हिंदी में पढ़ें । In the eye ward of Bhopal’s Hamidia Hospital, Afreen Khan, mother of six-year-old Alzain Khan, sat in tears. During Diwali, her son was playing with a homemade carbide gun, a crude toy crafted from a gas lighter, plastic pipe, and calcium carbide. When it jammed, the curious child looked into the barrel. A sudden explosion followed, severely injuring both his eyes.
Khan’s voice trembles with pain in Bhopal’s Hamidia Hospital:
“Doctors say one eye is lost, the other barely sees. If only we hadn’t bought that cheap carbide gun from a Bhanpur footpath vendor that Diwali. My son would still have his sight.”
Alzain Khan is not the only victim of these dangerous toys this Diwali. In Bhopal’s Chhola area, 14-year-old Karan Panthi from Garib Nagar bought a similar carbide gun for 150 rupees outside a Karond store. “It worked at first, but stopped in the evening. I tried fixing it, and it exploded,” Karan recalls. His right eye suffered severe burns.
His mother, Mamta Panthi, shares her pain,
“We never imagined it was so risky. He’s had surgery, but doctors say recovery time is uncertain.”
The tragedy extends further in Bhopal. Aarish Khan, another resident, has suffered severe damage to both eyes after a carbide gun mishap. Having undergone amniotic membrane transplant surgery, he faces an uncertain future, with doctors unsure of his vision recovery for weeks. In Hamidia Hospital’s eye ward, Aarish’s father, Shareekh Khan, is overcome with grief.
“My son excelled in studies and dreamed of becoming a doctor. Now, I don’t know what lies ahead,” he says, his voice breaking.
Shareekh’s anger erupts at the administration: “Such a dangerous gun has ruined my child’s life. So that this doesn’t happen to others, it shouldn’t be sold in the market at all. Strict action should be taken against those making and selling these.”
Homemade carbide toy guns, used by hundreds of children and youths to celebrate the Festival of Lights, have caused devastating injuries, leaving many blind and families in despair.
A carbide gun claimed another victim at a wedding in Bhopal on October 20. Prashant Malviya, a 26-year-old software engineer from Nariyal Kheda, thought it was a harmless firecracker. “I pressed the trigger, and a horrific explosion left everything dark,” he recounts from his bed at Gandhi Medical College. Both eyes severely injured, he underwent amniotic membrane and stem cell transplants. “My job depends on my vision. If it doesn’t return, I’m finished,” Prashant says, his voice heavy with fear.
Festival of Light Turns Dark
Diwali is considered a festival symbolising lights and happiness. This time in several districts including Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, it became a story of darkness. The cheap carbide or country toy gun attacked children’s eyes. This gun, sold in markets for ₹100 to ₹200, is operated by filling a plastic or tin pipe with calcium carbide and using water and a lighter.
Viral social media trends called it a “fun toy” or “green firecracker.” Children enthusiastically fire the gun, but when it doesn’t work, they peer into the barrel. The acetylene gas formed inside suddenly explodes. The sparks, smoke, and chemicals that emerge burn the eye’s cornea.
316 Hurt, 14-24 Kids Blinded
Between October 21 to 25, Madhya Pradesh saw over 316 cases of injuries from this gun. Eighty percent of patients are children. State capital Bhopal alone recorded 186 cases. Vidisha had 51, Gwalior 36, Indore 31, and Shivpuri over 20 cases. Across the state, 14 to 24 children permanently lost their eyesight.
On October 25, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav reached Hamidia Hospital to check on patients and assess health facilities. He directed immediate assistance from the Chief Minister’s Discretionary Fund. But the question remains: how did this dangerous toy reach children’s hands?
A Deadly Toy
This country toy gun is made from a gas lighter, plastic pipe, and calcium carbide. When calcium carbide filled in the pipe mixes with water, acetylene gas forms. This gas burns with an explosion.
The sparks and heat that emerge scorch eyes, skin, and face. A small spark causes a violent explosion. When the plastic pipe breaks, small fragments shoot out like bullets. These enter the eyes directly, causing serious injury. Often children peer into the pipe out of curiosity and the explosion happens at that moment.
Reels were being made on social media by firing this gun. These videos were going viral and became a new trend for children. Many people used it to make reels. However, this proved not a toy but a deadly weapon.
Dangerous Than Acid Burns
CMHO Dr. Manish Sharma says,
“In most cases, children’s corneas have been damaged. Some have suffered permanent vision loss. So far 186 patients have been admitted to Bhopal’s government hospitals. Over 70 percent of cases are just corneal injuries.”
Dr. Suraj Singh Kubre, Assistant Professor in the Ophthalmology Department of Gandhi Medical College, explains: “We have 4 children whose corneas are 90 percent damaged. This is ‘alkaline injury,’ which is far more dangerous than acid burns. It reaches the deep layers of the eye and causes permanent damage.”
Last Hope Amid Donor Shortage
In the most serious cases, doctors are having to rely on amniotic membrane (the membrane from the womb). This membrane emerges during childbirth and is preserved in a special way. It works like a “living bandage.”
Two children at Bhopal Gandhi Medical College and 8 patients at AIIMS have already undergone transplants. However, over 50 patients need transplants. But the shortage of donors is affecting treatment.
Warning Ignored, Loophole Triggers Crisis
Doctors warned that the calcium carbide gun is not a toy. It’s a dangerous weapon. Farmers across the country call it a monkey-scaring gun.
Personal or domestic use of calcium carbide is completely prohibited. It’s controlled under Calcium Carbide Rules 1987 (Petroleum Act 1934). According to rules, only licensed industrial units (welding, cutting, gas production) can use it.
But the rules allow keeping up to 5 kilograms without a license (containers smaller than 1 kg). This very loophole was openly exploited across the state including Bhopal.
In 2023, ICMR-NIREH conducted an important study based on “fatal eye injuries from calcium carbide guns.” This research was published in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology. This report stated that the 5-kilogram exemption in the rules is the root of this problem.
The research found that when carbide and water mix in the gun, acetylene gas forms. On explosion, the gas burns up to 2000°C. Particles of calcium hydroxide splash into the eyes. This report warned that 70 percent of carbide gun accidents result in permanent blindness.
Dr. Tanvi Trishna, scientist at ICMR-NIREH, says:
“There’s a need to make people aware of the dangers from calcium carbide use. Also, there should be a ban on sales of carbide guns and raw materials to children.”
The ICMR warning had been ignored by the administration for the past two years. The result—over 316 cases emerged.
Administration Awakens Late
After over 300 cases emerged, the administration woke up. Carbide guns were banned on October 23 in Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, and Vidisha under Section 163 of the BNSS 2023 (Bhartiya Nyay Suraksha Sanhita) . On October 24, their purchase, sale, and stock were banned across the state. So far, 6 FIRs have been registered in Bhopal, 8 in Vidisha, and 1 in Gwalior under Section 173 and 288 of BNSS.
Police Commissioner Hari Narayan Chari Mishra said:
“Over 150 carbide guns have been confiscated so far. Teams are conducting raids in different police station areas. Making, selling, and firing carbide guns is illegal. Those found doing so can face a fine of ₹1 lakh and up to six months imprisonment.”
The festival of Diwali’s joy turned into mourning for hundreds of families across Madhya Pradesh including Bhopal. The cheap carbide gun that went viral on social media has caused serious damage to the eyes of over 300 people.
Although the administration has now started strict action and imposed a complete ban on guns, the open sale of this deadly toy during Diwali is the biggest failure of the government, for which they will have to take responsibility.
This story is edited by Diwash Gahatraj.
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