National Times Bureau :- The death toll in the Madhya Pradesh cough syrup tragedy has climbed to 22, with two more children reportedly dying due to kidney failure linked to the consumption of a “contaminated” cough syrup. Officials said five-year-old Vishal and four-year-old Mayank Suryavanshi, both residents of Parasia in Chhindwara district, succumbed while receiving treatment at a hospital in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
According to Chhindwara’s Additional Collector Dhirendra Singh Netri, the children’s deaths are suspected to be caused by the toxic Coldrif cough syrup. Several other affected children from Madhya Pradesh are currently undergoing treatment in Nagpur hospitals.
In response, the Madhya Pradesh Police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the deaths and have filed a case against Sresan Pharma, a Tamil Nadu-based manufacturer of the suspected cough syrup. The SIT arrested Ranganathan Govindan, the owner of the firm, from Chennai on Thursday, said Parasia SDOP Jitendra Singh Jaat. The accused will be produced before a Chennai court for transit remand before being brought to Parasia.
Authorities have also sealed the company’s drug manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government has suspended two drug inspectors, a deputy director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and transferred the state’s drug controller amid ongoing investigations.
Additionally, Dr Praveen Soni, a local physician from Chhindwara, has been arrested for alleged medical negligence in connection with the case. His bail plea was rejected by a Parasia court on Wednesday. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has threatened to launch an indefinite strike in Chhindwara district protesting Dr Soni’s arrest.
