Overview
- Lucknow police arrested two youths in Bazarkhala and seized three reels of banned synthetic manjha and 11 kites, though their link to the Feb. 4 death of Mohammad Shoaib has not been established.
- Haryana announced a comprehensive prohibition on Chinese manjha covering production, storage, sale, supply, import and use, with DGP Ajay Singhal directing strict compliance and awareness drives.
- At least four people were injured in separate Lucknow incidents within 24 hours across Kudia Ghat, Bandha Road in Thakurganj, Hewett Road and the Naka flyover, with another report showing an elderly man’s nose severed.
- Uttar Pradesh escalated its legal stance as CM Yogi Adityanath ordered that fatal cases linked to sharp synthetic kite thread be treated as murder, prompting statewide seizure drives and network tracing by police.
- A three-day search by teams from 54 Lucknow police stations reportedly yielded no concrete recoveries, even as residents and reports flagged continued open market availability and rapid online doorstep deliveries.