A 75-year-old owner of a pharmaceutical firm, G Ranganathan, was arrested in the early hours of Thursday (9th October) from his apartment in Kodambakkam, Chennai. He is now held in connection with the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, who reportedly died after consuming a contaminated cough syrup produced by his company.

Under the direction of Deputy Superintendent of Police Jitendra Jaat, a seven-member squad from the Madhya Pradesh Police carried out the arrest at around 12:30 am at Ranganathan’s residence, which lies within the area under the Ashok Nagar police station. Immediately following his arrest, he was taken to the Kancheepuram district, where his pharmaceutical company, Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, operates.

The arrest comes amid the unfolding tragedy in Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh, where multiple children lost their lives after ingesting a cough syrup called Coldrif, manufactured and marketed by Ranganathan’s company. These deaths triggered a statewide investigation into the manufacturing and distribution of substandard medicines, casting a spotlight on systemic weaknesses in quality regulation and enforcement.

State governments, including Madhya Pradesh, swiftly banned the sale and distribution of Coldrif after preliminary laboratory reports indicated grave contamination. A detailed test at the Government Analyst Drug Testing Laboratory in Chennai later confirmed that the cough syrup was “Not of Standard Quality.” The lab found it contained 48.6 per cent Diethylene Glycol (DEG) — a highly toxic industrial solvent that, when ingested, can lead to kidney failure, liver damage, neurologic injury, and death.

Moreover, the report declared the sample to be “adulterated, since it contains Diethylene Glycol (48.6% w/v), [a] poisonous substance that may render the contents injurious to health.” The explicit phrasing underscores the severity and clarity of the violation.

Authorities stated that Ranganathan would be brought to Madhya Pradesh on a transit remand for further interrogation as part of a deeper probe. Investigators are now scrutinizing the company’s records and supply chains, seeking to determine whether similarly contaminated products were distributed to other states.

Over the past two weeks, more than 17 children — 14 in Madhya Pradesh and 3 in Rajasthan — have died after taking the syrup. That figure has since risen in reports to 21 deaths in Madhya Pradesh alone. In response to this growing toll, state governments immediately dispatched syrup samples for rigorous testing. In Rajasthan, the government suspended its Drug Controller, Rajaram Sharma, amid allegations that he had altered the legal definition of a “fake drug” in official documents to favor certain pharmaceutical interests.

Ranganathan now faces charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, drug adulteration, and multiple breaches under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. A police team is also preparing to inspect the company’s manufacturing facility in Sunguvarchatram, Kancheepuram. That facility — a 2,000 sq ft unit located along the Chennai–Bengaluru highway — has been sealed after authorities uncovered significant safety violations.

Ranganathan, who holds a pharmacy degree from Madras Medical College, had built his career in pharmaceuticals. He initially gained recognition for producing the popular nutritional syrup Pronit, before broadening his business into other liquid medicines.

Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Rajendra Shukla stated, “The govt is very active in taking action in this matter. A case was registered and an SIT was constituted. Yesterday, the owner of the Coldrif cough syrup manufacturing company was arrested, and he will be brought here on transit remand...The state govt is working in a sensitive manner, with the CM visiting Chhindwara. I also met the affected families.”

Further reports by the Madhya Pradesh government confirmed contamination levels of over 46 per cent DEG, when the permissible threshold is just 0.1 per cent. Tamil Nadu laboratories verified similar findings on October 2. Such extreme levels of DEG pose little chance of survival for vulnerable children; its toxicity is well documented.

In response, the licence of Sresan Pharmaceuticals is slated for permanent revocation, confirmed Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramaniam. He said indeed that “The particular pharma company license will be permanently cancelled in a couple of days,” noting that for now it is only temporarily suspended as investigations continue.

The case also raises broader questions about regulatory oversight in the pharmaceutical sector. In January 2023, the World Health Organization had warned of the risks to children from contaminated medicines, following deaths in several countries from cough syrups tainted with diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG). One tragic incident in Gambia in 2022 claimed at least 70 children’s lives after consuming such syrups.

Despite such warnings, only 72 per cent of India’s Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) pharmaceutical firms hold WHO-GMP certification. Out of 5,308 MSME pharma companies, 3,838 are certified, while 1,470 have yet to apply. Sresan Pharma, which supplied Coldrif in Madhya Pradesh, reportedly lacked GMP certification but continued operations.

