India
www.indiaweekly.biz • October, 2025
IINDIAN police have arrested
the owner of a pharmaceutical
company whose cough syrup
has been linked to the deaths of
at least 21 children in the cen
tral state of Madhya Pradesh,
officials said last week.
Most of the victims, all aged
under five, died over the past
month after consuming the syr
up, which tests later showed
was contaminated with diethyl
ene glycol (DEG), a highly toxic
industrial solvent. Even small
amounts of DEG can cause kid
ney failure and death.
The syrup, sold under the
brand name Coldrif, was manu
factured by Sresan Pharma at a
unit in the southern state of
Tamil Nadu. Following the
deaths, the Indian government
said samples tested by state
laboratories contained nearly
500 times the permissible limit
of the toxic chemical.
Police arrested Sresan Phar
ma’s owner, 75-year-old G. Ran
ganathan, at his home in Chen
nai early Thursday. He was
charged with culpable homicide
not amounting to murder and
drug adulteration, police sourc
es told local media.
The Tamil Nadu government
said on Monday that it had can
celled all of Sresan Pharma’s
manufacturing licenses and shut
down the company. “The manu
facturing licenses of Sresan
Pharmaceuticals have been com
pletely cancelled, and the com
pany has been shut down,” the
state government said in a state
ment. The Enforcement Direc
torate, India’s financial crime
agency, has also launched a
money-laundering investigation,
raiding seven premises linked to
the company, including homes
of senior officials from the
state’s drug control department,
according to media reports.
The contaminated cough syr
up was sold only in India, but
the case has renewed concerns
over the safety of the country’s
pharmaceutical exports. India is
the world’s third-largest produc
er of drugs by volume and sup
plies 40 percent of generic
medicines used in the United
States and more than 90 per
cent in many African nations.
Cough syrups made in India
have been linked to child
deaths in several countries in
recent years, including Gambia,
Uzbekistan, and Cameroon. In
2022, more than 70 children
died in Gambia after consuming
a syrup imported from India,
and 68 more died in Uzbekistan
between 2022 and 2023. (With
inputs from agencies)
India arrests drugmaker after toxic cough syrup kills 21 children
INDIA announced on last week that it will upgrade
its technical mission in Afghanistan to a full em
bassy, signalling a cautious but significant shift in
New Delhi’s engagement with the Taliban adminis
tration. The announcement came as Afghanistan’s
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met his Indi
an counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New
Delhi during his six-day visit.
Jaishankar said India’s technical mission in Kabul,
which has been operating since 2022 to oversee humani
tarian aid and limited trade activities, will now function
as the Embassy of India. “I am pleased to announce today
the upgrading of India’s Technical Mission in Kabul to the
status of Embassy of India,” he told Muttaqi.
Russia remains the only country to have officially
recognised the Taliban government since its takeover of
Afghanistan in August 2021. However, several nations,
including China, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey and Russia,
maintain embassies in Kabul. India had withdrawn most
of its diplomats and shut down its large embassy after
the Taliban seized power, citing security concerns.
Muttaqi’s visit — the first by a senior Taliban leader to
India since 2021 — was cleared after the United Nations
Security Council granted him a temporary travel waiver,
as he remains under UN sanctions. His trip is being
closely watched by neighbouring Pakistan, which has
had strained relations with the Taliban over border is
sues and militant activity.
During their meeting, Jaishankar said both India and
Afghanistan shared a commitment to “growth and pros
perity,” but added that such goals were endangered by
the “shared threat of cross-border terrorism.” He also
thanked Kabul for its “solidarity with us in the aftermath
of the Pahalgam terrorist attack,” which killed 26 peo
ple, mostly Hindu pilgrims, in Indian-administered
Kashmir in April. India accused Pakistan of backing the
assault, an allegation Islamabad denies.
Muttaqi, in his remarks, described India as a “close
friend” and thanked New Delhi for its humanitarian as
sistance following the deadly earthquake in Afghanistan
in September. “We will not allow any group to threaten
anyone else or use the territory of Afghanistan against
others,” he said.
India said Kabul had offered mining opportunities to
Indian firms as part of efforts to deepen trade. “We have
a shared interest in boosting trade and commerce,” Jais
hankar said. “Your invitation to Indian companies to
explore mining opportunities in Afghanistan is also
deeply appreciated.”
While the move represents a diplomatic upgrade, ana
lysts said New Delhi remains cautious about offering
formal recognition to the Taliban government. “India is
not in a hurry to provide diplomatic recognition to the
Taliban,” said Rakesh Sood, India’s former ambassador
to Kabul.
Harsh Pant, head of foreign policy studies at the Ob
server Research Foundation, said India’s engagement
with the Taliban was driven partly by pragmatism and
regional security considerations. “Engagement does not
mean endorsement,” he said. “There are many things
that India is uncomfortable about — minority rights,
gender rights, and the human rights landscape in Af
ghanistan. But there is pragmatism inherent in India’s
approach, and this visit signals the beginning of a new
phase in relations.”
Muttaqi said the Taliban administration would also
send diplomats to New Delhi as the two sides aimed to
restore “normalcy” in relations.
On Saturday, Muttaqi visited the Darul Uloom Deoband
seminary in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh — one of the most
influential Islamic institutions in South Asia. He ex
pressed hope for stronger ties between India and Af
ghanistan. “I am thankful for such a grand welcome and
the affection shown by the people here. I hope that India-
Afghanistan ties advance further,” he told reporters.
The visit drew attention amid criticism over the ab
sence of women journalists from his press conference in
New Delhi a day earlier. The seminary, however, said
there were no restrictions on women journalists cover
ing its events.
Muttaqi’s visit and India’s decision to reopen its em
bassy underline a delicate recalibration of ties, as both
sides navigate a shifting regional landscape shaped by
tensions with Pakistan and China’s growing influence in
Afghanistan. (With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi reopens Kabul
embassy after three years
MOVE MARKS CAUTIOUS THAW IN INDIA–AFGHANISTAN TIES AMID REGIONAL STRAINS
INDIA and Canada
agreed on Monday to a
new roadmap for their
relationship after nearly
two years of strained ties
following the killing of
Canadian Sikh separa
tist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The agreement came
after Canadian Foreign
Minister Anita Anand
met Indian Prime Minis
ter Narendra Modi and
her counterpart Sub
rahmanyam Jaishankar
in New Delhi. Both sides
said they would work
together in areas such
as critical minerals,
trade, and agricultural
value chains.
“Reviving this partner
ship will not only create
opportunities for en
hanced economic co
operation but also help
mitigate vulnerabilities
arising from shifting
global alliances,” a joint
statement said.
Anand said both gov
ernments agreed on
“the importance of ele
vating the relationship,”
as the two countries
seek to diversify trade
away from the United
States amid new tariff
pressures. Relations be
tween New Delhi and
Ottawa deteriorated
sharply in 2023 after
then–Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau accused
India of involvement in
Nijjar’s killing, a claim
India strongly denied.
Ties began to thaw this
year when Trudeau’s
successor, Mark Carney,
met Modi at the G7
summit in Alberta.
India and
Canada
reach accord
© X/@DrSJaishankar
PRAGMATIC MOVE:
Amir Khan Muttaqi
meets external affairs
minister Subrahmanyam
Jaishankar in New Delhi
during his six-day visit
© iStock
TOXIC TRAIL: Sresan Pharma owner
S Ranganathan is escorted by police
to a local court after the firm’s Coldrif
cough syrup was linked to the deaths
of several children in Madhya Pradesh
© Reuters