Over a hundred birds were injured or killed by banned glass-coated kite strings, colloquially called “Chinese manjha”, on Independence Day, officials said.
Most of these cases were reported from rescue centres and bird hospitals across the city, with volunteers and doctors saying the number is likely to rise, as more such birds will be discovered as kite-flying will continue till Rakshabandhan on August 19.
Experts said such cases are reported every year due to violations in the form of use of “Chinese manjha” despite a clear ban. Such is the extent of damage from the manjha that some birds are unable to fly again, an official from the Wildlife Rescue Centre in Wazirabad said.
Police said they are keeping a strict vigil and drives are being conducted to take action against violators. The use and sale of glass-quoted kite string has been prohibited in Delhi since January 10, 2017.
At the Jain Charitable Bird Hospital in Chandni Chowk, around 100 injured birds were reported till Friday, slightly lower than the 120 injuries received last year on these two days.
“There has been a slight drop in numbers compared to last year, but manjha injuries continue to impact birds. Pigeons and crows are the most common cases, with their wings slashed. In cases, other body parts have also received deep cuts. The string is sharp enough to cut through their wings or body completely,” said Dr Haravtar Singh, who works at the hospital.
Mohammad Saud from Wildlife Rescue Centre in Wazirabad, which treats only birds of prey, said eight injured kites were reported on Independence Day, with around 20 on Friday.
“Till last year, the count was around 30 too over these two days. Out of the 28 cases, 27 were black kites and one was a cormorant, which is not a bird of prey, but a waterbird which someone dropped at our centre,” Saud said, stating that a restriction on the time-period for flying kites can also help reduce cases.
He said more cases would be reported in the coming days, with people likely to fly kites till Rakshabandhan on Monday. “After kite flying ends on August 15, people start to discover injured birds on August 16 and 17, so we are expecting more cases. Over the weekend, before Rakshabandhan, more kite flying is expected, so this count is likely to grow further,” he said.
Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO and co-founder of the animal rescue NGO Wildlife SOS said the same violations are observed in Delhi each year, despite a clear ban.
“Birds often get entangled in loose kite strings while foraging on trees and shrubs. In their desperate attempts to free themselves, they suffer severe injuries and blood loss, which can be fatal, especially when trapped without food or water,” he said.
Police seize banned manjha, register FIRs
The city police, meanwhile, said action against violators found to be using, selling or storing the banned manjha was being taken, with more drives to be carried out in the coming days.
Till August 16, Delhi Police said it seized over 14,000 rolls of Chinese Manjha and 191 FIRs have been registered so far, with 200 people arrested.
“Delhi Police have mounted a strict vigil round the clock on activities of those involved in manufacture, sale, storage, purchase, and use of Chinese Manjha,” said a senior police official.
Despite Delhi Police’s claims of taking stringent action, incidents like the recent one — and the sale of the glass-coated manjha — continue to take place in the national capital.
Even if someone is booked for using, keeping or selling these strings, they are let off comparatively easily. The maximum punishment for this offence — prescribed under section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — is imprisonment for up to only six months or a fine up to ₹1,000 or both. None of those booked in Delhi for this offence since the 2017 ban has been jailed so far.
A senior Delhi Police officer said that punishment for the offence is not significant enough to cause any fear of legal consequences.
“All police stations in Delhi have been asked to increase vigil around kite shops and see if rules are being flouted… Any person found selling metallic powder or nylon or plastic manjhas will be booked under Section 223 of the new law. However, the maximum punishment for this offence is so small that people do not have much fear,” said the officer, asking not to be named.
The officer added that surprise raids are also being conducted at various shops in different parts of the city.
“Most of the manjhas sold in Delhi come from Firozabad, Bareilly, Meerut and Noida in Uttar Pradesh and Rohtak in Haryana. While many people, including children, have fallen victim to the deadly manjha, it is difficult for us to identify the suspects through CCTV footage,” he said.
Quoting the 2017 ban, the officer said that the term “Chinese” is simply a terminology commonly used for nylon, metallic or synthetic threads.
“This ‘Chinese’ manjha is in fact predominantly manufactured in different parts of India famous for its manjha and kites. The respective state governments can easily stop this menace at its roots, but they have not done it so far,” he added.
Suman Nalwa, deputy commissioner of police (public relations), said that a notice has been issued from the police headquarters on Thursday, in which all the deputy commissioners of police have been asked to create awareness among target groups, and utilise ‘eyes and ears’ approach to ill-effects and illegal use of Chinese manjha.