Doctor who prescribed cough syrup held in M.P.

Doctor who prescribed cough syrup held in M.P.

06.10.2025

Superintendent of Police, Chhindwara, Ajay Pandey told The Hindu that Dr. Soni was taken into custody late on Saturday night after a first information report was lodged against him and Sresan Pharmaceuticals, based in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu, under Sections 105 and 276 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and Section 27A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

“The SIT led by an Additional Superintendent of Police will soon visit Tamil Nadu and other locations linked to the case. We have also written to the Tamil Nadu police for assistance in the investigation,” Mr. Pandey said. He said that a team had searched Dr. Soni’s clinic and other locations to gather evidence.

“We are also questioning him on how many patients he has prescribed the syrup to or how long he has been prescribing it,” he said.

Mr. Pandey said the death toll in the district had surged to 13, including 10 from Parasia, two from Chhindwara city, and one from Chaurai sub-division area, while an official at the Chief Minister’s Office said one child died in neighbouring Pandhurna district, allegedly from problems caused by the syrup.

The children had died over a period of one month with the first death having been reported in early September.

Aid distributed

Additional District Magistrate, Chhindwara, Dhirendra Singh said eight more children from the district were currently admitted in Nagpur.

“We have disbursed the financial aid [announced by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav] of ₹4 lakh each to the families of 14 deceased children,” Mr. Singh said.

Meanwhile, a report from the Drug Testing Laboratory of Madhya Pradesh’s Food and Drugs Administration also found the sample of Coldrif syrup “adulterated with diethylene glycol 46.28% w/v which is injurious to health”.