Infant’s body exhumed to probe cough syrup death in Rewa:Child died 20 minutes after dose; mother says she didn’t know it was poison

A mother from Khatkhari village in Mauganj district, Madhya Pradesh, lost her four-and-a-half-month-old son just 20 minutes after giving him a cough syrup she thought was medicine. The syrup was bought from an unlicensed medical store that had been operating illegally for nearly 20 years. Police have arrested the store owner, and the child’s body was later exhumed for post-mortem. The tragedy has exposed widespread illegal medical practices and fake medicine sales in the region, where 26 other children have already died from poisonous cough syrups. A mother’s pain “I didn’t know what I was giving my child as medicine was actually poison,” said the grieving mother, Shweta Yadav.Her son, Dharmendra, had a mild cold and cough on 24 October. She took him to the nearby Khatkhari market, around 15–20 minutes from her home, to buy Vicks. At Vinod Medical Store, she asked for medicine for her baby’s cough. The shop owner looked at the child and said it was a “serious problem”. Without any doctor’s prescription or examination, he gave her three types of cough syrups, claiming they would bring instant relief. Shweta trusted him. But by the time she returned home, her baby had turned motionless. His breathing had stopped. A local doctor confirmed that the baby had died in her lap. Family’s agony and burial The family, too poor to understand what had gone wrong, buried the child the same day. They said no one paid attention when they told officials that the baby had died after consuming the syrup. Five days later, as the case gained attention, the SDM ordered the child’s body to be exhumed for investigation on 29 October. The body had partially decomposed, and ants had infested it. The remains were sent to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, Rewa, and then to Shyam Shah Medical College for forensic tests. The body was reburied after examination. “What was meant to heal, killed him” Shweta said her son was born healthy through a normal delivery on 9 July. “He was my only child,” she cried.“The shopkeeper said the syrup would cure him quickly. I just want the government to give him the harshest punishment so that no mother suffers like I am suffering.” Grandfather’s grief The baby’s grandfather, Dashrath Yadav, said he still cannot bear the loss.“At my age, I should have been the one going to God, not my grandson,” he said. “Every day, I pass by his grave on my way to the fields. My heart breaks again and again.” The family lives in poverty. The child’s father works in Mumbai. Dashrath farms a small plot of land to support them. “We are not educated,” he said. “We didn’t know these medicines could kill.” Police action Shahpur Police Station in-charge Ajay Khobragade confirmed that the store owner had been arrested. He said the man gave the syrup to the infant without any prescription or medical knowledge, leading to the child’s immediate death. The family, overcome with shock, had initially performed the burial without filing a complaint. Once the police learned about the case, they registered an FIR and took action. Unlicensed store operating for 20 years Villagers revealed that the Vinod Medical Store had been running illegally for two decades without a licence.It was not just selling medicines—it was providing medical treatment, including injections and IV drips, for everything from fever to malaria. The store was originally run by Mishrilal Gupta, who died years ago. After his death, his two sons continued the illegal practice. Locals said he used to boast that “even big hospital doctors couldn’t treat patients like him.” When questioned, the child’s grandfather said the shopkeeper had given three local-brand cough syrups and told them to administer them in measured doses. The Health Department has now seized the syrup bottles for laboratory testing. Cough syrup box found near grave When the Dainik Bhaskar team visited the grave, they found an empty cough syrup box and cap lying nearby. The family said they were told to use that cap to measure doses. The child’s clothes and belongings were still at the site, as if time had frozen at the moment of loss. No financial aid for the family Villagers said administrative officers, including the Collector, SDM, and Tehsildar, had visited twice after the incident. However, the poor family has not received any financial assistance.The father, who had returned from Mumbai after his child’s death, remains unemployed. Health department seals store CMHO Dr. Sanjeev Shukla said the store has been sealed and samples collected for testing.He confirmed that post-mortem and forensic procedures have been completed. “No one can run a medical store without a licence. If found doing so, strict action will be taken,” he said. Several medical stores in Rewa and Mauganj have been sealed recently for selling substandard medicines. BJP MLA alleges corruption in health department Amid the investigation, BJP MLA Nagendra Singh from Gudh wrote a letter to the Chief Minister, accusing CMHO Dr. Shukla of corruption.He claimed that the health system has collapsed under Shukla’s supervision, and that private hospitals and unlicensed medical shops are “playing with people’s lives” under his protection. Fake medicine network exposed Earlier, the owner of Annapurna Medical Store, one of the largest in Rewa, was caught on hidden camera admitting that he and other shop owners sold fake and local medicines.He said medicines worth Rs 300 were being copied and sold for Rs 50, and that government doctors were part of the syndicate.Following the exposé, his shop was also sealed. 26 child deaths linked to toxic cough syrup So far, 26 children have died in Madhya Pradesh after consuming poisonous cough syrups, most of them from Chhindwara district.Post-mortem reports show kidney failure as the main cause, but also reveal damage to the liver, lungs, and brain due to diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical used in the syrup. Some affected children are still under treatment in Nagpur hospitals, while the administration faces criticism for allegedly suppressing post-mortem reports. A tragedy that should never repeat The death of baby Dharmendra has once again raised questions about the sale of fake medicines and weak enforcement of medical regulations in Madhya Pradesh.As investigations continue, his mother’s words echo across Khatkhari village: “The medicine I thought would heal my child became poison. No mother should ever have to go through this pain again.”