October 8, 2025

Bhopal/Nagpur: Madhya Pradesh is in a state of shock after the tragic death of 15 children, all allegedly caused by the deadly Coldrif cough syrup. The toll rose on Monday when an 18-month-old girl, Dhani Dahriya, passed away at GMCH Nagpur. Dr Manish Tiwari, head of the hospital’s paediatric department, said, “The girl was in a deep coma, though her kidney functions were in revival stage.” Sadly, this came too late to save her. Responding swiftly, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav ordered the transfer of MP’s Food and Drugs Administration controller Dinesh Maurya and suspended three of his subordinates: deputy controller Shobhit Kosta, drug inspectors Sharad Jain and Gaurav Sharma. These officials are held responsible for the failure in controlling this deadly syrup. The suspension order points fingers directly at Shobhit Kosta for neglecting the Centre’s clear rule against using fixed dose combination of chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine hydrochloride in children under four years. This deadly cocktail should never have reached little kids. In a dramatic move, the police brought Dr Praveen Soni—who prescribed Coldrif to many victims—before a court in Chhindwara, which sent him to judicial custody. The grim question now: how did this syrup spread so widely? To add fire to the mix, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has fired off notices to Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. It has demanded urgent inquiries, testing of syrup samples, and an immediate ban on Coldrif. NHRC’s order asks for an action report within two weeks. The Chief Minister also visited Parasia to meet families who lost children. The grief and anger hang heavy in the air. The question echoing everywhere: how could this tragedy happen? And how soon will justice be served? Madhya Pradesh is watching closely as the investigation unfolds.

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Tags: Coldcoughsyrupdeaths, Madhyapradesh, Drugcontrollersuspended, Childhealth, Governmentaction, Nhrcnotice,