Gujarat Police and PETA India Seize Banned Manja

For Immediate Release:

12 January 2023

Contact:

Ahmedabad – Following complaints from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India that dangerous and illegal manja was being sold in Ahmedabad in a clandestine manner, the group worked with the Gujarat police and local activists to conduct a raid in the early hours of Wednesday morning in CTM, Amraiwadi. In the raid, several kilograms and over 180 spools of illegal manja worth more than Rs 36,000 were seized and a complaint was filed against the offender under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and Section 131 of the Gujarat Police Act, 1951. The offender is in apparent violation of an order dated 16 December 2022, issued under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, by the Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad, that prohibits the production, storage, supply, importation, sale, and use of nylon- and glass-coated manja within the commissionerate. The prohibition exists in order to prevent harm to humans, birds, and other animals as well as the environment. The offender is also in violation of an order dated 9 January issued under sections 33 (1) and 37(1) of the Gujarat Police Act, 1951, by the Office of the Collector and the district magistrate, prohibiting flying kites as well as buying, selling, and storing any non-biodegradable thread used for kite flying.

The photos of the raid are available upon request.

“We commend the life-saving action taken by Gujarat police to seize illegal manja and applaud the unwavering support by local activists throughout the raid. This enforcement will go a long way towards protecting the lives of humans as well as birds, including endangered vultures, who are lacerated by the sharp string,” says PETA India Advocacy Officer Farhat Ul Ain. “Most people would choose to use only plain cotton kite strings if they knew that doing so would spare fellow humans and other animals serious injuries and even death.”

In August 2022, after receiving complaints from PETA India that dangerous and illegal manja was being sold in Delhi markets, the group worked with the Delhi police and conducted a raid in the Lal Kuan market in Delhi. During the raid, several kilograms and over 50 spools of illegal manja were seized and complaints were filed.

Manja, in all its forms, puts humans, birds, other animals, and the environment at risk. Razor-sharp strings, reinforced with glass powder and metal, cause human injuries and many senseless deaths every year. In January 2022, over 450 people sustained injuries in kite-flying accidents during Uttarayan in Gujarat. Earlier this month, a man in Surat lost his life when his throat was slit by a sharp kite-flying string. The harmful thread also has a disastrous impact on bird populations. The wings of birds are often slashed or even cut off by manja. Their feet have also been cut off by these strings, and birds frequently escape with such wounds, meaning rescuers cannot help them. According to the chief conservator of forest in Gujarat, from 1 January 2022 to 6 June 2022, more than 1000 birds died while more than 13,000 were injured. In the first week of January 2023 alone, 482 birds were injured by manja, including several migratory birds in the state.

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

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