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FAIMA and IMA support the doctor, arrested in Madhya Pradesh after children died from toxic Coldrif cough syrup, urging a fair probe and action against Sresan Pharmaceuticals.
It is learnt that the state drug control department has collected 52 cough syrup samples from various companies for testing and evaluation. (Image for representation)
The Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Monday expressed support for the doctor recently arrested in Madhya Pradesh in connection with the deadly cough syrup case.
The organisations urged authorities to ensure a fair investigation and called for the immediate release of the doctor.
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“FAIMA stands firmly with the doctor arrested in #MP over the cough syrup case. Drs. prescribe medicines in good faith based on available formulations; they can’t be held responsible for manufacturing lapses. We demand a fair probe and immediate release. @DrKuldeepGupta9 (VP-FAIMA),” FAIMA Doctors Association posted on X.
The statement comes amid widespread outrage after several children in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, reportedly died due to consumption of contaminated Coldrif cough syrup, which was later found to contain toxic diethylene glycol.
The IMA criticised the arrest of a doctor, calling it a “classical example of legal illiteracy of the officials and the police.”
The IMA demanded immediate action against the actual culprits and adequate compensation for both the affected families and the doctor, whom the association said is a victim of defamation.
The IMA said the arrest of the doctor immediately after the BMO report “precisely shows an attempt to divert the attention of the people from the faults of regulatory bodies and the concerned pharmaceutical company.”
The association criticised the response of both Central and State authorities, saying that arresting a doctor who prescribes approved drugs sends the wrong message and creates apprehension among medical professionals. It called the incident a “clear-cut case of a spurious drug” under section 17B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, adding that approval, monitoring, and quality control fall under the drug regulatory system, not the prescribing doctor.
Dr Praveen Soni, a government paediatrician who also practised privately in Madhya Pradesh’s Parasia, has been arrested and suspended in the matter. The FIR names both the doctor and Sresan Pharmaceuticals, invoking Section 276 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (sale of adulterated drugs) and Section 27A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, which can attract imprisonment up to life when adulteration causes death.
October 06, 2025, 18:25 IST
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