Karnataka Police Intensify Crackdown on Banned Manja Sales After Woman’s Death in Hubballi

Police have launched raids on shops and warehouses, seized stocks of the banned material and registered criminal cases against alleged sellers in the Hubballi-Dharwad region.

The victim, Vidya Manjunath Gowdar, a laboratory technician, died on Thursday after a hanging manja string caught her neck and cut her throat near Shivashankar Colony on Karwar Road in Hubballi.

Hubballi-Dharwad Superintendent of Police Bhushan Borase said on Friday that police had previously conducted awareness campaigns highlighting the dangers posed by manja. However, the latest fatal incident has prompted authorities to intensify enforcement.

“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 warned that kite strings left hanging from electricity poles, trees and other structures can pose serious risks to commuters, particularly two-wheeler riders and cyclists.

To address the danger, police have written to the civic corporation commissioner seeking coordination with municipal authorities, sanitation workers and Hubballi Electricity Supply Company (HESCOM) personnel.

Borase said a week-long drive would be undertaken to remove abandoned kites and cut dangling manja strings from public spaces and roadsides to reduce the risk of further accidents.

He also urged residents to report dangerous kite strings or the use of banned manja by calling the emergency helpline 112, adding that police would respond to complaints and take appropriate action.

Belagavi Police Issue Warning to Traders

Meanwhile, Belagavi Police Commissioner K. Ramarajan has warned traders against selling manja and appealed to residents to avoid using the banned string while flying kites.

Referring to fatal incidents involving two-wheeler riders, Ramarajan said the sale and use of manja were prohibited and that legal action would be taken against those violating the ban.

He recalled the death of 19-year-old student Dhruv Santosh Karjagi, who died on October 1 after a sharp kite string slit his throat while he was riding a motorcycle in Belagavi.

Ramarajan urged people not to purchase the dangerous string and encouraged them to inform the police if they came across its sale. He added that ordinary thread could be used for flying kites without posing the same risks associated with glass-coated manja.

Police have appealed for public cooperation to strengthen enforcement of the ban and prevent further fatalities caused by abandoned or illegally used kite strings.