A fourth manja-related accident in eight weeks on Kolkata’s Maa Flyover has renewed concerns over the enforcement of the ban on Chinese manja, after Minister Agnimitra Paul helped two injured bikers following a pile-up on Sunday. One of the riders was seriously injured when a red kite string became entangled around a motorcyclist’s neck, forcing him to brake suddenly.
Paul was returning to the city when she saw the accident and stopped to assist the injured riders. According to the report, she provided water, arranged first aid and instructed police personnel to call an ambulance for the more seriously injured biker.
A rider involved in the crash told Paul that a motorcycle travelling on the flyover was struck by the string. The rider applied the brakes, while a car behind him also braked. The biker following the car could not stop in time and collided with its rear, suffering serious injuries.
Paul questioned police personnel at the scene about how the manja had reached the flyover and summoned officers from Topsia police station. She also issued instructions at the location. Later, in a Facebook post, the minister cautioned kite-flyers against using strings near busy roads and urged them to fly kites carefully so that the thread did not endanger motorists.
The latest crash comes despite special measures by Kolkata Police to prevent manja-related incidents around Biswakarma Puja. Police teams had conducted raids in the bylanes of Beniapukur and Topsia to check the sale of Chinese manja. Similar raids were carried out in the Port and eastern suburban divisions, according to the report.
Police had also deployed additional patrol vehicles and a drone on the Maa Flyover and Vidyasagar Setu. The stated purpose of the deployment was to identify kites and remove them if they posed a risk on the flyovers. The latest incident indicates that enforcement across the supply chain and at road level remains an ongoing challenge, although the report does not provide details of arrests or seizures linked to Sunday’s crash.
Chinese manja is a nylon thread coated with glass and metal dust, including lead and copper. The string can cause deep cuts to people and birds when it becomes stretched across a route used by moving vehicles. For two-wheeler riders, the neck and face are particularly vulnerable when the thread becomes caught while they are travelling at speed.
The accident has placed renewed attention on the gap between a formal ban and the continued availability or use of hazardous kite strings. The report said police raids and patrols had been intensified, but also noted limited awareness and a subsequent decline in safe use across Kolkata and elsewhere in the country. The immediate next steps include the police response at the flyover and continued enforcement against the sale and use of Chinese manja.
