Meerut, November 8: In a horrifying incident, a man burst a Diwali cracker inside a mouth of a three-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut on Wednesday. The incident took place on Diwali when the girl was playing outside the house at Milak village on Daurala road in Meerut. The mother of the girl alleged that the accused burst ‘sutli-bomb’ inside the minor’s mouth. According to local reports, the youth kept the bomb inside the girl's mouth on the pretext of giving her a chocolate. The girl was reported to be critically injured as the bomb exploded inside her mouth. The girl was rushed to a nearby medical facility where she received 50 stitches. On Diwali, SC Time Limit on Bursting of Firecrackers Defied In Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra Among Other States; Air Quality Goes Worse

According to doctors, her tongue had a cut, her cheeks have burn marks and there were dust particles inside her mouth. The accused has been identified as Harpal who has been on the run after the incident. Police have registered an FIR against the youth on the complaint of the girl’s father and launched a manhunt operation to nab Harpal.

In a similar incident, days before Diwali, a seven-year-old child died after a firecracker exploded in his mouth in Maharashtra's Buldhana district.

The incident took place at Pimpalgaon village under the Raipur Police Station limits. Yash Sanjay Gavate, the boy, was bursting crackers with his friends ahead of Diwali. He picked up a 'Sutli Bomb', which had not exploded, thinking it had not been lit. As he playfully bit it, the cracker went off causing serious injuries to the boy.

According to a report of The Times of India, 17 eye-injury cases were reported from Bengaluru this Diwali due to burning od crackers and incense sticks. Two of these cases were critical. However, there is a dip in such type of cases because of the partial cracker ban on the festival by the Supreme Court. The apex had allowed bursting firecrackers only between 8 PM and 10 PM on Diwali, while permitting manufacturing and sale of only “green crackers” with low emission of light, sound and smoke.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 08, 2018 06:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).