Over 60, mostly children aged between 8 and 14 were hospitalised in Bhopal after sustaining injuries from makeshift calcium carbide guns used during Diwali celebrations, on Thursday.

These improvised “guns” are typically made using a plastic pipe, a gas lighter, and calcium carbide. When water reacts with calcium carbide, it produces acetylene gas, which explodes upon ignition. The blast can propel sharp fragments of plastic at high speeds, causing serious injuries to the eyes, face, and skin.

Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr. Manish Sharma described the “carbide pipe guns” as extremely dangerous.

“Currently, around 60 people injured by these guns are being treated at various hospitals across the city. While there is no threat to their lives, several have lost their eyesight, and some have suffered severe facial burns,” he said.

Officials said that more over 150 cases of carbide gun injuries were recorded in Bhopal the day after Diwali. Many victims were treated and discharged after first aid, but several children remain hospitalized with critical injuries.

Doctors at AIIMS are attempting to restore the eyesight of a 12-year-old boy, while two more children are under treatment at Hamidia Hospital, which has admitted nearly 10 young patients.

Families of the injured children have criticised authorities for failing to stop the sale of these dangerous devices.

Dr Sharma added the district administration has now begun a crackdown on the illegal manufacture and sale of carbide guns.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had directed district magistrates and police officials across Madhya Pradesh, in a meeting on October 18, to prevent the sale of such items. However, despite these orders, the guns were sold widely in local markets during Diwali.

Inputs from PTI 

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