Coldrif claims another victim, leaves kin with grief and debt

Bhopal: "I lost my grandchild — and inherited his debts."For 58-year-old farmer Deva Yaduvanshi from Madhya Pradesh's Betul district, this is the cruel aftermath of the Coldrif cough syrup tragedy, which on Sunday night claimed yet another young victim, reviving nightmarish memories for dozens of families who lost their loved ones. Four-year-old Harsh Yaduvanshi from Betul district died Sunday late night after battling complications for nearly four months following consumption of the spurious cough syrup.
His death marks the third reported fatality from Betul linked to the syrup, even as nearly 24 children from Chhindwara, earlier, lost their lives in what has emerged as one of India's deadliest pharmaceutical tragedies in recent years.Though the state government bore Harsh's medical treatment costs, the family said the death of the four-year-old came with an invisible price tag. "I have to repay at least Rs 4.5 lakh that I borrowed from relatives during the treatment period," his grandfather told TOI, adding, "Three members of my family had to take up temporary residence near the hospital for months. Food, lodging, daily expenses — none of that was covered (by the state). Now my grandson is gone, and all I have left are the loans."Harsh was being cared for by his grandfather, as his father was in jail and was released on bail only recently. A marginal farmer, Dev said the family spent nearly Rs 1,000 a day on basic living expenses during the prolonged hospitalisation in Nagpur and Bhopal, forcing them into debt. "I depend on farming, and had no option but to borrow. Now I have both grief and debt to deal with," he said.According to the family, Harsh was taken to a Parasia-based clinic on September 26, 2025, for a mild cold and cough, where doctors prescribed multiple syrups. Within days, the child stopped passing urine. Despite repeated visits, his condition deteriorated rapidly. Subsequent tests revealed 100% kidney failure, forcing the family to shuttle between hospitals in Betul, Nagpur and Bhopal before he was admitted to AIIMS. He never recovered.The Coldrif tragedy triggered multiple arrests, suspensions and an SIT probe. Tests confirmed the syrup contained 48.6% diethylene glycol, a toxic industrial solvent known to cause kidney failure. Paediatrician Dr Praveen Soni, his wife Jyoti Soni, and Tamil Nadu-based manufacturer Sresan Pharmaceuticals were among those named as accused. The Madhya Pradesh govt admitted regulatory lapses and suspended drug inspectors and senior FDA officials.The head of the pharma firm continues to be behind bars in the case.Yet, for families like the Yaduvanshis, official action offers little solace. Earlier, TOI reported on 5-year-old Kunal Yaduvanshi of Chhindwara — another survivor who returned home after 116 days in hospital, alive but blind and unable to walk, leaving his family financially ruined.Harsh's death now reinforces a haunting pattern: even when children survive the poison, families rarely survive the aftermath.As investigations continue, the Coldrif cough syrup tragedy stands not just as a case of toxic medicine, but as a grim reminder of how medical negligence, regulatory failure and poverty combine to turn survival itself into a lifelong punishment.