Chinese manjha menace persists in Delhi despite ban; poses grave threat to humans, birds

Despite a complete ban on the sale, storage and use of Chinese manjha, the deadly glass-coated kite string, is still being sold across the national capital under different names with over 1,800 reels being seized by the city police since June 26.

The Delhi Police's Crime Branch Unit and teams of different districts in multiple recent crackdowns have seized large quantities of the banned Chinese manjha from various parts of Delhi and arrested many people for selling it.

However, police officers admit the seizures are merely a small part of a much larger and dangerous network.

''The rolls seized so far are just the tip of the iceberg,'' a senior police officer who requested anonymity said.

These materials are being sold secretly under different brand names and continue to enter Delhi from nearby areas.

''Some of the names we got to know are Moye-Moye, Dhurandhar, Delhi King and Super Fighter,'' the officer said.

According to police sources, sellers have adapted to the ban by rebranding Chinese manjha rolls with fancy names.

''They are using different names to evade detection, but our teams are more smart and arrested those who are sellers,'' a police source said.

Another police officer said that they also got to know different modus operandi of the Chinese manjha sellers.

''As several raids were conducted and many Chinese manjha have been seized in the past, the sellers are becoming active and are selling to their personal contacts only," the officer said. "They are also adopting a home delivery system. Multiple teams have been deployed to nab such sellers,'' the officer said.

The double danger Chinese manjha poses a threat to humans, birds and animals as its sharp glass-coated string can easily cause fatal injuries.

On June 12, a man sustained serious neck injuries in the Shastri Park area due to Chinese manjha. On June 27, the banned kite string entangled around a 22-year-old man's neck while he was riding his two-wheeler, slitting his throat within moments and causing on the spot death.

An officer of the Delhi Fire Service said that not only humans, but Chinese manjha are very dangerous for the birds as well.

''Mid-flight, birds get entangled and the string causes deep cuts, leading to their death. We are receiving over 100 calls regarding animal and bird rescue in the national capital,'' the DFS official said.

As kite-flying activity intensifies in the run-up to Independence Day, veterinarians and wildlife rescue groups in Delhi are witnessing a sharp surge in bird injuries, most of them caused by the banned Chinese manjha.

Over 250 birds were rescued between August 1 and 4, with most of these cases involving deep cuts, broken limbs or loss of eyesight due to the banned manjha, according to Vidya Sagar Jeev Daya Parivar, an NGO that runs round-the-clock bird ambulance services across Delhi-NCR.

The organisation said it received around 300 distress calls during this four-day period.

A tale of danger: How the Chinese manjha kills? In the past decade, many people, especially motorcyclists, have lost their lives in Delhi due to the razor-sharp Chinese manjha. In most cases, the manjha gets entangled on electric poles or trees and forms a deadly trap or a loop across the roads. Riders, unaware of the invisible trap, often suffer fatal cuts on the neck or fall from their bikes after getting tangled in the thread.

In some of the most shocking cases that occurred in the national capital, a seven-year-old who was heading to a Paschim Vihar market in west Delhi with her father to buy new clothes, stood in front of the scooter as her father drove the two-wheeler, her mother and sister as pillion riders.

Then, came a sharp interruption. Near Guru Harkishan Nagar, a nearly-invisible thread affixed to a kite dangling in the sky wrapped itself around the young girl's neck and slit her throat without a hesitation. Blood spraying from her throat, the father rushed his daughter to a hospital; only too late. She was brought in dead.

In another shocking case in 2022, a 30-year-old man riding with his daughter on a flyover near Shastri Park was fatally slit across the neck by a manjha thread, causing him to lose control and fall from the flyover. His daughter survived with minor injuries. Despite repeated awareness campaigns and police crackdowns, these incidents continue to be reported, especially around Independence Day when kite flying is at its peak in the city.

Why is it still being used? Chinese manjha, made of synthetic plastic coated with glass powder, is cheaper than traditional cotton thread but far more dangerous. It does not snap easily, gives a competitive edge in kite fights, and is available in eye-catching packaging.

''It cuts other kites easily. That's why some kite flyers still insist on buying it even if it's banned,'' said a local shopkeeper in north Delhi on condition of anonymity. He said that if a customer insists, some sellers provide it discreetly or direct them to nearby shops who have stock.

Smuggled through NCR's porous borders Chinese manjha continues to make its way into Delhi through towns bordering the city. Police investigations have revealed that consignments are being brought from Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurugram, Bahadurgarh, and even smaller towns in western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. These locations serve as stocking and dispatching hubs for clandestine delivery into Delhi. Police sources said these suppliers maintain low profiles and use unmarked packaging, shifting consignments frequently to avoid police radar. Delivery is often done late at night or during early morning hours to avoid attention.

Crackdown and challenges The Delhi government had earlier launched a helpline and also directed local authorities to enforce the ban strictly. Several awareness drives in schools and residential areas were carried out to discourage the use of Chinese manjha. On June 26, the Delhi Police arrested a man with over 200 Chinese manjha reels, on June 27, the city police recovered 922 reels and on August 4, teams recovered over 650 rolls. The Crime Branch has arrested two men from Ghaziabad with 660 rolls of Chinese manjha. These were meant for distribution across the capital. Police say several such consignments have been intercepted in recent months.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)