Two cops sounded alarm, but MP failed to take action on carbide guns

Bhopal/Gwalior: Could Madhya Pradesh's carbide gun-triggered tragedy have been avoided if early action of two alert cops in Gwalior and Bhopal were taken seriously and replicated across the state? On Oct 18 - days before Diwali - a cop in Gwalior, alarmed by the open sale of carbide guns, had on his own lodged an FIR. Similar action was taken by a cop in Bhopal the same day. This was well before the "dark Diwali" tragedy that left nearly 300 people, including children, with eye injuries across the state.

In Gwalior's Inderganj, head constable Ramnaresh Gurjar filed the FIR after spotting a man standing outside his shop with a pipe-shaped weapon-like object and a white plastic packet. On checking, police found six handmade 'sutli' bombs, 12 paper-wrapped wicks, and a 2.5-foot iron pipe designed to fire explosive material.

The man, identified as Shahid Ali, 20, of Jharu Wala Mohalla, had no valid licence for the items. The materials were seized and a case was registered under the Explosives Act. He was issued a notice under Section 35(3) of BNS and released, as the offence carried a punishment of less than seven years.

On the same day, a similar FIR was registered at Bhopal's Chhola police station. Despite these early warnings, carbide guns continued to be sold openly and online ahead of Diwali. After the tragedy, police in Bhopal launched a major crackdown on Thursday and Friday, registering five FIRs in the city - at Chhola, MP Nagar, Nishatpura, Bag Sewania and Piplani - and one at Nazirabad under Bhopal (rural). Around 100 carbide guns and 11.5kg explosive material were seized, and two persons arrested.