A four-year-old boy died at AIIMS-Nagpur, months after he fell critically ill and slipped into a coma after allegedly consuming Coldrif cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district, an official said on Monday (February 2, 2026).
According to the official, Harsh, from Tikabarri village of Betul district bordering Chhindwara district, had been in a coma for more than four months and was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), but died during treatment on Sunday (February 1, 2026) night.
Betul Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr. Manoj Hurmade confirmed the child’s death and said the post-mortem examination was conducted in Nagpur on Monday (February 2, 2026), and the body was handed over to the family.
The cause of death would be ascertained after the post-mortem report, Dr. Hurmade said.
Harsh’s uncle, Shyam Yadav, said over the phone that the child’s last rites were performed on Monday (February 2, 2026) evening.
Mr. Yadav said his nephew was undergoing treatment under Dr S S Thakur in Parasia, Chhindwara, and the child’s condition deteriorated after consuming the cough syrup prescribed by him.
Harsh remained admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for months, his uncle said.
In October 2025, children in Parasia town of Chhindwara district began falling ill after consuming Coldrif cough syrup, with complaints of vomiting, inability to urinate and fever.
Investigations revealed that the syrup contained diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical that causes kidney failure. Around two dozen children from Chhindwara and Betul districts had died in the incident, following which the Drug Controller General of India also conducted a probe.
Subsequently, the company owner and a government doctor who recommended the syrup were arrested in the case.
In the first week of October, the Madhya Pradesh government banned the sale of the cough syrup following the death of children in Chhindwara due to suspected renal failure, with officials confirming that the drug samples were found to contain a highly toxic substance.
A sample of the syrup, tested by a government Drug Testing Laboratory in Chennai, was declared “Not of Standard Quality” by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Drug Control, officials had said.
The Tamil Nadu drug control authorities, in their report dated October 2, declared the Coldrif syrup sample (Batch No SR-13; Mfg: May 2025; Exp: April 2027) manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals, Kancheepuram, as adulterated because it contained diethylene glycol (48.6% w/v), a poisonous substance “which may render the contents injurious to health”.
Published – February 03, 2026 05:49 am IST
