Cough syrup row: Madhya Pradesh drug controller transferred, 3 others suspended

BHOPAL/NAGPUR: Madhya Pradesh government on Monday transferred the state drugs controller and suspended three of his subordinates, holding them accountable for the deaths of children, allegedly after consuming Coldrif cough syrup, in Chhindwara district, as the toll mounted to 15, with one more girl undergoing treatment in Nagpur succumbing on Monday.

Following CM Mohan Yadav's instructions, the government transferred MP Food and Drugs Administration controller Dinesh Maurya, and suspended deputy controller Shobhit Kosta , along with drug inspectors Sharad Jain and Gaurav Sharma. The CM also visited Parasia and met the bereaved families.

An 18-month-old girl, Dhani Dahriya, died Monday night at GMCH , Nagpur. The hospital's paediatric department head, Dr Manish Tiwari, told TOI the girl was in a deep coma, though her kidney functions were in revival stage.

Kosta's suspension order said he failed to ensure compliance with Centre's directives prohibiting use of fixed dose combination of chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine hydrochloride in children below four years.

On Monday, police produced Dr Praveen Soni, who prescribed Coldrif to many of the victims, before a court in Chhindwara, which remanded him in judicial custody.

NHRC has issued notices to MP, Rajasthan and UP, directing them to conduct an inquiry, test samples and ban Coldrif. It sought an action taken report in two weeks.