During the recent Diwali celebrations in Madhya Pradesh, dangerous improvised devices known as “carbide guns” or “agri-cannons” were widely used and caused a large number of eye injuries. Statewide reports now put the toll at around 300 people injured, many of them children, and officials say roughly 23 to 30 victims have injuries severe enough to risk permanent vision loss.
In earlier local reports the first wave of cases was recorded from Vidisha and Bhopal, where the banned devices were being sold and used openly. Police in Vidisha recovered hundreds of plastic guns and packets of calcium carbide and arrested multiple sellers.
A carbide gun (also called an agri-cannon) is a crude device typically made from a metal or plastic pipe, into which calcium carbide is inserted. When water is added, the reaction produces acetylene gas, which is highly flammable. When someone ignites the mixture in a confined tube, the result can be a small explosion or projectile blast. In agricultural usage the device is meant to scare away animals, but when used in festive settings it becomes an improvised explosive. Due to its poor safety, its sale was banned before Diwali but continued blatantly flouting the rules. Many videos in YouTube also shows viewers how to make them at home.
Investigations indicate many of these devices were sold through online ads and local sellers at low prices, increasing their spread ahead of Diwali.
The danger with such devices lies in:
Direct blast pressure and debris to the face and eyes
High-speed fragments entering the eyeball or orbit
Chemical burns from exposure to acetylene and calcium carbide residues
Doctors treating patients in Bhopal and other centres reported a range of injuries, including ruptured globes, retinal burns, corneal alkali burns (grade 3–4 alkali burns from carbide exposure and may lead to permanent vision loss in a number of patients), orbital fractures and intraocular foreign bodies.
The eye injuries seen in this incident include: corneal burns, blast trauma, intraocular foreign bodies, retinal detachment, and optic nerve damage. In severe cases the damage is irreversible, causing permanent vision loss. While early reports varied, multiple hospitals across Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Indore and Vidisha have received hundreds of victims; some districts reported dozens of cases each and several children have already been declared blind in one or both eyes.
Medical management involves immediate evaluation by an ophthalmologist, removal of debris, repair of ocular structures, treatment of chemical burns, and long-term rehabilitation including visual aids and counselling. Several tertiary centres, including AIIMS Bhopal and specialist eye hospitals in Gwalior, reported doing emergency surgeries and referring the most severe cases for advanced care.
Authorities reacted quickly after the surge in cases. District administrations in Indore and Gwalior issued orders banning manufacture, sale, purchase, display and operation of carbide guns under provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Adhiniyam 2023 (Section 163). Police carried out raids, seized dozens to hundreds of carbide guns and packets of calcium carbide, and registered FIRs against vendors and distributors. Vidisha police reported the seizure of hundreds of plastic guns and multiple arrests of sellers.
Parents and community leaders have been urged to keep home-made devices out of reach of children, to supervise any firecracker use closely, and to prefer safe, standard-licensed fireworks or non-explosive alternatives. Officials said they are also coordinating with cybercrime and e-commerce monitoring teams to trace online sales and advertisements that promoted these unsafe items.
Carbide guns are agricultural or industrial items that are lethal when adapted as toys. The Diwali incidents in Madhya Pradesh show how quickly such devices can spread through local markets and social media and cause mass injuries. The latest verified reports show hundreds of injured people across the state and two dozen to three dozen victims with injuries severe enough to threaten permanent vision. Authorities have banned sale and use, seized large caches and arrested sellers, and investigations are ongoing into online supply chains.
(Rh/Eth/TL/MSM)