Bhopal: A 35-year-old man died in Madhya Pradesh's Dindori district after a crude explosive device disguised as a traditional Indian sweet reportedly exploded in his mouth, police said on Friday.

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The deceased was identified as Rajendra Barautiya. He was sitting around a bonfire with other villagers on Tuesday when one man reportedly brought the explosive device and another handed it to him, according to police.

The device exploded in Barautiya's mouth, leaving him with severe injuries. He was rushed to a hospital but later died.

Police officer Rekha Singh told AFP that the explosive was a homemade device used by some tribal communities in the area to hunt wild boars.

Such devices are reportedly made by packing gunpowder, sometimes sourced from firecrackers or quarries, into balls of dough. Their round shape can resemble a rasgulla, a popular Indian sweet made from soft, round balls soaked in sugar syrup and traditionally eaten whole.

"The bomb, used by some tribal people in the area to kill wild boars, was offered to this man. It exploded in his mouth," Singh told AFP.

Two men have been arrested and charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with the incident.

However, police have not yet established whether the explosive device was handed to Barautiya with the intention of killing him or whether the incident was the result of mischief.

"We don't know if the motive was to kill, or if it was a mischief. That is a matter of investigation," Singh said.

The investigation is continuing to establish how the device reached the gathering and what prompted the two men to hand it to Barautiya.