Low Convictions Boost Use of Deadly Chinese Manja
The forest department has rescued around 400 birds as the Sankranti season begins
Hyderabad: Despite a ban on the purchase, sale and usage of Chinese manja, the kite string continues to change hands easily in Hyderabad. But the lack of progress in several related cases, and very few convictions leave the city with a deadly mix.
According to police records,most cases got stalled at the FIR stage. In one such case reported in 2024, which had shaken the city, a 30-year-old army jawan, N.K. Koteshwar Rao, was killed after the banned manja slashed his throat during his ride to the Military Hospital. He reportedly died due to profuse bleeding.
While an FIR was registered under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the sellers of the Chinese manja, the accused remain untraceable to date. “We inquired with around 20 houses nearby and tried gathering technical evidence, but there were no clues found. A very small part of the thread was left behind, which, despite being sent for FSL, could not help,” said Langar Houz Inspector B Venkat Ramulu.
Not much changed two years later. Apart from the sale, detection in such cases remains equally difficult. Investigators attribute this difficulty to the inability to trace the end supplier and the quick erasure of evidence.
In four different cases reported in the city in December, none progressed beyond the FIR stage. In one such case reported on December 25, a constable at the Langar Houz traffic police station was left severely injured on his neck by the banned thread on the Tilaknagar-Narayanguda flyover. Similar was the case with Jaswanth Reddy and T. Ashok, who were injured due to Chinese manja in separate incidents reported in Saidabad and Keesara.
For some, the damage is much worse, with no opportunity to evade vulnerability. A gig worker suffered 18 stitches after the lethal manja attacked his neck in Shamsheergunj. He had reportedly not filed a police complaint.
An official from the Hyderabad city police said that while frequent raids have been conducted across the city and threads weighing several bobbins have been seized, preventing the sale or tracing the seller in cases of casualty has been increasingly difficult. “Even users do not want to face scrutiny, especially when the thread injures someone or leads to their death, leading to erasure of evidence. Even sellers arrested during raids can only be served notices, as it amounts to an offence under Sections 223 and 125 of the BNS, consisting of imprisonment of less than seven years.”
He further said that the rise of online purchases and procurement from places like Delhi and Gujarat makes it difficult for law enforcement officials to trace the end supplier.
In the past 20 days, Langar Houz and Shalibanda police have booked and arrested nearly 25 sellers during raids. A physically challenged kirana shop owner was among those arrested for selling the thread. In a parallel crackdown, the forest department has rescued around 400 birds as the Sankranti season begins.
“We have been collaborating with various departments like GHMC, education, police, among others, and spreading awareness to prevent the sale. Flying squads have also been working on the ground to spread awareness and directly curb its purchase,” said M. Shitija, chief conservator of forests.
