K’taka Police launch crackdown on banned manja rope sales after woman’s death
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Police have intensified their crackdown on the sale and use of banned manja (glass-coated kite string) in the Hubballi-Dharwad region following the death of a 38-year-old woman who died after getting entangled in the string on Karwar Road.
Police have conducted raids on shops and godowns, seized stocks of manja rope and warned traders against selling the banned material.
A 38-year-old laboratory technician named Vidya Manjunath Gowdar died on Karwar Road in Hubballi after a glass-coated kite manja string slit her throat while she was riding her scooter on Thursday. The deceased, Vidya Manjunatha, was passing near Shivashankar Colony when the hanging string caught her neck and cut her throat, leading to her death.
Hubballi-Dharwad Superintendent of Police Bhushan Borase on Friday said the police had earlier conducted awareness programmes about the dangers of manja rope, but people had failed to take the warnings seriously. The latest incident has claimed a life, prompting the police to step up enforcement measures.
“We have immediately taken two steps. We have instructed police officers to register cases wherever manja ropes are being sold. So far, 12 criminal cases have been registered, and we have seized a considerable quantity of manja rope. The sellers have been booked,” Borase said.
He said kites stuck on electricity poles and trees often leave manja strings hanging in the air, posing a serious threat to people travelling on roads, particularly two-wheeler riders and cyclists.
The police have written to the corporation commissioner seeking cooperation of civic authorities, sanitation workers and Hubballi Electricity Supply Company (HESCOM) personnel to remove the dangerous strings. Borase said the authorities would undertake a weeklong drive to remove kites and cut dangling manja strings wherever they are found, reducing the risk to road users.
He appealed to the public to alert the police by calling the 112 emergency helpline if they notice kites with manja strings hanging dangerously or people flying kites using the banned string. Police personnel would respond to such complaints and take appropriate action, he said.
The incident has added to a series of tragedies involving manja rope in Hubballi, raising concerns over the continued sale and use of the banned material despite repeated warnings.
Meanwhile, Belagavi Police Commissioner K. Ramarajan has also warned traders against selling manja rope and appealed to the public not to use it to fly kites.
Referring to incidents in which two-wheeler riders have lost their lives, Ramarajan said the sale and use of manja rope were prohibited and that legal action would be taken against those violating the ban.
It can be recalled that a 19-year-old student named Dhruv Santosh Karjagi died on October 1, after a sharp kite string (manja) slit his throat while he was riding a motorcycle in Belagavi, Karnataka.
Ramarajan said: “We urge people not to buy manja rope in the first place, as it can endanger lives and even cause death. If anyone provides information about its sale, action will be taken. There is no problem with flying kites using ordinary thread. Manja rope is banned, and legal action will be taken against anyone found using it.”
The police have called for public cooperation to prevent further casualties and ensure strict enforcement of the ban on manja rope.
