivery executive died on Badarpur flyover in Delhi. Police did not find the killer thread on the body of the victim, but found it entangled in the victim's bike. The victim likely fell down after a stray thread got stuck in his bike and a speeding vehicle crushed his head. 

The list is endless. 

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Such incidents are reported from all over India. 

But did you know that the Chinese manjha is actually banned by the National Green Tribunal (NCT)? Yes, Chinese manjha remains a contraband item in the country since 2017. Anyone caught selling the illegal thread can face 5 years in jail or a Rs 1 lakh fine or both. 

But that hasn't kept the killer threads off the streets (and the sky). With the spate of recent incidents in Delhi, the police in the national capital has held several vendors for illegally storing and trying to sell Chinese manjha. 

In fact, there was a petition at the Delhi High Court seeking a ban on kite flying altogether, but the court dismissed the petition and asked the government to enforce the ban on Chinese manjha instead. 

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Chinese manjha: The name "Chinese manjha" is misleading because the thread doesn't necessarily come from China. It is manufactured domestically in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly and parts of Madhya Pradesh. 

The thread is made of synthetic material and then it is further coated with glass powder to ensure strength. It is very difficult to break the thread and doing so with bare hands can give deep lacerations. The thread is often preferred by kite flyers for its sturdiness. It is also cheap and long-lasting. 

Kites flying in the sky. File Photo: Getty Images

Its alternative is the original manjha from Bareilly which is considered among the best. It is made of high-quality cotton thread and coated in rice flour and other materials for strength. But unlike the Chinese manjha, the cotton manjha is never strong enough to harm humans on the ground or birds in the sky. Cotton manjha costs more than the Chinese manjha too.

Why is the banned item still sold in markets? The Indian Express reports that environmental department teams are very small and hence, vendors slip by them and illegally sell Chinese manjha. 

Then there is the competition among vendors. A January 2022 Times of India report quoted a vendor from Hyderabad saying that even if they follow the rules and stop selling Chinese manjha, they lose out on business to those who flout the rules due to lax enforcement.

Chinese manjha is known to injure birds during kite-flying seasons, and it is also known for taking the lives of humans on the ground. The tragic incidents will stop only when people stop using the dangerous items and the authorities enforce the ban stringently.

Last updated: August 16, 2022 | 14:15
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