I-Day: Zero incidents due to Chinese manjha in Delhi this year

Delhi: Thanks to regular police crackdowns, Delhi did not see a single Chinese manjha incident this year, a menace that Delhi has struggled with for the past several decades.

In 2023, a seven-year-old girl was killed due to the glass-coated kite string. In 2022, 11 injuries and four deaths were reported due to it.

For decades, Delhi has struggled to curb the use of Chinese manjha for kite flying. Senior police officials told the Patriot that consistent crackdowns reduced the number of Chinese manjha-related incidents to zero this year.

The thread used to fly kites has been banned since 2017 as per a directive issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) following injuries and deaths of several persons and animals from the glass-coated string.  The purchase, use, storage and manufacturing of Chinese manjha is banned. Any person indulging in purchasing, using and storing Chinese manjha could face a fine of up to Rs 5 Lakhs and imprisonment.

According to police sources, the national capital also recorded a significantly smaller number of Chinese manjha seizures this year till August 6.

Every year, the sale of Chinese manjha comes under the spotlight as Independence Day draws closer. However, this time around the pattern is different.

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Chinese manjha is often made from monofilament fishing lines and is coated with glass or other abrasive materials. The glass coating enhances its strength and sharpness, making it a formidable tool in kite fights, where the objective is often to sever the strings of competing kites.

Despite its popularity among kite enthusiasts, Chinese manjha has faced widespread criticism due to safety concerns. Its sharpness poses significant risks, including injuries to people and animals. One such incident was recorded in 2023 when a seven-year-old girl’s throat was slit by a stray Chinese manjha in West Delhi’s Paschim Vihar.

Outer Delhi’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jimmy Chiram said the police have been actively looking into claims of the sale of Chinese manjha and taking appropriate action against the sellers. “We have been actively raiding and checking factories, godowns and shops across the district for the contraband. As of now, we have only had 15 rolls seized so far. Most shopkeepers have stopped selling it and have actively stopped displaying it at their shops. It is through last year’s crackdown that we witnessed fewer incidents this year,” he said.

A similar trend was noted in the Central Delhi police district, which, in the previous year, had recorded 17 cases. According to a senior police official, there has been a significant decline in the cases with only six such cases being reported this year.

The North Delhi district has big wholesale markets such as Sadar Bazaar and Burari, where many buyers arrive from great distances; some other states as well. However, the game changer here has been the consistent police crackdown.

Across Lal Kuan’s market, sprawled across a huge area near Suraj Kund, it would have been easier for a buyer to walk into the market and ask for their favourite Chinese manjha. However, the situation has changed significantly now as shopkeepers strictly abstain from the once-profitable item.

“After last year’s crackdown, we have stopped keeping plastic and nylon threads inside our shops. If you ask anyone here, they will all say the same thing. The police have been making regular rounds in the market to nab anybody who is caught selling Chinese manja in the market,” said Moeen Iqbal, a kite seller at the market.

On the other hand, another kite seller from Sonia Vihar highlighted that he had stopped keeping Chinese manjha after being caught by the police in 2023.

“I was leaving from the dealer’s place in Jaffrabad with around three cartons of plastic threads. When I reached my shop here, I saw two people in civilian clothes standing in front of me. They asked me to follow them, but I told them that I would not go since I did not know them. Then a police van appeared and I realised what had just happened. The two ‘police officers’ took me inside the van and took me to the Jaffrabad police station. They seized the cartons and I had to pay a fine of almost Rs. 1.5 lakh,” he said on the condition of anonymity.

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With the crackdown on Chinese manjha, a total of 147 FIRs have been filed in the national capital till August 8, with the seizure of a total of approximately 13,000 rolls. Earlier in 2023, over 250 FIRs had been registered.

On the other hand, in 2023, an animal-welfare NGO, RESQ, had reported 327 injuries to birds and animals because of the manjha, both Indian and Chinese.