BHOPAL: Grieving parents of six children who died after taking the contaminated cough syrup Coldrif, which was found to have 48.6% diethylene glycol, are demanding accountability for the tragedy.
Yashin Khan, 36, from Parasia in Chhindwara, lost his 4-year-old son, Usaid, to renal complications after administering Coldrif during treatment in Nagpur on September 13. Khan expressed his outrage, stating, “I feel the firm owners are the real culprits. They must be punished.” He urged the government to shut down the company to prevent such distress from affecting other families. The personal toll has been devastating, leading him to sell his autorickshaw and his wife’s jewelry to cover medical expenses. “I will not rest until I file an FIR against the company responsible for my son’s death,” he declared.
Another parent, Rashid Bosham, 36, from Chakadhana village, also voiced his anger after losing his 14-month-old daughter, Sandhya, on October 1. Bosham, who works as a laborer in Karnataka, rushed home when her condition worsened. “Initially, she recovered, but then she stopped urinating and developed complications. We rushed her to Nagpur, where she passed away. All I want is for those truly responsible to be punished so that no parent faces what we are enduring,” he said, reflecting the deep anguish shared by many in the community.
Tragedy struck again in Badkuhi when a private school teacher’s only child, 2-year-old Yogita, died during treatment on October 4. Prachi Mohaniya, an ASHA worker from Badkuhi, noted the profound impact on the child’s family, emphasizing the need for justice in these bereaved families’ pursuit of accountability.
