Child, biker injured by manja string as Telangana celebrates Sankranti with kites

The banned synthetic glassed kite string, also known as the ‘Chinese manja’, has left a six-year-old girl and a young biker severely injured in two separate incidents in Telangana, as the state celebrates the Sankranti festival. The first incident took place at the Nagole-LB Nagar area in Hyderabad around 6 pm on Friday, January 13, while the girl, Keerthi, was riding pillion on her father’s bike. The duo was heading towards Uppal from Vanasthalipuram, and had reached Nagole when a string hanging from a roadside pole suddenly wrapped around the child’s neck, causing a deep injury.

Though the child’s condition was initially critical, the police have informed that she is currently stable. She was first rushed to the Supraja Hospital in Nagole where she was given first aid, before being shifted to the Rainbow Hospital in LB Nagar. Early reports say that even though the girl's life was not in danger, her condition was still critical and she needed surgery. The manja had also slashed her father Vinay Kumar's nose, injuring him as well, though not critically.

MSRV Prasad, Sub Inspector of Chaitanyapuri police station, told TNM that the girl has undergone surgery and is now stable. “We have filed cases for negligence and causing intentional harm,” he said.

A day later on Saturday, a manja slashed the face of a biker in Sangareddy, causing injuries to his eyes and nose. The man, Aslam, a resident of Rickshaw Colony in Jogipet, was reportedly found bleeding profusely on the road by the local residents, who rushed him to the Jogipet government hospital. 

Even after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned the import of synthetic-glassed thread nationwide five years ago, manja continues to be used unchecked across the country, especially during the festival season. It is learnt that local residents are now producing and selling these strings at a higher price. Though officially banned, the item has not been listed as a prohibited or restricted item by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. Importers reportedly take advantage of this void with the help of the Harmonised System of Nomenclature (HSN) code, which categorises the deadly thread as ‘Festive, Carnival Or Other Entertainment Articles’, to continue bringing it to the country. 

Earlier, Hyderabad City Police Commissioner CV Anand had issued an order prohibiting the flying of kites on all thoroughfares, and in and around places of worship, from 6 am on January 14 to 6 am on January 16. In a bid to avoid accidents or untoward incidents, the order also advised citizens not to fly kites from terraces without parapet walls and parents to guide and supervise their children.