Cop to student, Ghaziabad’s long trail of manjha accidents

Noida: Focus has shifted to a long trail of injuries and fatalities linked to Chinese manjha in Ghaziabad following UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath's warning that deaths caused by deadly kite string will be treated as murder.Incidents have continued in Ghaziabad despite a ban and repeated enforcement drives. Meanwhile, in neighbouring Gautam Budh Nagar, police officials said that no fatalities linked to Chinese manjha have been recorded since Jan 2017 though enforcement drives are continued during the kite-flying season.
Ghaziabad — over the past decade — has seen several cases of serious injuries and deaths caused by Chinese manjha, which is made of ultra-thin plastic filament coated with fine glass shards, giving it high tensile strength and making it extremely difficult to snap.One of the most serious recent cases was reported in Nov 2022, when a policeman posted at the CBI office was critically injured while riding back home from work. Gaurav Arora was on his motorcycle when the string slit into his neck near Vijay Nagar. He felt a sharp pain and collapsed moments later, bleeding profusely, before being rushed for medical treatment.Earlier, in 2016, a biker died on the Thakurdwara flyover after a Chinese manjha sliced through his neck. In the same year, a Class XII student suffered deep cuts on his neck in Vijay Nagar after coming in contact with the string while commuting. Another serious incident was reported in Aug 2018, when a five-year-old child was injured in Krishna Nagar after being struck by Chinese manjha.National Green Tribunal in 2017 banned the manufacture, sale and use of Chinese manjha across the country. The Ghaziabad district administration had also announced strict action against traders dealing in the banned product. However, officials and residents admit that enforcement on the ground has remained patchy. Despite the ban, Chinese manjha continues to be sold openly in several parts, including Khoda, Pratap Vihar, Vijay Nagar and Muradnagar. Under existing laws, anyone caught selling or using Chinese manjha can face up to five years in jail, a fine of Rs 1 lakh, or both.