A devastating wave of injuries struck Bhopal on Diwali night as over 60 individuals, predominantly children aged 8 to 14, were rushed to hospitals after being maimed by illegal calcium carbide guns. The crude devices, assembled from plastic pipes, gas lighters, and calcium carbide, generate explosive acetylene gas when water is added, unleashing high-velocity shrapnel that has left several victims permanently blind.

Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr. Manish Sharma confirmed that while no lives are at immediate risk, the injuries are severe. “Multiple children have lost vision in one or both eyes, and several have sustained serious facial burns,” he stated. Hamidia Hospital alone admitted nearly 10 pediatric cases, with two children undergoing critical treatment. Doctors at AIIMS Bhopal are fighting to save the eyesight of a 12-year-old boy whose cornea was severely damaged in the blast.

Authorities recorded over 150 carbide gun-related injuries across the city within 24 hours of Diwali, though many were treated and discharged. The surge in cases has exposed a glaring failure in enforcement despite clear directives. On October 18, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav ordered district magistrates and police to ban the manufacture and sale of these hazardous devices statewide. Yet, carbide guns were openly sold in local markets, readily accessible to children.

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Angered families accuse the administration of negligence. “They knew the danger, issued orders, but did nothing to stop the sales,” said the father of a 10-year-old victim now facing lifelong blindness.

In response, the district administration has initiated a crackdown, raiding illegal manufacturing units and seizing materials. Dr. Sharma warned that calcium carbide guns are not toys but lethal instruments capable of causing irreversible harm.

Health officials urge parents to remain vigilant and report any sale of such devices immediately. As Bhopal reels from this preventable tragedy, the incident serves as a grim reminder of the deadly consequences when festive enthusiasm overrides safety.

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