E-Paper
J&K infant deaths: 3 years on, pharma company proprietors among 5 booked
The syrup was found to contain diethylene glycol—the same chemical ingredient responsible for the death of 70 children in Gambia. Six other infants, who were administered the spurious syrup, were disabled for life
Three years after 14 infants died from being administered a toxic cough syrup, a charge sheet against five accused, including three proprietors of Digital Vision, a Himachal Pradesh-based pharmaceutical company was finally filed by the Jammu and Kashmir police.
The charge sheet was filed before a first-class judicial magistrate in Ramnagar and the first hearing will take place before a sessions court in Udhampur on January 4. If convicted, the accused could face up to 10 years in jail.
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Manufactured by Digital Vision, the cough syrup Coldbest PC was found responsible for the death of 14 infants– 13 in Ramnagar area of Udhampur and one in Bishnah of Jammu district between December 2019 and January 2020.
The syrup was found to contain diethylene glycol—the same chemical ingredient responsible for the death of 70 children in Gambia. Six other infants, who were administered the spurious syrup, were disabled for life.
A case was registered on March 3, 2020, and a month after the incident, a special investigation team (SIT) was constituted under the leadership of the Ramnagar sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) to look into the matter.
The delay in filing the charge sheet has been attributed to members of the initial investigation team being transferred, necessitating the SIT’s reconstitution. The investigations picked up momentum in April 2021 after deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Bhishm Dubey took charge as the Ramnagar SDPO.
Finally, on December 20, the SIT filed a 742-page chargesheet against Parshotam Goyal of Ambala, the proprietor, his sons Manic Goyal and Konic Goyal, Jammu-based pharmaceutical wholesaler Varinder Kumar Jandyal and Ramnagar-based chemist, Mohinder Singh.
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The three proprietors were booked under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 274 (adulterating any drug or medical preparation intended for sale so as to lessen its efficacy, or to change its operation, or to make it noxious), 275 (drug adulteration with noxious substance) and 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code. Jandyal and Mohinder Singh were booked under Sections 304, 325 and 275 of the IPC.
Social activist Sukesh Khajuria said he will take up the case of the six children disabled due to the syrup and seek adequate compensation for them.
Earlier, the activist moved the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), seeking compensation for the families that lost their children., following which the commission directed the J&K administration to pay a compensation of ₹3 lakhs each to the next of kin of 12 children.
On December 21, the administration digitally transferred ₹36 lakhs to the bereaved families. The case of one infant is pending disposal, while the case of the victim from Bishnah is yet to be taken up.
