Indore, Oct 24 (PTI) Authorities in Indore district in Madhya Pradesh on Friday banned the manufacture and sale of carbide guns after their use in Diwali led to scores of people getting injured, including 31 with critical eye wounds, officials said.
They added that such guns have already been banned in state capital Bhopal as well as Gwalior.
These crude homemade guns are made using a gas lighter, plastic PVC pipe and calcium carbide, which produces acetylene gas when it reacts with water and explodes upon contact with a spark, as per officials. However, plastic fragments ejected from the pipe, acting like shrapnel, have caused serious injuries, especially in the eyes, face and skin, they added.
An order issued by District Magistrate Shivam Verma under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita said “illegally manufactured carbide guns are adversely affecting public health and the environment and, therefore, their manufacture, storage, purchase, sale, distribution, display, and use will be completely prohibited”.
Any violation will result in a First Information Report (FIR) being registered under Section 223 of the BNS, leading to a jail term of up to one year or/and a fine of Rs 5000, the order stated.
Indore Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani said 31 patients with serious eye injuries resulting from these carbide guns have been treated at various hospitals here amid Diwali festivities.
Patients have come from areas in Indore as well as Dewas, Agar-Malwa, Sehore, Shajapur, Khandwa, Khargone, and Rajgarh districts, while one is from Jharkhand.
“The patients are in the 3-31 age group. Most are children,” Hasani added. PTI HWP MAS BNM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.