Cops fail to seize banned manjha in Jaipur

JAIPUR: Though Jaipur police has launched a campaign against the illegal sale of metallic and plastic manjha, they failed to seize even a single piece from all its Jaipur police districts, in its campaign on Friday. Locals in the Walled City termed the police campaign as a mere eyewash, as many shops are selling the banned metallic and plastic manjha to their selected customers.


After a 9-year-old girl died after getting electrocuted while she was trying to pull off a kite from a high-tension line, Jaipur police claimed to have launched a campaign where intense checking was done at the shops selling manjha situated at Haldiyon Ka Raasta, Handipura, Mansarovar, Jhotwara and other parts of the city. However, it appeared that the police effort to find and seize the dangerous manjha was half-hearted. “Different teams of Jaipur police commissionerate conducted searches at the shops across the city. We have not found any metallic or plastic manjha. They were all selling the usual thread manjha, which is glass coated,” said Laxman Gaur, additional commissioner of police, Jaipur-1 told TOI.

However, locals alleged that police is not strictly checking the shops. “Only if the police will take stringent measures, this can stop. It is easily available and the police is not strictly checking for it. I suggest every police station area should check every shop and pursue the ban seriously,” said Deepak Dhir, a native of Purani Basti near Chandpole in the Walled City. “Every shop is selling it to their selected customers. Yes, they are not selling it in open, but are secretly supplying it,” Dhir added.

The problem is also rampant in the outskirts of the city which comes under Jaipur collector, Jagroop Singh Yadav. “I am yet to get a detailed report on the seizures,” he said. If Yadav is to be believed, even Collectorate does not have the data on the seizure of manjha.

However, it was found that metallic and plastic manjha is being sold to selected customers. Also, the traders in many localities were aware of the police campaign in advance. “There could be a possibility that they have hidden the manjha. If in Jaipur there is no availability of plastic and metallic manjha, from where is it being supplied to the many households and kite lovers,” asked SN Tiwari, a resident of Murlipura.

According to sources, kite sellers in Sikar and Fatehpur are selling plastic and metallic manjha, which is coming to Jaipur. Some people in the Walled City also alleged that police is not serious enough to enforce the ban.