Bhubaneswar: As many as 12 persons were injured in manja (kite) string-related mishaps in Odisha's Dhenkanal and Balasore districts today.  

A 23-year-old youth sustained critical injuries after he got entangled in a manja string in Dhenkanal district. 

The incident took place in Meena Bazar area under Dhenkanal Town police limits. Victim Abhishek Sahoo of Sainebiri village sustained injuries on his nose and fingers after he got entangled in the glass-coated kite string (manja) in the afternoon.

On being informed, the police reached the spot and seized the manja string before launching a probe into the incident. The victim was rushed to Dhenkanal District Headquarters Hospital (DHH), reports said.

Similarly, altogethr 11 persons were injured in manja thread-related mishaps in Balasore district. Four persons sustained injuries on their legs while equal number of persons sustained injuries on their hands and three others received injuries on their necks. The injured were admitted to the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital (DHH), reports added. 

Sale of manja string unabated in Cuttack

It is worth mentioning here that a biker had sustained grievous injuries in a manja string-related mishap in the capital city here yesterday.

The biker, identified as Kamala Kanta of Kalpana Square area, got entangled with the manja string on Pokhariput rail overbridge in the city here on Tuesday. He suffered severe injuries on his neck and fingers in the mishap.

The victim was immediately rushed to the Capital Hospital and later shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack city.

Taking the incident seriously, the Commissionerate Police had directed its officials to take stern action against shopkeepers selling the banned manja string in the capital city.

Acting upon the direction, the cops today raided several shops at the Unit-I haat in the city here.

Sources, meanwhile, claimed that several shopkeepers at Choudhury Bazar in Cuttack city were selling the manja string to people on Wednesday. The shopkeepers sold the manja string at the wholesale market right under the nose of Dargha Bazar police.