Two children had to bleed to death in their parents’ arms before the government realised that the deadly Chinese manjha needed to be banned.
Shocking deaths
In the two separate deaths, which took place on August 17, children peering out of their car’s sunroofs had their necks slit by Chinese manjha — a kite thread that is coated with metal or glass powder to give it a cutting edge.
The two deaths were not the first to be reported from Delhi or nearby areas.
Every year, such deaths have been taking place, the major casualties being motorcyclists whose throats are slit when they accidentally get entangled in manjha .
But the deaths of the two boys this year ensured that the Chinese manjha was banned.
Will ban be effective?
Within two days of the deaths, the Delhi government came up with an official notification saying violators would face a jail term of up to five years and a fine of up to Rs.1 lakh. The Delhi Police followed up the order by acting against a few culprits.
The ban included the sale, production and storage of the glass-coated thread that is mainly imported from China. After the ban, kite flying was allowed only with cotton threads or any natural fibre that is free of metallic or glass components.
While the government and the police appeared to have acted soon after the deaths, whether the Chinese manjhas will be kept out of the markets will be known only when the kite-flying season returns next year.
