Chennai, Oct 14: Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Tuesday demanded a comprehensive probe into the deaths of 22 children, allegedly caused by the consumption of a contaminated cough syrup manufactured in Tamil Nadu.

Describing the incident as “an unforgivable public health disaster”, he urged the government to fix accountability at every level and ensure that such negligence never recurs.

In a strongly worded statement, Karti said the government must trace the supply chain of the tainted drugs and identify where the lapses occurred.

“How did the medicine pass the quality test? Were proper quality checks conducted at all? Who certified the product as safe? Every one of these questions must be investigated in detail,” he said.

The Congress MP stressed that the deaths of over 20 children cannot be dismissed as mere statistics. His remarks came amid intensified investigations into Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the Tamil Nadu-based company that manufactured the Coldrif cough syrup linked to the tragedy.

On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches at seven locations across Chennai – including the residence of company owner S. Ranganathan and offices of senior Tamil Nadu Drug Control Department officials – as part of a money laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED’s action follows the arrest of Ranganathan (75) by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Madhya Pradesh, with the assistance of Chennai Police, on October 9. He had been absconding since reports of the child deaths in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh surfaced.

Subsequent raids on the company’s Kancheepuram manufacturing facility revealed over 300 safety and regulatory violations, including the use of non-pharmaceutical grade chemicals.

Laboratory analysis in Chennai confirmed that the syrup contained 48.6 per cent diethylene glycol (DEG), a highly-toxic industrial solvent known to cause kidney failure. Officials suspect cost-cutting measures led to the use of substandard ingredients, resulting in the fatal contamination.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray arrived at the Shiv Sena Shivalay on Tuesday morning, joined by party MP Anil Desai. The high-level meeting at the party headquarters was followed by the arrival of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, signalling a rare show of unity among Maharashtra’s opposition leaders.

Later today, an all-party delegation—including Pawar, Thackeray, Congress leaders Balasaheb Thorat and Varsha Gaikwad and others—is set to meet Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer, S. Chockalingam. The meeting is aimed at raising concerns over the ongoing electoral process and ensuring fairness in the upcoming local body polls.

According to Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, who announced the meeting over the weekend, the discussion with the Election Commission is intended to ‘ensure transparency and trust’ in the upcoming civic polls, particularly the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.

Raut noted that maintaining public confidence in the electoral system was vital, saying the meeting was not just a political gesture but a ‘collective effort to safeguard democracy.’

Raut also reached out to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, inviting them to join the all-party delegation. “Meeting the Election Commission has now become a formality, yet it remains necessary to maintain dialogue with this supreme institution in our democratic framework,” Raut wrote in his letter.

He stressed that the local body election dates, expected to be announced soon, should not invite any doubts about the credibility of the process.

Raut confirmed that all parties had responded positively to the initiative. “There is no political motive behind this visit,” he said, adding that the intention was to strengthen democratic values and enhance trust in the electoral system.

Local body elections across Maharashtra, including the high-stakes BMC polls, are expected to be announced later this month.

Shubman Gill registered his first series win as skipper after India won the second Test in Delhi by 7 wickets against West Indies on Tuesday, October 14 and inflicting whitewash in the two-match Test series. The latest results sees India keeping hold of their third spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 cycle.

Currently Australia lead the standings with a perfect Points Percentage (PCT) of 100, having won all three of their matches so far. Sri Lanka is second with a PCT of 66.67 from two matches, and India remains in third place after boosting their PCT to 61.9 with their fourth win in seven games. India’s unbeaten run against the West Indies now stretches to 27 consecutive Test matches.

England’s immediate focus will shift to arguably their most challenging fixture in the cycle, the Ashes series starting next month. Meanwhile, Pakistan and South Africa are currently in action at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, with the outcome expected by tomorrow (October 15) potentially influencing the table’s lower half.

According to the International Cricket Council (ICC) rules, 12 points are awarded to a team for a win. A team gets six points for a tie and four points for a drawn game. All the teams are ranked according to the percentage of points won. Points are deducted for slow over rates. The top two teams will play the final in 2027.

Post the West Indies series, the Indian team will host South Africa for two Tests next month. Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens will host the first Test from November 14 to 18 while the second game will be played at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati from November 22 to 26. The team then returns to the longest format against Afghanistan in a one-off Test match in June next year.