Eye injuries prompt Madhya Pradesh to ban carbide guns used as firecrackers

Deputy chief minister Rajendra Shukla directed district administrations to seize the existing stock and halt the sale and production of calcium carbide guns

Published on: Oct 24, 2025, 11:21:40 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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The Madhya Pradesh government has banned the sale, purchase, and manufacturing of calcium carbide guns used as firecrackers after nearly 300 people suffered sight-threatening eye injuries across the state during Diwali festivities.

Deputy chief minister Rajendra Shukla met two patients undergoing treatment for eye injuries in Bhopal. (X)

Deputy chief minister Rajendra Shukla directed district administrations to seize the existing stock and halt the sale and production of calcium carbide guns. Administrations in Bhopal, Vidisha, and Gwalior issued orders complying with the directions late Thursday to enforce the ban.

Shukla, who met two patients undergoing treatment for eye injuries at Bhopal’s Hamidia hospital on Friday, promised strict action against the sellers, manufacturers, and users of the calcium carbide guns. He added that cases will be registered against those who violate the ban.

People aware of the matter said that 15 of the approximately 300 people who suffered eye injuries in the state underwent eye surgeries in Bhopal. Another 15 remain under observation. Over 50 injuries were reported from Vidisha and 56 from Gwalior. Most of the victims are children aged between seven and 14.

A case was registered in Bhopal against one Mohammad Taha for his alleged involvement in the distribution of calcium carbide guns. In Gwalior, a person was arrested for selling the banned device.

Sub-divisional magistrates have been asked to inspect retail and wholesale firecracker shops to ensure compliance with the ban.

The All India Ophthalmological Society issued an advisory on Thursday, urging doctors nationwide to report cases linked to carbide gun injuries.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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