Teachers at a kindergarten in New Taipei City have been accused of sedating students with cough syrups containing drugs like phenobarbital and benzodiazepines, BBC has reported.
BBC report said police have been investigating for weeks and say it's not clear why the children were fed the addictive syrups. But the scandal has sparked family protests outside government buildings.
Hundreds joined a demonstration in New Taipei City on Sunday calling for greater transparency from the police investigation, with many criticising authorities for their lack of public disclosure, the report said.
On Monday, a separate case also emerged concerning a medical practice in the southern city of Kaohsiung, on the other end of the island.
The local health department there found four doctors guilty of misconduct and improper use of phenobarbital on about 20 children. They were ordered to suspend their practice for six months, and were fined 1.4m Taiwanese dollars (£35,989, $46,121), BBC report added.
Amid growing public concern, Taipei City Hospital has also begun offering free blood tests for preschool children to check for traces of sedatives.
The measures come after the scandal first emerged in May, when parents at a private preschool in New Taipei City accused staff of feeding their children "unknown drugs".
According to The Guardian, the scandal threatens to dent the opposition party’s chances at the upcoming presidential election.