Families of children disabled by toxic cough syrup demand compensation

Parents of children who were left disabled after consuming a contaminated cough syrup in Udhampur district have demanded a fair compensation from the government.

Between late 2019 and early 2020, at least 12 children in the Ramnagar area of Udhampur reportedly died after consuming the syrup, while several others were left permanently disabled.

Speaking to The Tribune, parents of two such children said they had not received any compensation from the government.

Ramesh Kumar, whose nine-year-old son lost his ability to see and speak, said his child no longer attends school due to his condition. “My son has suffered such damage that he is not able to see and speak properly. The government has forgotten our pain,” he said. Kumar added that everything changed after he administered the syrup to his child.

Another parent, Subhash Chander, a daily wager, said his 12-year-old son cannot hear or speak properly. “While he goes to school, he is not able to listen to what is being taught. The lives of our children have become miserable after consuming the cough syrup,” said Chander.

Social activist Sukesh Khajuria, who raised the issue of the children’s deaths in 2020, has now urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to provide compensation to the families of those left disabled. Families of the deceased children have already received compensation.

Out of six children who were left disabled, four have received disability certificates, while two families did not apply. Many of the affected children belong to Dalit families.

In a detailed representation to the Chief Minister, Khajuria described the tragedy as “a shameful reflection of administrative negligence and regulatory failure that has left several children crippled for life.” He said, “The Regional Drug Testing Laboratory (RDTL), Chandigarh, had confirmed the presence of 34.24 per cent of Diethylene Glycol (DEG) — a deadly industrial solvent — in the syrup that was sold and prescribed for children.”

“Allowing such a poisonous product into the market amounts to criminal negligence,” he added, noting that similar DEG-related tragedies had been reported from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where more than 20 infants and children died after consuming adulterated syrups.