A two-wheeler rider was injured after a kite manja thread became entangled around his neck and hand on Hegde Nagar flyover in Bengaluru, highlighting the continuing road-safety risk posed by the banned material.
The incident took place five days before it was reported, when the rider was travelling across the flyover and came into contact with a manja thread stretched across the road. The thread cut his neck and hand, leaving him in distress in the middle of the carriageway.
Local residents responded immediately and took the injured rider to a hospital for treatment. The report did not identify the rider or provide details about the severity of the injuries after treatment.
According to police, children had been flying a kite attached to the manja thread. They reportedly left the location after the incident. The stretch falls within the limits of the Sampigehalli police station.
Police officials said no complaint had been registered in connection with the incident. They also stated that manja thread has been banned but continues to be used by some people for kite flying.
The incident places attention on a recurring hazard for two-wheeler users, pedestrians and other road users: nearly invisible kite string can become dangerous when it crosses a moving traffic corridor. Flyovers and elevated roads can make such obstructions difficult for riders to identify in time, particularly when traffic is moving at speed.
Police said action would be taken against people found using manja thread. The available report did not specify whether the thread was recovered, whether the kite-flyers were identified, or whether any enforcement action had been initiated after the incident.
