Overview
- Officials and hospital data report more than 120 children admitted in three days across Madhya Pradesh, including about 60 patients in Bhopal, with at least 14 confirmed to have lost eyesight.
- Doctors describe catastrophic ocular trauma from the makeshift devices, including corneal ruptures, retinal damage, chemical burns and penetrating injuries, with multiple emergency surgeries and some likely needing corneal transplants.
- The devices, often sold for Rs 150–200, are assembled from plastic or tin pipes, a lighter and calcium carbide; water reacting with carbide produces acetylene gas that explodes and propels shrapnel toward the face and eyes.
- Despite Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s October 18 directive to halt sales, the items were widely available during the festival, and Vidisha police say they seized 228 plastic guns and 102 carbide packets and detained a dozen suspects.
- Clinicians and officials point to viral short-form videos encouraging DIY use, and hospitals in Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior also reported spikes, while separate data from Chandigarh show a broader rise in Diwali burn and eye injuries.