Fake news of kite-flying ban in Hyderabad during Makarsankranti spread on social media  

There’s a buzz about the ban of kite flying in Hyderabad by the authorities that really blew minds of the people in the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Anjani Kumar told the BOOM, on Monday, that the buzz on Twitter that claimed a ban by authorities in Telangana during the festival of Makar Sankranti is not true.

A Press Trust of India article with the headline ‘Kite-flying banned during Sankranti festival in Hyderabad’ is what caused an uproar on Twitter. Other news outlets also carried the same news with the same headline.

The Hyderabad’s police commissioner claimed it to be fake news saying: “Kite flying has not been banned. It has only been restricted and order passed that kites should not be flown around religious areas. And we have issued some safety precautions. How can kite flying be banned like that?” Anjani Kumar told BOOM.

There was also a Facebook post by the Hyderabad City Police on January 10, 2019, explaining the nature of the restrictions being implemented during the festival.

In the Facebook post, there is no mention of any ban. The post only stresses safety and precautionary measures to be followed, especially by children. Along with the restrictions on the aforementioned areas.

After the article by PTI started the buzz, it started being shared over social media with communally charged messages that claim Hindu festivals such as Sankranti, are under threat.

Kite-flying banned during Sankranti festival in Hyderabad
Slowly & slowly #Christoislamic Forces are taking over.
The first signs are here to see for everyone..
Another decade & they will control everything & BAN everything Hindu https://t.co/eNsOyrLwEp

— ऋतु राठौर (सत्यसाधक)🇮🇳 (@RituRathaur) January 14, 2019

Indian economist, Sanjeev Sanyal, also tweeted the same and expressed anguish at the ‘ban’.

Kite-flying banned during Sankranti festival in Hyderabad ...... Slowly, slowly, slowly the pagans were removed from Roman cultural life. https://t.co/N3V0MPprcf

— Sanjeev Sanyal (@sanjeevsanyal) January 13, 2019

Kite festival in Hyderabad

The Makarsankranti festival kicked-off on January 14, 2019, all across the country, and far from banning kite-flying, the Telangana Government took the responsibility of organising a kite festival in Hyderabad, with participants from around the world coming over to take part.

There is no ban on kite-flying, but there is a ban on the sale and use of Chinese manja – nylon threads coated with shards of glass. The use of these threads has been made illegal, owing to the dangers it poses to animals and birds.

(Courtesy: Boom Live)