Kite string slashes doctor’s face, fifth such case on Maa flyover

KOLKATA: In the sixth such accident reported in the city since the end of December 2017 — the fifth on the Maa flyover — a young doctor employed with the state-run SSKM Hospital was slashed by a metallic kite string on Sunday. The alloy-coated thread caught the victim, Saikat Chakraborty, offguard and resulted in profuse bleeding from the face. However, doctors said Chakraborty could be released after first aid.

The accident occurred close to bridge No. 4 under Karaya police station when Chakraborty was riding his two-wheeler back home to Mukundapur from SSKM Hospital. He was rushed back to the hospital by police after another biker, Noor Amin, stopped to offer help and called the cops. Amin was going the opposite way, towards Park Circus. Both the Tiljala traffic guard and the Karaya police reached the spot after Amin informed them about the accident.

The southeast division — which had earlier launched special drives across Topsia, deployed uniformed men near Topsia Hindu Burial Ground and detained several youths — said the spot of Sunday’s accident was new.

“This is a new spot and very close to the seven-point crossing. We will need to expand our programme to build consciousness in these areas too. In this case, the doctor told us that Chakraborty was lucky not to have suffered injuries to his eyes. We have seized the manja from the bridge and have recorded a video of the area,” said an officer.

Amin, though, claimed such accidents were common on top of the flyover. “The bikers must also be told to wear helmets that cover the face and take precautions that can save their necks,” he said.

“Even on Sunday, I saw young boys flying kites and walking dangerously close to the flyover with the abrasive strings that can lead to more accidents. I had tried to inform a traffic sergeant about the dangers, but he flatly told me that it does not fall under his purview,” said Abhishek Sengupta, who had also stopped to help cops take Chakraborty to hospital.

The police said they have been organizing the drive against illegal manja for the past four months. “We have been getting reports of these strings being spotted on Maa flyover. We began searches in nearby areas to locate the people who were selling them. But so far, we have not been able to trace those who have hoarded them. We are trying to find out if these are entering the Karaya-Park Circus belt from outside our police station areas,” said an officer.

The deadly manja is made by crushing glass into powder and sticking it to the thread. In spite of being banned, its use continues, and so do injuries to bikers.

Kite fliers said the manja is imported from various cities like Surat, Hyderabad and Bengaluru and is sold illegally in Tiljala, Maheshtala and Garia on the outskirts of the city.