Scandal in Chhindwara: Call for Health Minister's Removal After Tragic Deaths

The Congress party has escalated demands for the removal of Madhya Pradesh's Health Minister Rajendra Shukla, following the tragic deaths of 14 children in Chhindwara. These deaths have been linked to the consumption of a contaminated cough syrup, leading to significant controversy and allegations of misconduct.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh criticized Shukla for prematurely clearing the pharmaceutical company responsible before investigations concluded. He labeled the incident a "huge scandal." The state Congress president, Jitu Patwari, echoed these sentiments, insisting on greater accountability from the health department, including Shukla's dismissal.

Despite assertions from Shukla that testing cleared the majority of the medicines involved, concerns linger regarding the transparency and urgency of the governmental response. Singh emphasized the incident as a national tragedy, calling for severe repercussions against the company and comprehensive scrutiny of all medical personnel prescribing the syrup.