Cops fail to nab kite-fliers around Maa flyover

Kolkata: Despite repeated incidents of bikers getting injured due to sharp kite string (manja), police have not been able to arrest any persons from the adjacent areas who were involved in kite-flying.

During past six months, multiple such incidents took place on Maa flyover.

In each case, the biker said a sharp kite string got entangled on their neck and face due to which he suffered sharp cuts.

In every case, it was noticed that the incidents were happening under Topsia Karaya and Beniapukur police station's jurisdiction.

During December in 2016, the throat of a 10-year-old girl got slit while she took her head out from the sunroof of a car. She sustained a six-inch deep cut on her neck and had to be admitted to a city hospital.

According to sources, during December last year, Kolkata Police proposed the both sides of the flyover of almost 3 kilometre stretch on Maa flyover should be covered with nets not less than 3 metres in height. But till now no steps have been taken.

It has not been decided when the stretch would be covered with net, as such incidents are still continuing. On Saturday afternoon, a bike rider identified as Shantanu Ganguly suffered injuries on his face while driving on the ramp of Maa flyover which connects AJC Bose Road flyover.

Around 5pm, while Ganguly was going to Howrah from his office at Salt Lake, all of a sudden he felt some irritation on his face.

He immediately stopped the bike and saw blood was dripping from the piece of cloth which was he tied around his face. When he untied the cloth, found a kite string had slit his face.

Later, he somehow managed to stop the bleeding and went to home and consulted with a local doctor. It was alleged that despite several such incidents, police were not able to trace a single offender in any occasion. Police officials claimed that local police station had conducted multiple awareness campaign not to fly kites in the adjacent areas of Maa flyover, which is still continuing.