Banned manjha continues to dominate Lucknow markets ahead of Diwali and Jamghat, more than eight months to the death of a 33-year-old Lucknow man and over 20 incidents of injuries resulting in multiple FIRs and arrest of a few men.
At that time, shopkeepers in Chowk and Daliganj had refused to sell the string, citing police checks and warnings from the local kite sellers’ association. But a visit to Golaganj found black synthetic string being sold discreetly, including to a customer seeking bulk supply. The new check found similar concealed sales in two other localities. “Police crackdowns are seasonal. The crackdown will continue in the coming days.”
In an earlier report, Hindustan Times documented the death of 33-year-old medical representative Mohammad Shoaib, whose neck was slit by manjha while he was commuting in Bazarkhala.
Once the season is gone, so is the enforcement,” said Amar Nath Kaul, former president of the Lucknow Kite Flying Association, pointing to the lack of sustained action against banned manjha despite repeated incidents. Babloo Kumar, JCP (Law and Order) said, “Lucknow police conduct regular crackdown on such shops selling and storing the illegal threads.
The latest findings echo an earlier Hindustan Times report published in February.
