Desi firecracker guns damaging children’s eyes in MP:122 cases emerge in 3 days; social media spread the craze, becoming difficult to protect eyes

Seven-year-old Aljain was crying in the eye ward of Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal on Tuesday afternoon. The reason was that on Diwali night, he was firing a ‘desi firecracker gun’ while playing with his friends. As soon as the gun stopped firing, he innocently peeked into its barrel, and the next moment there was a loud explosion and his left eye was burned. Carbide pieces penetrating deep into the eyes Doctors said that carbide pieces had penetrated deep into the eye. They were removed during a one-and-a-half hour operation, but doctors are still uncertain about his eyesight. Many other children like Aljain have fallen victim to this dangerous ‘desi firecracker gun’. After watching videos on social media, this gun became the new ‘trend’ of Diwali, but now it is snatching away the light from children’s eyes and happiness from families. Wash only with clean water, contact doctor without delay Dr. Raunak Agarwal said that if a person’s eye is injured by this gun, they should not rub their eye. Doing so causes carbide particles to penetrate inside, which can cause permanent damage. The biggest risk is damage to the cornea. In many cases, emergency surgery becomes the only option. If someone is hit by this gun, do not touch it and do not attempt to clean the eye. 122 children injured in three days, most cases in Bhopal Cases of eye damage from desi firecracker guns are rapidly increasing. From October 19 to 21 until 7 PM, 122 cases have been reported from different hospitals. Among these, the highest number of 36 cases were recorded at Gandhi Medical College (GMC) in Bhopal. Vidisha Medical College reported 12 cases, while Sagar Medical College and Indore each reported 3 cases. The remaining cases were recorded in government hospitals and clinics in Bhopal. At Gandhi Medical College’s ophthalmology department, a team of 5 resident doctors including Dr. S.S. Kubre and Dr. Aditi Dubey are deployed on emergency duty. According to information from the team, these guns are severely damaging the cornea of the eyes. Case 1 – Gun didn’t burst while firing, explosion happened while checking
Reshma, mother of 7-year-old Alzain who lives in Bhopal’s Polytechnic area, said that they bought this gun from the firecracker market. It stopped working while using. As soon as Alzain looked into its barrel, it exploded. Blood started coming from the eye, we got scared. Immediately took him to GMC. Doctors said there were carbide pieces deep inside the eye. Case 2 – ‘Whiteness’ still visible in front of eyes even after 48 hours
Another patient Prashant, admitted to the eye department, is a resident of old Bhopal. He said that doctors have removed the carbide pieces that entered his eyes, but he can still only see white haze from that eye. Cheap local gun becomes dangerous trend
This gun, available in the market for 100 to 200 rupees, has now become a ‘dangerous trend’. Dr. SS Kubre explained that when calcium carbide filled in it comes in contact with water, it creates acetylene gas. This gas burns with an explosion and can scorch eyes, skin and face within seconds. This ‘gun’ is not a firecracker, but a chemical device According to Dr. Hemlata Yadav, Head of Ophthalmology at BMHRC, this gun explodes through chemical reaction. When the gun doesn’t fire, children look into its barrel. At that moment, gas pressure increases and an explosion occurs. This ‘gun’ is not a firecracker, but a chemical device that can take away eyesight in an instant. Gas can cause damage to the brain GMC eye specialist Dr. Aditi Dubey explained that acetylene gas can damage the brain and nerves when it enters the body through breathing. Long-term exposure can cause problems like oxygen deficiency (Hypoxia), headache, dizziness, memory loss, mental confusion and brain inflammation. Social media boosted the trend
Bhopal resident Pushpendra Thakur said, “I saw this gun’s video on Instagram. After seeing it in real life, I bought it.” Doctors say that reels and short videos are making this gun exciting for children, while in reality it is dangerous. Eyesight can be lost forever
Dr. Hemlata Yadav explained that the explosion from this gun severely damages the eye’s iris and cornea. In many cases, stem cell deficiency can permanently damage the cornea. When optic neuropathy and retinal inflammation occur, the patient can suffer permanent blindness. This is an extremely dangerous firecracker, its use should be stopped. 3 children suffer serious eye injuries in 24 hours in Indore Senior ophthalmologist Dr. O.P. Agarwal from Indore said that in the last 24 hours, the team provided emergency treatment to three such patients who suffered serious injuries to their eyes due to firecrackers and homemade devices (carbide guns). In addition, two children were affected by traditional crackers. Dr. O P Agarwal said that if we look at the data from the last fifteen days, two more children affected by carbide guns came to the hospital, indicating that this problem is not growing slowly but rapidly. Administration’s strictness, 19 guns seized The administration has seized 19 carbide pipe guns in Berasia. Four investigation teams have been formed under the direction of SDM Ravish Kumar Srivastava. These teams have started investigation in Govindpura and Jamburi Maidan areas. Teams are continuously monitoring the markets. The deployment of teams in Bhopal is as follows: