In a deeply tragic development, Indian authorities have arrested the owner of a pharmaceutical company after a contaminated cough syrup produced at his facility was linked to the deaths of at least 21 young children in Madhya Pradesh.
The children, all under the age of five, reportedly died over the past month after being administered Coldrif — a cough syrup found to be tainted with diethylene glycol (DEG), a highly toxic industrial solvent known to be fatal even in small doses.
The arrested individual, G. Ranganathan, 75, was taken into custody from his residence in Chennai in the early hours of the morning by a joint team of police from Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. He now faces serious charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, as well as drug adulteration, according to Indian police sources and reports from AFP.
The syrup in question was manufactured by Sresan Pharma, based in Tamil Nadu. Following lab tests that confirmed the presence of DEG, the Indian Health Ministry issued an immediate ban on the product in Madhya Pradesh and several other states.
This incident adds to a growing list of tragedies involving Indian-made cough syrups. In 2022, more than 70 children died in Gambia, and between 2022 and 2023, 68 children died in Uzbekistan due to similarly contaminated cough syrups. These repeated global incidents have cast a shadow on India’s pharmaceutical industry — the third-largest drug producer by volume in the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reportedly sought urgent clarification from Indian officials to determine whether the affected batch of Coldrif was exported to other countries, raising international alarms once again.
Let’s pause for a moment.
These aren’t just numbers. These are children. Sons and daughters who deserved a healthy life and a safe medicine. Families who trusted the system — and paid the ultimate price. This isn’t just a news headline. It’s a human tragedy. Let this be a call to action for global accountability, stricter quality control, and a renewed commitment to protecting our most vulnerable.
