Locals, lawyers in Madhya Pradesh demand death for Sresan owner

BHOPAL/NAGPUR: Locals and lawyers Friday angered by the deaths of 23 children in Madhya Pradesh screamed and lunged at Ranganathan Govindan and demanded death penalty for the 75-year-old as the owner of Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharmaceuticals was brought to court in Chhindwara . Ranganathan has been arrested over the deaths, 20 of them in Chhindwara alone, after allegedly consuming toxic cough syrup, Coldrif , manufactured by his company.

By the time the court in Chhindwara's Parasia remanded Ranganathan in 10-day police custody in the evening, he had faced hours of mob fury.

In Parasia, an SIT formed to probe the deaths told court that Ranganathan's remand was essential to interrogate him about Coldrif's supply chain. Granting remand till Oct 20, the court cited security concerns and directed that Ranganathan be kept in Chhindwara district jail during questioning.

Ranganathan chose to defend himself as lawyers in Parasia decided not to represent him. He told the court he was hypertensive, diabetic and claimed his company supplied medicines to five states but only MP reported adverse effects.

Ranganathan has been charged with offences that include culpable homicide and drug contamination, along with sections under Drugs and Cosmetics Act. "We may have to take him back to Tamil Nadu . Any facts that emerge during interrogation will have to be verified as most of the evidence and materials are located there," Chhindwara SP Ajay Pandey said.

Away from the spotlight on Ranganathan, doctors started protests in support of Praveen Soni, a Chhindwara paediatrician arrested recently for allegedly prescribing "killer cough syrups" to kids, resulting in their deaths. Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) argued that criminalising standard prescriptions will create fear among doctors and severely impact healthcare, especially for children.