Makar Sankranti: Mumbai Police seizes banned nylon manja in city, 19 booked

Representational Pic/File

Mumbai Police seized banned nylon manjha (kite string) and other material during a special drive in Mumbai and booked 19 people over the last four days ahead of Makar Sankranti 2025, an official said on Tuesday.

A total of 19 individuals were either arrested or issued notices under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Police Act from January 10 to 13.

Police seized nylon string or Chinese manja and related material of Rs 35,350 during the crackdown, the police said, as per the PTI.

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The nylon string used for flying kites was banned in view of safety risks to people. Many instances had come to the fore in the past wherein people suffered grievous injuries and fatalities due to nylon string.

Organisers of kite-flying festival booked after Vasai biker suffers serious neck injury from Chinese manjha

Meanwhile, in an another incident, an FIR was registered against the organisers of a kite-flying festival at Vasai after a 39-year-old motorcyclist suffered deep injuries in his neck from Chinese manjha on Sunday evening.

The incident occurred when Vikram Dange was out with his wife and 10-year-old son in the Madhubani area, where the kite-flying festival was organised to celebrate the Makar Sankranti 2025 festival.

Dange was luckily saved after his wife Neetal immediately wrapped her dupatta around his neck before he was taken to a nearby multi-speciality hospital. He received nine stitches at the hospital and was discharged on Monday.

The doctors have advised him to take bed rest for nearly 25 days, Neetal told mid-day.

"I have no issue with the kite-flying festival but the organisers should have taken precautions to ensure the safety of citizens in the area. It was a horrible incident," she said.

"Why do people continue to fly kites using the banned Chinese manjha? Every year, we witness tragic incidents, with some victims losing their lives on the spot. I fail to understand why this dangerous string is still being sold, or why people choose to use it, knowing it causes fatal accidents. It's really disgusting," said Neetal.

Zonal Deputy Commissioner Pournima Chougule-Shringi told mid-day that Neetal filed a case at Valiv Police Station, following which an FIR was registered against Conceptual Advisory Services of Suraksha Smart City under the relevant sections of the BNS.

"We have been taking action against those selling Chinese manjha, as it is banned in India. We request people not to endanger the lives of others by using Chinese manjha, which causes fatal accidents," Shringi said, adding, "We have deployed many teams to conduct surprise checks in the markets where the thread is sold. We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to ensuring the safety and security of citizens."

(with PTI inputs)