In Parasia, Madhya Pradesh, Tikku Yaduvanshi (36) recounts the horrific ordeal his family has endured since his five-year-old son consumed the toxic Coldrif cough syrup. "My son survived, but he returned to me without his sight," he said, his voice filled with emotion, recalling the 116 days his son battled for his life.

The tragedy, which surfaced in late August, has claimed the lives of at least 26 children across the Chhindwara and Betul districts. The children, mostly under the age of five, developed sudden kidney failure after being treated for mild fever and cough with the contaminated syrup.

Coldrif syrup, manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals in Tamil Nadu, was found to contain alarmingly high levels of diethylene glycol (DEG). DEG is a toxic chemical used in industrial solvents like antifreeze and brake fluid, and can be fatal even in small amounts. In the case of Coldrif, samples showed DEG levels nearly 500 times the permissible limit. One batch was found to contain over 48% DEG.

Tikku Yaduvanshi's son is among the few children who survived, but his survival has come at a devastating cost. "He cannot see, he cannot walk properly, and I cannot leave him even for a moment," Tikku explained, highlighting the irreversible damage caused by the toxic syrup.

The financial strain has also been immense. Tikku, formerly employed by a private finance company, has been unable to work for the past four months. He has defaulted on housing loan payments, sold his cattle, and mortgaged his wife's jewelry to cover treatment costs and support his family during their prolonged stay in Nagpur, where his son received treatment at AIIMS. "We were four people staying there - my wife, two other family members and I - paying for food, rooms, everything, while our child was fighting for life".

The incident has triggered a wave of investigations and actions. Authorities in Tamil Nadu confirmed DEG contamination in samples taken directly from Sresan Pharma's manufacturing site in Kanchipuram. The state government has banned the sale, distribution, and stock of Coldrif syrup across Madhya Pradesh, extending the prohibition to all products manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals.

Ranganathan Govindan, the owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, has been arrested and faces charges including adulteration, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and endangering the safety of children.

This is not an isolated incident. Similar tragedies involving contaminated cough syrups manufactured in India have occurred in The Gambia and Uzbekistan in 2022, raising serious concerns about the quality control and regulatory oversight in the Indian pharmaceutical industry.

Health officials are now urging the public to avoid other locally sold syrups. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also stated that this case has revealed regulatory gaps in the screening of medicines sold domestically in India.

As families grapple with the aftermath, questions linger about accountability and the steps needed to prevent future tragedies. For Tikku Yaduvanshi and countless other parents, the fight for justice and a safer healthcare system is just beginning.