NEW DELHI: At least fourteen children have died in India’s Madhya Pradesh state after consuming a contaminated cough syrup, exposing once again the alarming negligence in India’s pharmaceutical monitoring system.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the deaths were reported from Chhindwara district, where several children suffering from fever and cough allegedly developed renal failure after taking the syrup Coldrif, manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals in Tamil Nadu, Indian media reported.
Laboratory tests confirmed that the syrup contained 48.6 percent diethylene glycol, a highly toxic industrial chemical known to cause kidney failure and death. The permissible limit for the substance is only 0.10 percent, meaning the contamination was nearly 480 times above safe levels.
Following the revelation, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) ordered risk-based inspections of 19 pharmaceutical units across six Indian states. The Madhya Pradesh Food and Drug Administration has also banned the sale and distribution of Coldrif and directed immediate seizure of all stocks.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav termed the incident “extremely tragic” and announced monetary relief for the victims’ families, but public outrage continues to grow over recurring deaths caused by unsafe Indian-manufactured drugs.
Notably, India has faced several similar scandals in the recent past where tainted Indian cough syrups caused deaths of children in Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon, raising global concerns over the safety standards of Indian pharmaceuticals.
Tension in Jalandhar after arrests linked to ‘I Love Muhammad’ campaign in UP
Tension gripped Jalandhar after Hindutva members assaulted Muslim participants of a march staged to protest the arrest of clerics and others in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly in connection with the “I Love Muhammad (PBUH)” campaign.
According to police, the incident occurred when members of one community, gathered under the banner of a local organisation, marched through the city and later assembled outside the office of the Police Commissioner to submit a memorandum condemning the arrests made by the Uttar Pradesh Police. The protesters demanded the release of those detained, terming the campaign peaceful and rooted in love for the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
In the meantime, local Hindutva members staged a counter-protest, prompting a heavy police deployment in the area to prevent further escalation.
Congress MLA from Jalandhar Cantt, Pargat Singh, urged people to maintain peace and communal harmony.
