BHOPAL: “My son survived, but he returned to me without sight,” said 36-year-old Tikku Yaduvanshi, his voice breaking as he recalled the 116 days his five-year-old son Kunal battled for life after consuming the toxic Coldrif cough syrup in Parasia town of MP’s Chhindwara district. “He cannot see, he cannot walk properly, and I cannot leave him even for a moment. How do I go back to work now?” Tikku said. Kunal is among the few children who survived the killer cough syrup tragedy that claimed the lives of 26 children across Chhindwara and Betul districts. After more than four months of hospitalisation across multiple cities, he was finally discharged from AIIMS Nagpur on Monday night — alive, but with severe and possibly irreversible damage. For Tikku, a former employee of a private finance company, survival has come at an unbearable cost. He has not received salary for the past four months, defaulted on housing loan EMIs, sold his cattle, and mortgaged his wife’s jewellery to fund treatment and sustain his family during the prolonged hospital stay in Nagpur. “We were four people staying there — my wife, two other family members and I — paying for food, rooms, everything, while our child was fighting for life. Govts and officials might come and go, what we have lived through in these four months cannot be put into words,” Tikku said. Kunal’s ordeal began on Aug 24, when Tikku first took him to paediatrician Dr Praveen Soni in Parasia. Two days later, as complications developed, he returned to the doctor. On Sept 1, Kunal was rushed to Nagpur and admitted to a private hospital. As his condition worsened, he was shifted to AIIMS Nagpur on Sept 11, where treatment continued for over three months. While the state govt has assured financial assistance towards medical expenses, Tikku said it barely scratches the surface. “Whatever money we receive will go into repaying the loans we took for his treatment. It does not cover our stay, food, or the debts we piled up just to keep him alive,” he said. Also, Kunal’s recovery remains uncertain. Doctors have not been able to say whether his vision will return. He is still unable to walk properly and needs continuous care. Tikku is now jobless, unable to leave his child even for a few hours. “I want the govt to tell me — will it bear the cost of his future treatment?” he asked. “I have heard there are better facilities for eyesight treatment in Chennai. My child did nothing wrong. At least give him a chance,” he added. The Coldrif syrup tragedy has led to arrests, suspensions, and an SIT probe. Paediatrician Dr Praveen Soni, his wife Jyoti Soni, and the manufacturers of the syrup — Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharmaceuticals — have been named as accused. Tests found the syrup contained 48.6% diethylene glycol, a toxic industrial solvent known to cause kidney failure. The Madhya Pradesh govt has suspended drug inspectors and senior FDA officials, admitting regulatory failure. Yet, for families like the Yaduvanshis, accountability offers little comfort. “My son survived death. Now we are just praying he can see the world one day — and that we are not left alone to fight this battle,” Tikku said.