Further inspections revealed unbilled containers of DEG at Sresan’s factory, and investigators claim the company was adding 46–48 per cent DEG to its cough syrup — a stark violation of the allowed limit of only 0.1 per cent.

In summary:

• The cough syrup Coldrif contained 48.6 % diethylene glycol, a toxin linked to severe organ damage.

• Key authorities in the investigation include Sharad Kumar Jain (Jabalpur drug inspector), S. Gurubharathi (Deputy Drugs Control, Tamil Nadu), Dinesh Maurya (Controller of FDA, Madhya Pradesh), and Rajeev Raghuvanshi (National Drug Controller).

• The owner is listed as Raja Ranganathan, while the board of directors includes Ranganathan Govindhan, Ranganathan Govindarajan, Ranganathan Rani, and Govindan Bala Subramanian.

Let’s see how many of these individuals and entities will be held accountable.

Who Is G Ranganathan?

G Ranganathan, aged 75, is a pharmaceutical entrepreneur based in Chennai and the owner of Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, the company behind the controversial Coldrif cough syrup. He holds a pharmacy degree from Madras Medical College. Over more than forty years, he built his reputation with the nutritional syrup Pronit, which he actively promoted in the 1980s to doctors, especially for use by pregnant women.

At a later stage, the state drug control department raised concerns about certain ingredients used in Pronit. Despite that, Ranganathan secured the required license and continued his business. Over time, he expanded his range to produce various liquid medicines, including nasal solutions. His 2,000 sq ft manufacturing unit in Kancheepuram has now been sealed, and his Kodambakkam office has been locked by authorities.

Company’s Shadowy Structure

Although the police have registered an FIR against Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, the company’s official records present many inconsistencies. The FIR name does not correspond with entries in government registries. The formal registered entity, Sresan Pharmaceuticals, was incorporated in 1990 as a private limited company, but the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) shows it was struck off in 2009.

Transparency is further clouded by the fact that Zauba Corp documents list four company directors: Ranganathan Govindarajan, Ranganathan Rani, Govindan Bala Subramanian, and Ranganathan Govindan. As of 2009, Ranganathan Govindarajan is shown as the last active director, and the most recent balance sheet filed dates to that same year.

But the company continued to have an online presence. On IndiaMART, it was listed as a trader dealing in cough syrups, protein powders, pharmaceutical syrups, and herbal child growth formulas. According to NDTV Profit, discrepancies were noted among the addresses on IndiaMART, the product packaging, and MCA records, though all addresses fell within the same Chennai neighborhood. After the controversy erupted, the company was removed from IndiaMART.

Investigations revealed that industrial-grade chemicals used in Coldrif were procured locally in Chennai from suppliers like Sunrise Biotech and Pandia Chemicals, with payments made via cash and Google Pay. The company also sourced propylene glycol, a key ingredient, from chemical traders and even paint industry dealers.

Laboratory tests confirmed dangerous contamination: the cough syrup contained 48.6 per cent Diethylene Glycol (DEG). This toxic chemical is known to cause kidney damage and death when consumed.

After 19 deaths were linked to Coldrif, states including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh officially banned its sale. In Karnataka and Telangana, authorities issued alerts and began public awareness efforts about the risks.

Arrest of Dr Soni

Police arrested Dr Praveen Soni earlier for allegedly prescribing the contaminated syrup to children who later passed away. Before his arrest, the doctor spoke to India Today, saying:
“This syrup is not a one-day treatment. I have been prescribing medicines from this company for over ten years.”
He added, “It’s wrong to suggest that a primary doctor decides on the formulation. We receive ready-to-use, sealed medicines.”

The Indian Medical Association protested his arrest, questioning why the prescribing physician was held accountable first while the drug makers faced delayed action. The Chhindwara sessions court denied Dr Soni’s bail application.

Justice and Public Response

In Chhindwara, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla told reporters that the government was taking “all necessary measures” to ensure justice for the victims and their families. The district administration sealed five medical stores and ordered more syrup samples for analysis.

Meanwhile, the Chhindwara Chemist Association declared an indefinite strike beginning midnight. Its president, Santosh Chore, criticized actions against shops, arguing:

“We are going on strike starting midnight in protest after five chemist shops, which have been sealed and served a showcause notice. We are not objecting to the investigation, and samples should be collected. However, we do not agree with the sealing of chemist shops. Action should be taken against the medicine producers and labs that pass them.”

In rural areas and beyond, authorities issued public advisories urging parents not to give any cough syrup to children until clear guidance is issued.