Police teams arrest TN based cough syrup pharma owner in Chennai
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharma owner has been arrested by the Madhya Pradesh police with the help of Chennai police in the wee hours of Thursday, in connection with the adulterated cough syrup case, a police official said.
Teams from the Madhya Pradesh police and Chennai cops launched a hunt to trace out and nab the pharma owner Ranganathan.
'Coldrif' cough syrup manufactured by his company is attributed to the deaths of children in multiple states.
A senior police official said he was detained following a midnight operation and taken to Sunguvarchatram police station for an inquiry.
According to the police official, the police teams have been searching for G Ranganathan since October 7 after the Madhya Pradesh police team arrived, and he was finally arrested at 1.30 am today. The police also seized some documents from his Kancheepuram factory.
After being produced in the court here for obtaining the transit remand, he would be taken to Chhindwara, he said.
On October 7, the Sriperumbudur Drug Control Inspector had issued a show-cause notice to the pharma company asking it to explain the discrepancies in the quality and labelling of the medicine. Officials from the TN Directorate of Drugs Control inspected the manufacturing facility and found that the medicines were allegedly stored in “unhygienic conditions” on the corridors, and they noticed certain risk of contamination, he said.
The Tamil Nadu government had sealed the factory after 20 children from Madhya Pradesh died after consuming the "contaminated" cough syrup allegedly made in the unit. The government banned the cough syrup 'Coldrif' in the state from October 1 and ordered the removal of stocks of the medicine from the market.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
