How a DIY cracker in India went from social media craze to blinding children

Arish, 15, sits on a hospital bed in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. A pair of dark glasses hide a painful wound in his left eye.

His cornea was damaged a week ago when a makeshift firecracker he bought to celebrate the Diwali festival exploded near his face, causing him to lose sight in one eye. He has undergone emergency surgery and his doctor tells him that only time will tell how far his vision can recover.

The out-of-school teenager says his biggest worry is the lack of work – his father works as a gardener and Arish repairs televisions to supplement the family income. Child labor is banned in India, but millions of children work. Indian law allows children over the age of 14 to work in certain industries that are considered safe.

Arish is among hundreds of children and young adults from at least five states in northern India who suffered serious eye injuries from using the same type of device – called a “carbide gun” – during Diwali.

The “carbide gun,” a rudimentary device that uses calcium carbide in a plastic tube, produces dramatic results—a loud bang that sounds like a gunshot, accompanied by fiery sparks. But the explosion is unpredictable and often delayed – officials told the BBC that many of the injuries occurred when children peered inside the pipe to check just when the blast occurred.

The sale and purchase of calcium carbide is regulated in India, but farmers and shopkeepers often use it to artificially ripen fruit. Police officials also say crude weapons are sometimes used to scare animals away from fields.

But many in India had not heard of these weapons until last week, when a spate of injuries was reported after Diwali. Officials said these devices started flooding local markets in northern India after viral videos on social media showed them being used as firecrackers.

More than 100 cases of carbide weapon-related eye injuries have been reported in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal district alone, with at least 15 requiring surgery. Another 100 cases were reported from three other districts.

In Bihar state, 170 cases have been reported, with 40 requiring surgery, said Dr. Bibhuti Prasan Sinha, who heads the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology in the city of Patna. The actual numbers are likely to be higher, he added.

Cases have also been reported from the states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, as well as from the capital, Delhi. Some states, including Madhya Pradesh, have already banned the use of carbide weapons like firecrackers and several sellers have been arrested.

Kavita Kumar, head of ophthalmology at Hamidiya Hospital in Bhopal, says patients come with mild, moderate and severe eye injuries.

“In milder cases, the skin on and around the eye has suffered chemical injuries and thermal burns. In moderate cases, the chemical particles have caused minor damage to the cornea, and in severe cases, there is extensive damage to the cornea, resulting in temporary vision loss. With surgery, the patient may be able to regain vision over time,” she says.

Some doctors told the BBC they were shocked by the severity of the injuries. Dr Aditi Dubey of Hamidiya Hospital said she had never seen chemical injuries caused by Diwali firecrackers and had to research what ‘carbide guns’ were.

Many patients said they bought the gun after seeing it on Instagram Reels and YouTube videos. An attractive aspect was the price – at 150-200 rupees ($1.70-$2; £1.28-£1.70) a piece, it was a relatively inexpensive firecracker that promised to make a big impact.

A search for the term “carbide gun” on Instagram and YouTube brings up dozens of videos of young people making and using these devices, often accompanied by rap music.

Some accounts also refer to these videos as “science experiments” with hashtags such as “useful project” and “experimental video”.

Dr Sinha told the BBC that one of his patients was an engineering student who made the gun at home after watching similar videos. He is currently undergoing treatment after losing the sight in one eye.

Calcium carbide is a regulated substance in India – its possession, use and manufacture are controlled by law due to its harmful effects and potential for abuse.

When it comes into contact with water, it produces acetylene gas, which is highly flammable and has harmful properties to health.

Under Calcium Carbide Regulations, 1987a license is required for its sale, purchase and storage – but only for quantities over 200 kg.

A government official in Bhopal, who did not want to be named, told the BBC that calcium carbide is still widely used to artificially ripen fruit despite a federal ban because it contains traces of poisonous substances.

Harinarayanachari Mishra, Bhopal’s police commissioner, told the BBC that carbide guns were also used in northern India during wedding celebrations and by farmers to drive away monkeys.

Dr Partha Biswas, president of the All India Ophthalmological Society, says carbide guns should be banned urgently.

“This is a national problem. And the seriousness of these incidents should not be minimized as mere ‘accidents’ that happened during the Diwali festival,” he says.

He adds that there is potential for these weapons to be used as firecrackers during other festivals and events, such as when India wins a cricket match or during the New Year.

“These crude ‘carbide bombs’ or ‘carbide weapons’ can cause permanent blindness, disfigurement and disability,” he says, calling for a national crackdown on the makers and sellers of the weapons, as well as more control of the calcium carbide supply chain.

Back at Hamidiya Hospital, Alzain, whose left eye was operated on after losing his sight, sits in his mother’s tight embrace. The seven-year-old pestered his uncle to buy the gun after watching videos on YouTube.

Alzain’s worried mother, Afrin, has not left his bedside since he was admitted a week ago.

“I fear for his future,” she says. “I hope he can see again.”