From Diwali Craze to Crisis: India’s ‘Cracker Guns’ Leave Dozens of Children Blind
In a hospital ward in Madhya Pradesh, 15-year-old Aarish sits quietly, his left eye bandaged and hidden behind dark glasses. A week ago, a festive experiment went terribly wrong. The teenager had purchased an improvised firecracker device — locally called a carbide gun — to celebrate Diwali. Moments later, it exploded near his face, costing him vision in one eye.
Doctors say the damage to his cornea is severe and that only time will reveal how much sight he may regain. For Aarish, who repairs televisions to help his father, a gardener, every day of recovery means lost income.
He is just one among hundreds of children across northern India who have suffered similar injuries during this year’s Diwali festivities. Authorities have reported cases from at least five states — including Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh — after the carbide gun trend swept through social media.
The crude device, made using calcium carbide packed into a plastic or metal pipe, creates a loud explosion and fiery sparks resembling a gunshot. However, the blast is dangerously unpredictable. Officials say many injuries occurred when children leaned over the device to check why it hadn’t gone off — only for it to explode seconds later.
