CHENNAI/BHOPAL/NAGPUR: The adulterated cough syrup death toll rose to 23 after two more children died of renal failure Thursday, while police arrested Govindan Ranganathan (75), the owner of Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharmaceuticals, which manufactured the Coldrif medicine. The latest victims – Garvik Pawar and Mayank Suryawanshi, both between one and two years old and residents of Umreth tehsil in MP’s Chhindwara district – died at GMCH in Nagpur. Doctors said they had suffered acute kidney failure and brain damage after taking the syrup laced with DEG, an industrial solvent used in brake fluids.
Chhindwara accounts for 20 deaths, all recorded within 45 days. Ten children died at GMCH Nagpur, others in nearby hospitals.The deaths sparked a political blame game. While MP’s BJP CM Mohan Yadav said DMK-led TN govt should explain how it renewed Sresan’s licence, TN health minister Ma Subramanian said, “Centre and MP govt had cleared the drug, but we alerted them.”Ranganathan was arrested from his residence in Chennai by a seven-member MP SIT. His manager Jayaraman and lab assistant Maheswari were also picked up. All three were presented before a Chennai court, which issued a transit warrant for their transfer to Chhindwara. Will permanently close cough syrup unit: TN minister Police have seized 589 bottles of Coldrif syrup in Chhindwara and 1,534 bottles statewide. Tests of Batch SR-13 by Tamil Nadu’s drug control laboratory confirmed dangerous levels of DEG, prompting suspension of Sresan’s manufacturing licence and sealing of its facility at Sunguvarchatram in TN’s Kanchipuram district.SIT had been camping in TN for days. Ranganathan was on the run with his wife since the tragedy broke. He carried a Rs 20,000 reward. He faces charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, drug adulteration, and violations of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.TN health minister Ma Subramanian said the state found the presence of DEG and ordered criminal action against the firm. “Centre and MP govt had cleared the drug, but we alerted them. We will permanently close the unit within days,” he said. The minister also suspended two senior drug inspectors – Deepa Joseph and K Karthikeyan – for failing to inspect Sresan’s plant as required under law. An internal audit had flagged 364 critical and major lapses across the drug’s manufacturing chain – from sourcing and testing to packing.MP CM Mohan Yadav vowed to “bring to justice the accused who killed the kids”, while accusing TN of dragging its feet. “End-to-end responsibility lies with the manufacturer. We have sacked our drug controller and assistant drug controller for negligence, but TN govt should explain how it renewed the licence of a company that mixed poisonous brake-fluid chemicals into cough syrup,” Yadav said in Nagpur after visiting the victims’ families.The CM said the wife of the doctor in Chhindwara’s Parasia, who prescribed the syrup, owned a pharmacy. This prompted disciplinary action. “It is confirmed all the children died after taking the poisonous syrup. We’re providing financial aid to the families,” Yadav said.Opposition Congress’s Kamal Nath, a nine-time MP from Chhindwara, accused BJP govt of “deliberately weakening” the case. “Despite such a large number of deaths, the investigation report does not state the syrup was poisonous. By manipulating the lab findings, who is the govt trying to protect?” he said. Congress workers held a candlelight vigil in Bhopal, demanding the resignation of deputy CM Rajendra Shukla, who heads the health department, and justice for the children killed by the toxic syrup.(Inputs from P Naveen & Suchandana Gupta in Bhopal, Sarfaraz Ahmed in Nagpur, Sindhu Kannan & Pushpa Narayan in Chennai)
