3 years on, no chargesheet in case of 12 kids' death in J&K

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, November 27

Nearly three years have passed since 12 children died due to a spurious cough syrup in the Ramnagar area of Udhampur district, but the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to investigate the case is yet to file a chargesheet.

The police claim that the filing of the chargesheet has been delayed as they are yet to lay their hands on all 12 death certificates. Apparently, the death certificates of three of the 12 victims have not been issued.

While the chargesheet is still awaited, the five accused, including the chemist, supplier and three owners of the cough syrup manufacturing company, are on bail.

Twelve children between 11 months and 4 years had died between December 2019 and January 2020 after they consumed a cough syrup called Coldbest-PC, manufactured by the Kala Amb-based Digital Vision.

SSP, Udhampur, Vinod Kumar while talking to The Tribune said he had initiated the process to speed up the filing of the chargesheet by sorting out the issue of the death certificates.

“I have deployed some police officials specifically to know why the death certificates were not issued to some families whose children had died. I cannot say with certainty when the chargesheet will be filed, but I can promise that it will be done in the coming weeks,” the SSP said.

Local activists and the National Human Rights Commission had put a lot of pressure before cases were filed against the five accused.

The case recall

• 12 kids of Ramnagar, Udhampur, died between Dec 2019 and Jan 2020 after consuming cough syrup Coldbest-PC
• Deaths occurred at hospitals in Udhampur, Jammu, Chandigarh
• Syrup was manufactured by Kala Amb-based Digital Vision
• SIT formed on March 4, 2020, after pressure from activists
• Syrup was allegedly found contaminated with diethylene glycol

Post-Gambian deaths, spotlight on case

The case had gone into cold storage after Covid-19 but has again drawn attention with the recent Gambia deaths allegedly linked to a spurious cough syrup made by an Indian company