Scores of people— including many children— were treated in Bhopal after sustaining eye injuries caused by the use of so-called “calcium carbide” guns during Diwali, officials said, turning a festival into a public-health emergency across parts of Madhya Pradesh.
Bhopal district hospital data show 186 people reported eye injuries over Diwali: 10 have suffered permanent vision loss, 15 underwent surgical procedures, 154 were sent to outpatient care, and 32 were admitted as inpatients.
“There is no threat to their lives,” Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr. Manish Sharma said, “but several patients have suffered damage to their eyesight and a few have facial burns. In most of the children we saw, the cornea was inflamed after sparks from the device contacted the eye.”
Doctors at Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, warned of severe cases:
“At our hospital, four patients have corneas that are around 90 percent damaged, while 30 other patients were discharged after prompt treatment.
We expect roughly 30 children across Bhopal to have sustained serious injury; numbers may rise as referrals come in from peripheral areas.”
Doctors say the first case surfaced a day before Diwali: a boy badly injured after peering into the nozzle of one of the devices, which are marketed online as monkey repellents.
Farmers traditionally used similar tools, and injuries were occasionally reported; last year, five such cases were recorded.
Dr. Kubrey added that ophthalmology teams were initially unfamiliar with the device and how it caused harm.
“We consulted colleagues via professional WhatsApp groups, and then a ban was recommended. These guns were not on our radar — they’re sold as monkey repellents,” he said.
On social media, the phenomenon had been building for weeks. Hashtags such as #CarbideGun trended in October as influencers and teenagers posted short videos showing how to make and fire these crude devices at home.
Viral reels demonstrated makeshift barrels assembled from pipes and bottles, with calcium carbide mixed with water to produce a flammable gas that could be ignited.
On Diwali, the hospitals saw three distinct types of ocular trauma: high-velocity mechanical injuries from flying fragments, chemical burns from calcium carbide exposure, and thermal burns from the explosive ignition. “We had prepared for burn victims to some extent,” Dr. Kubrey said.
“The burn unit and eye department coordinated in advance. Most patients arrived in time for treatment, but more referrals from rural areas are expected. Our teams worked until 2 a.m.”
The human cost was stark in the wards. Reshma, clutching her son’s discharge papers outside the ophthalmology unit at Gandhi Medical College, described how her 10-year-old, Alzain, had been playing with what she thought was a cheap festival toy bought for Rs 100.
“It stopped working after a few rounds,” she whispered. “He looked into the barrel, and it exploded. Blood poured from his eye.” Doctors later told her carbide fragments had embedded deeply.
Another patient, Prashant from old Bhopal, lay bandaged after surgeons removed carbide shrapnel from both corneas. “Now I see only a white blur,” he said.
“They don’t know if I’ll ever regain clear sight.” Neha, treated at Hamidia Hospital, assembled the device at home; when it misfired and she peered into the barrel to inspect it, it detonated in her face.
Surgeons warned her vision may never fully recover. An injured person recounted checking the ater in the barrel when the device exploded, showering his face with fragments.
Sudarshan Netralaya treated victims as young as 10, including one child whose left eye was obliterated after his device misfired; another young patient lost his remaining healthy eye to a subsequent carbide-gun blast.
Dr. Prateek Gurjar of Sudarshan Netralaya said he performed surgeries on more than 30 patients in three days, treating injuries that ranged from chemical corrosion of the cornea to deep thermal burns.
“These are not new gadgets,” Dr. Gurjar noted. “They are the same crude guns farmers once used to scare animals. We used to treat farmers for such injuries.
This year, however, children and youth repurposed them as Diwali crackers. The age group we are seeing is roughly 10 to 25.”
Authorities have mounted a statewide crackdown. In Vidisha district, police arrested six people for illegally vending the devices; in Berasia, officials seized 19 guns.
Enforcement is challenging: the devices are cheap (often Rs 100), widely available in informal markets, and easily fabricated at home using online tutorials.
Police sources admitted they were initially blindsided by the social-media-driven craze. “The spike in popularity in October took us by surprise,” a senior officer said.
He explained the mechanics: a pipe or bottle is filled with calcium carbide; when water is added, it produces acetylene gas, which, if ignited, detonates with intense heat and force.
As investigations and seizures continue, doctors are urging parents, educators, and authorities to treat the trend as a serious public-health threat — one that has already left several children with life-altering injuries.
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