Cough syrup deaths: Cong demands sacking of MP health minister; Digvijaya alleges scandal

Bhopal, Oct 6 (PTI) The Congress on Monday demanded the removal of Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Rajendra Shukla following the death of 14 children in Chhindwara, allegedly due to renal failure linked to the consumption of Coldrif cough syrup.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh accused Shukla of giving a "clean chit" to the Tamil Nadu-based pharmaceutical company even before the investigation was concluded, calling the episode a "huge scandal." State Congress president Jitu Patwari demanded Shukla’s dismissal, stating that merely taking action against a doctor was insufficient.

"The state health minister had earlier claimed there was no harmful content in the drug, but a report from Tamil Nadu clearly identified toxic substances," Patwari said.

When asked about the FIR registered only against a doctor who prescribed the medicine, Patwari responded, "A doctor is not a laboratory. He prescribes medicine based on the information provided about its contents. Doctors across the state have prescribed this syrup—by that logic, all of them should have been terminated." Patwari further demanded the dismissal of the health minister, drug controller, principal secretary, and commissioner of the health department.

Digvijaya Singh reiterated that innocent children had suffered due to a "huge mistake" by the state government.

"I was informed about this (cough syrup deaths) on October 3 when I visited Raisen. The Deputy Chief Minister (Shukla) gave a clean chit to the manufacturer on the same day. How was this done without any investigation or inquiry? What is the reason?" Singh asked while speaking to PTI Videos.

"This is a huge scandal unfolding," he added.

Shukla had stated that samples of approximately 12 types of medicines were sent for testing, and reports on three of them found no substances that could have caused the deaths. He maintained that the cause of death remains unclear.

Singh accused the Mohan Yadav government of shielding the cough syrup manufacturer and its officials.

"This is very serious. Immediate action should be taken against the pharmaceutical company. This tragedy is a national issue. The Madhya Pradesh government must take the initiative," the Rajya Sabha member said.

Singh demanded the cancellation of the company’s license and its prosecution. He also called for the doctors who prescribed the cough syrup to be summoned for questioning.

Earlier in the day, the Madhya Pradesh government suspended two drug inspectors and a deputy director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and transferred the state’s drug controller.

Of the 14 children who died, 11 were from the Parasia subdivision, two from Chhindwara city, and one from Chaurai tehsil. PTI MAS GK NSK