In Indore Court, A Snapped Pencil Proves Deadly Reality Of Banned Kite String

A courtroom fell silent when a simple yellow pencil snapped under the force of a thin kite string. At the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Indore Bench, the danger of Chinese kite string, popularly known as manjha, was not argued in words but demonstrated in action. 

During Friday's hearing, a banned nylon kite string was produced before the court. As Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi examined it, the string was pulled across a pencil. The pencil was sliced cleanly.

The Bench observed that if a solid pencil could be cut so easily, the threat to human life was self-evident. The court orally remarked that if authorities failed to control the menace, they may have no option but to ban kite flying altogether.

The string shown to the judges was itself proof of enforcement failure. 

The intervener's counsel told the court that the Chinese manjha had landed on his roof during Makar Sankranti despite a complete ban on its manufacture, sale and use. The judges questioned the district administration sharply, noting that while action was being claimed on paper, the ground reality told a different story.

"Photographs published in newspapers are heart-wrenching," the Bench observed, referring to images of slashed throats, injured commuters and mutilated birds. 

The court pointed out that massive kite festivals are held in Gujarat every year, yet such fatalities are rarely reported there, raising serious questions about enforcement in Madhya Pradesh.

Taking a hard line, the High Court directed the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh to formulate a strict and comprehensive policy to eliminate Chinese kite string. 

The Bench warned that if the situation remained uncontrolled, kite flying itself could be prohibited. The matter will be heard again in the week beginning March 9.

The Indore Bench has already taken suo motu cognisance of the issue. 

On December 11, 2025, it banned the manufacture, sale and use of Chinese manjha in Indore and surrounding districts. On January 12, 2026, the court ordered strict enforcement to prevent accidents. 

Despite these directions, multiple fatal incidents were reported during Makar Sankranti.

Expressing deep concern, the court said it was "unfortunate" that deaths continued even after the ban. 

The Bench made it clear that any death caused by Chinese kite string will attract a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The court further clarified, anyone found selling or using Chinese manjha will face direct criminal action. If minors are caught using the banned string, their guardians will be held legally responsible.

The court noted that three people have lost their lives in Indore in recent months due to Chinese kite string. Many others have suffered serious injuries, while countless birds have died after getting entangled in the razor-sharp thread.

The horror peaked on January 11, when within just four hours, three motorcyclists suffered severe neck injuries in Indore. One of them, 35-year-old Raghuveer Dhakad, died during treatment.

Raghuveer, a tiles contractor from Om Sai Vihar Colony in Bicholi Mardana, was returning home after inspecting a work site. Around 5:30 pm, on the Khajrana Bridge near Shakuntala Hospital, a Chinese kite string slashed his throat. He was rushed to hospital but could not be saved.