MP cough syrup toll 20; court-monitored CBI probe sought

The death toll due to the alleged consumption of a contaminated cough syrup has increased to 20 in Madhya Pradesh even as a PIL in the SC has sought a court-monitored CBI probe into matter.

Madhya Pradesh Deputy CM Rajendra Shukla on Tuesday said a total of 20 children from the state had died, two of them in the past 24 hours, while undergoing treatment for kidney failure after having Coldrif cough syrup.

Earlier, the state government had confirmed the death of 16 children from Chhindwara who had allegedly consumed Coldrif, samples of which were found to have toxic contents.

Shukla said, “So far, 20 children from Madhya Pradesh have died while undergoing treatment...Two of them died in the past 24 hours.” Describing the fatalities as extremely tragic, he said the government would extend all possible help to the affected families.

Meanwhile, the PIL, filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, demanded systemic reforms in drug safety mechanisms and the constitution of a national judicial commission or expert committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to identify the regulatory failures that allowed substandard medicines to reach the market.

Tiwari urged the top court to transfer all FIRs and investigations with regard to the death of children allegedly caused by toxic cough syrups across states to the CBI for a thorough probe under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to ensure fairness and uniformity.

Separate state-level investigations have led to fragmented accountability, enabling repeated lapses that allow hazardous formulations to reach the market, he submitted.

The petition, which came amid reports of the death of children from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan after they allegedly consumed a cough syrup produced by a particular company, urged the court to mandate toxicological testing of all suspect products through NABL-accredited laboratories before any further sale or export was permitted.