Injuries of kite flying activity are commonly sustained by kite-flyers, kite-runners, riders of two-wheelers and pedestrians. Injuries related to flying kites can be indirect like falls from a height while flying kites to direct injuries by “the Killer Kite Manja”.
“Manja” is the fine string attached to the kite and it is made more lethal by coating it with powdered glass or other chemicals so that one can cut down the opponent’s kite more easily.
The “Manja” or thread attached to the kite is the major cause of direct kite injuries its edges being sharpened by the ground glass. The loose thread may get entangled to the neck of a high-speed motorist and cause serious cut-throat like injuries.
In 2020 already many cases have been reported of bikers getting injured like the one who got injured on Gandhi Nagar bridge due to the manja.
In 2018 Student from Manipur succumbs to injury made by Manja used for kite flying. This year as well there have been instances of injuries.
Manja used by millions for kite fighting has resulted in hundreds of human and bird death. In addition, it is non-biodegradable, that is, it does not get decomposed and sustains in the environment for a long time. Even after the festivities are over, lumps of these dangerous threads (manja) remain, effectively entangling and killing innocent birds.
This kind of string has a very high tensile strength, posing a threat to people who come into contact with it at a certain amount of force. Besides, the presence of glass particles and metal particles gives the string a high level of conductivity and could cause electrocution.
Over the years, more than a dozen people and thousands of birds have died or suffered severe injuries caused by Chinese manja. The authorities must look into this seriously and ban such items.
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