– 300 people’s eyes were injured by carbide guns in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister reached the hospital to inquire about the health of the injured.

Bhopal, 24 October (Read News). Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Dr. Yadav, taking the accidents caused by carbide guns very seriously, has directed that there should be no reduction in the treatment of any injured child or citizen of the state. All medical services including treatment of the injured, operations and eye care should be provided on top priority. Necessary support should be given to the patients for treatment through Chief Minister’s voluntary grant. Air ambulance service should also be made available to serious patients if required for advanced treatment. He has also directed that the condition of all the injured should be continuously monitored and teams of specialist doctors should be deployed immediately as per requirement.

In fact, so far 300 people’s eyes have been injured by the indigenous carbide guns fired as an alternative to firecrackers on Diwali in Madhya Pradesh. According to ophthalmologists, about 50 percent of the patients have currently lost their eyesight. Only a ball of warm white light is visible in front of their eyes. 162 such people have reached different hospitals of Bhopal. Children aged between 7 to 14 years have been affected in such incidents in many places including Gwalior, Indore, Vidisha.

Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav met those affected by carbide guns late on Friday evening in the ophthalmology ward located on the 11th floor of Block 2 of Bhopal Hamidia Hospital and obtained information about their health. He obtained information from medical experts regarding the treatment of patients and gave instructions for proper treatment.

The Chief Minister also gave instructions for proper treatment of children and citizens affected by carbide guns at other places in the state. He has also given instructions to the Chief Minister to provide assistance through voluntary donations. Such cases are being continuously monitored by the Health Department. Since the manufacture and sale of deadly carbide guns is illegal, raids and investigation proceedings are also being ensured at the police station level.

Most of the injured used their own carbide guns. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav met Prashant Malviya, resident of Narikkheda, Karan Panthi of Garib Nagar Chhola, Arish of Bhanpur and Ansh Prajapati of Parvaliya road. Most of them are teenagers. Ansh Prajapati told that he was injured due to the use of carbide guns by other youths. Whereas Prashant, Karan and Arish themselves admitted to getting injured using carbide guns.

The family members expressed satisfaction over the treatment. The parents of these patients admitted in Hamidia Hospital also termed the use of carbide guns by the family members as unfortunate. The relatives of the patients expressed satisfaction over the treatment being given at Hamidia Hospital. Karan Panthi’s family said that they have also advised other families in Garib Nagar not to use carbide guns. Now everyone has become aware and no one in the colony is using it. Principal Secretary Sandeep Yadav and Public Relations Commissioner Deepak Kumar Saxena were present on the occasion of Chief Minister’s inspection of Hamidia Hospital.

Instructions for strict action across the state with zero tolerance on carbide guns. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav said that carbide gun is a deadly explosive device, which poses a direct threat to civil safety. He directed that the illegal manufacturing, sale and use of this device should be immediately banned in the state. Strict action should be taken with zero tolerance. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav also said that the serious injuries to eyes, face and hands caused to the injured, especially children, due to carbide guns in Bhopal and other districts is a matter of utmost concern. He said that the state government is committed to protecting the life and health of the citizens and will take all possible stringent steps in this direction.

In compliance with the instructions of the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary Anurag Jain conducted a comprehensive review of the situation in a high-level meeting in the Ministry on Friday. The Chief Secretary directed that carbide gun is a restricted category device and action should be taken against it under the Arms Act 1959, Explosives Act 1884 and Explosive Substances Act 1908. He said that this device produces loud noise and pressure wave due to the explosion of acetylene gas, which can cause serious physical injuries, burns and even permanent eye damage.

Chief Secretary Jain directed that an immediate ban should be imposed on the manufacture, sale, ownership and use of carbide guns by passing orders under Section 163 of BNSS in every district. If any person is found manufacturing or selling, an FIR should be registered against him and strict punitive action should be taken. He also said that monitoring and punitive action should be taken from the cyber branch to stop the sale of carbide guns or its components on e-commerce websites and social media platforms. An awareness campaign should be conducted among citizens, especially parents and educational institutions, to tell them that this is not a toy but an explosive device.

Chief Secretary Jain directed that field officers in all the districts should investigate suspicious shops, vendors and online platforms and ensure removal of illegal listings, seizure, evidence collection and photographic recording. Legal disposal of seized items should be done in coordination with forensic investigation, chain of custody and PESO. Training of police personnel, citizen awareness campaign, awareness sessions in schools and panchayats and helpline arrangements should be made so that citizens remain alert about this dangerous trend and can inform the police about suspicious activities. Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar Shukla, Ashok Baranwal, Principal Secretary Sandeep Yadav, Additional Director General of Police and officials of administrative and police departments were present in the meeting.

A detailed circular has been issued by the Police Headquarters in this regard, in which the scientific nature of the carbide gun, its legal status, penal provisions and step-by-step process of action have been explained. According to this, carbide gun is a punishable offense under Section 4(d), 5, 6(a)(i) of the Explosives Act 1884 and Section 2(b)(iii), 2(c), 9(b) of the Arms Act 1959. In case of unlicensed manufacturing, sale or ownership, there is a provision of imprisonment of three to seven years and fine. It was told that action is being taken by running a campaign against illegal traders of Carbide Gane in the state. So far, 6 FIRs have been registered in Bhopal, 8 in Vidisha and one in Gwalior.

Most of the patients have been discharged after recovery. According to the report received from the Health Department on the condition of the people injured by firecrackers and illegal carbide guns on the occasion of Diwali in the state, most of the patients have returned home after receiving treatment and there are some patients in the hospital who have serious injuries in their eyes. The Health Department has instructed all the districts to continuously monitor serious cases and ensure referral to higher medical institutions if necessary.

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