A collective of at least 150 scientists has appealed to voters to “reject those who lynch or assault people” and vote against “ inequality, intimidation, discrimination, and unreason.”
The appeal, made under the aegis of the Indian Cultural Forum, an association of academics, activists, lawyers and scientists, has been signed by scientists from public and private institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Ashoka University, the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT).
“We must reject those who lynch or assault people, those who discriminate against people because of religion, caste, gender, language or region. Again, we must reject those who encourage such practices… an atmosphere in which scientists, activists and rationalists are hounded, harassed, intimidated, censored, jailed, or worse, murdered, is not the future our country deserves… we must put an end to the denigration of rational, evidence-based public discourse… we appeal to all citizens to vote wisely, weighing arguments and evidence critically. We appeal to all citizens to remember our constitutional commitment to scientific temper,” says the online petition.
The document was drafted by Satyajit Rath, adjunct Professor, IISER-Pune, and Rahul Roy, ISI-New Delhi.
Published - April 03, 2019 10:27 pm IST
