Post-Diwali Pollution and a Deadly Craze: How the Diwali Cracker Gun Blinded Children in Madhya Pradesh
The Diwali cracker gun story reflects the darker side of India’s festive culture, where innovation and thrill often overshadow safety.
Every year after Diwali, India wakes up under a thick haze of smoke. The celebrations fill the skies with fireworks — and the air with pollution. But this year, the smog carried a darker story. The Diwali cracker gun craze swept through Madhya Pradesh, leaving dozens of children blind.
Doctors say this Diwali brought not only toxic air but heartbreaking injuries. Hospitals in Bhopal, Vidisha, and Indore treated hundreds of children for severe eye trauma. Many lost their sight completely. These cases did not come from fireworks, but from a viral toy-turned-weapon — the so-called carbide or Diwali cracker gun.
A painful Diwali for Sunil
Fourteen-year-old Sunil sits quietly on a hospital bed in Bhopal, wearing dark glasses that hide a deep injury in his left eye. A week earlier, an improvised Diwali cracker gun exploded near his face. The blast burned his cornea and left him blind in one eye.
Doctors performed emergency surgery to save his vision. They say only time will reveal how much sight he might regain. Sunil tries to remain hopeful, but his biggest worry is missing work. His father is a carpenter, and Sunil repairs cycle to help support his family.
Although child labour is illegal in India, millions of children still work in informal sectors. Under Indian law, teenagers above 14 can work in non-hazardous industries- but incidents like this expose how unsafe many of these environments can be.
How a festive craze turned into a medical crisis
Sunil’s injury is part of a much larger tragedy. He is among hundreds of children and young adults across at least five northern Indian states who suffered severe eye injuries from using Diwali cracker guns.
These crude devices, also known as carbide guns, create a loud explosion by mixing calcium carbide and water inside a plastic pipe. The blast mimics the sound of a gunshot, often followed by fiery sparks. But the reaction is unpredictable and dangerous.
Officials said many injuries occurred when children looked inside the pipe after lighting the mixture, not realizing the blast was delayed. When it detonated, it caused serious burns and eye trauma.
The sale and purchase of calcium carbide are regulated under Indian law, yet the chemical remains widely available. Farmers and shopkeepers often use it to ripen fruit or scare away animals from fields. In the days after Diwali, authorities found that these crude guns were being sold illegally in local markets across Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
The craze gained momentum after viral videos circulated on Instagram and YouTube, showing teens using the Diwali cracker gun as a replacement for traditional fireworks. The clips quickly went viral, turning the device into an overnight social-media trend.
Government cracks down after nationwide outrage
The Madhya Pradesh government has now banned the Diwali cracker gun statewide. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav ordered police to seize all carbide guns and prosecute sellers under the Explosives Act.District officers raided markets and confiscated hundreds of the dangerous devices. Cybercrime teams deleted videos promoting the guns, while letters to online platforms demanded the removal of all listings.Doctors and officials continue to urge parents to monitor their children’s activities online. “This is not a toy — it’s an explosive,” said a senior safety officer in Bhopal.
District administrations in Bhopal, Indore, and Gwalior carried out raids on local markets, seizing hundreds of illegal devices. Police also registered multiple cases under the Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act, warning that offenders could face up to seven years in prison. The state’s Home Department coordinated with cyber units to remove online videos promoting the Diwali cracker gun, and letters were sent to e-commerce platforms to block any listings.
NewsHasghag operates a 24/7 news bureau that tracks the real-time, social media-driven stories from India and around the world, keeping you ahead of the day’s key talking points. Our digital-first approach transforms storytelling through the seamless integration of data, interactive charts, video, and audio into every narrative.
