G Ranganathan, the proprietor of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, manufacturer of cough syrup Coldrif that claimed the lives of 20 children mostly in Chhindwara district, was arrested here on Thursday by a special police team from Madhya Pradesh.
He will be taken to Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh after securing a transit warrant from a local court here. The Madhya Pradesh police team was assisted by the local police during the process.
Coldrif, containing industrial grade Di-Ethlene Glycol (DEG) beyond permissible limits, was found to be the cause for the death of 20 children and activists have blamed it on diluting the stringent laws governing the pharma manufacturing sector.
The deaths have rattled the entire nation with Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan banning Coldrif. Tamil Nadu Government sealed the factory at Sunguvarchatram near Sriperumpudur and arrested two Drug Inspectors of Kancheepuram District for their failure to carry out quality checks in the last two years.
Initial investigations revealed that the killer syrup was also distributed in the Union Territory of Puducherry. A report by the Tamil Nadu Drug Control Department has highlighted several lapses and violations at the manufacturing facility of the company at Sunguvarchatram.
Besides absence of qualified staff, the violations included use of non-pharma grade chemicals and poor maintenance and lack of hygiene. The report also revealed that there were 350 types of violations, classified as serious and critical. It further pointed out the use of banned chemical DEG, commonly used in paints and break oils, turning the syrup highly poisonous.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian, speaking to reporters in Chennai, said that state-run and private hospitals have been instructed not to avail any product from Sresan Pharma. The state government has initiated steps to permanently shut down the company, he said, adding the state acted swiftly and tested the samples on being informed about the deaths in Chhindwara.
“We immediately found the syrup containing dangerous chemicals. The findings were shared with the Union Health Ministry as well as the Governments of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Puducherry. Initially, the Union Government and Madhya Pradesh Government debunked the findings. We ascertained that the syrup contained 48 percent DEG when the compound should not exceed even one percent. Hence the firm was ordered to stop production immediately,” he said.
Criminal proceedings, he said, have been initiated against the company and a decision on sealing it permanently will be taken based on further investigations.