Two more children from Madhya Pradesh, who were undergoing treatment at a Nagpur hospital after consuming a contaminated cough syrup, succumbed to their deaths on Wednesday, taking the death toll in the tragedy to 22.
Five-year-old Vishal died on Wednesday evening, and Mayank Suryavanshi, aged 4, succumbed late at night. Both of them hailed from Parasia town in Chhindwara.
Scores of children from Chhindwara and Betul districts have been admitted to hospitals over the last few weeks due to kidney infections, allegedly after taking the Coldrif syrup, the samples of which were found to have contained diethylene glycol, a poisonous substance.
According to reports, several children are still undergoing treatment, and five of them are in critical condition.
#WATCH | Rewa | Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Rajendra Shukla says, "The govt is very active in taking action in this matter. A case was registered and an SIT was constituted. Yesterday, the owner of the Coldrif cough syrup manufacturing company was arrested, and he will be… pic.twitter.com/mgNTR9DJp1
— ANI (@ANI) October 9, 2025
The tragic deaths of children have triggered a national health alert, with several states banning the sale and distribution of this cough syrup. The Tamil Nadu Drugs Controller have cancelled the company's manufacturing licence, while Kerala has banned the distribution of all medicines manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Madhya Pradesh government has arrested Ranganathan Govindan, owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, from Chennai. The Kancheepuram-based firm manufactures the Coldrif syrup.
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu: Visuals outside Sresan Pharma in Kancheepuram district. Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara Police have arrested Sresan Pharma owner S Ranganathan in connection with children's death linked to cough syrup. He will be produced before Chennai court and brought to… pic.twitter.com/9CjZvaVlIa
— ANI (@ANI) October 9, 2025
Ranganathan, who was arrested in a midnight operation, will be brought to Chhindwara after the police obtain a transit remand from a Chennai court.
The Madhya Pradesh government has suspended two drug inspectors and a deputy director of the Food and Drug Administration. The state’s drug controller has also been transferred.
The Coldrif syrup was usually prescribed to children to treat symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, and fever. However, the lab tests revealed dangerously high levels of DEG and other banned chemical combinations, including Paracetamol, Chlorpheniramine, and Phenylephrine, which lack warning labels and pose serious health risks. |
