On the face of it, P. Ajith’s article would be thought of as a knee-jerk reaction to the remark[1] of a politician, who said people should not be too concerned with GDP maths, since “maths never helped Einstein discover gravity”, a comment that’s scientifically wrong on multiple counts. Neither did Einstein discover gravity (gravity was actually discovered by Issac Newton, not Albert Einstein), nor did he, in any way, refrain from using mathematics, a subject described by the legendary German polymath Carl Friedrich Gauss as the “queen of sciences”. However, in my opinion, articles like these cannot just be regarded as an immediate response to a politician’s loose, unsubstantiated and unscientific comment. They serve their purpose in overall popularization of science and clearing doubts about it among common people, whom we need to reach out as academicians, and explain our daily lives as well as the challenges therein.

Just to stress a bit more on why connecting with masses matters, I would like to share an anecdote. A reasonably rational neighbour of mine had mentioned the name of a premier science institute of India and asked me why nobody from there won a Nobel Prize despite the Government spending so much money on it. Saddened by his question, I requested him to name a few world-renowned institutions which received many Nobel Prizes in science, and he obliged. Then I bombarded him with questions such as, “have you checked the average budget per academic of those institutions in comparison to the one in India?”; “do you know how long it takes for an experimental scientist in India to order an instrument or a reagent in contrast with the time taken by one living abroad?”; “do you know how many exceptional young scientists do not want to come back to India for various reasons, including but not limited to bureaucracy, dearth of funding, lack of academic freedom, etc.?”. He could answer none and went away quickly.

Don’t we need to engage with our friends, relatives, neighbours and tell them about our problems? Don’t we need to discuss how our profession is getting affected due to whimsical decisions taken by an authoritarian regime that neither understands science nor appreciates the scientists? Don’t we need to protest against the forced propagation of pseudoscience? Don’t we, as a community, need to pitch in the fulfilment of Article 51 A(h) of The Constitution of India, which states “[it shall be the duty of every citizen of India] to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform”. The spirit of inquiry requires “the right to freedom of speech and expression” enjoyed by each and every citizen of our country according to Article 19(1)(a) of the same document. Scientists, or more generally academicians, cannot be an exception to this rule as pointed out in a recent article by another outstanding physicist Suvrat Raju.

Raju’s article [3] was written at the backdrop of a series of unfortunate incidents that, much to our dismay, will have long-term adverse effect on the future on Indian academia. It involves autocratic behaviour of the administrators of two top-notch academic institutions of India. One disallowed a planned event (a talk by human rights activists Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal) at the eleventh hour curbing freedom of speech on the campus while the other sent show cause notices to two of their brightest and youngest assistant professors for signing an extremely polite letter [4] written by more than five hundred honest members of Indian academic community. Quelling of dissent has scaled new heights and taken many forms – the academia is not free from it either. Without even investigating the legality of any of these actions, just think how easily they will intimidate young academics from following their conscience in the near future. These actions will also discourage generations of prolific academicians from applying for a job in an Indian institution. Aren’t these damages serious enough for us to speak out? S. Raju’s article is a bold answer to this important question.

Whenever I talk to my colleagues about these issues, most of them give me a what-can-we-do look and silently walk away. Some, of course, are doing the needful, and I love and respect them from the bottom of my heart. A few (“a few, too few for drums and yells”?!) actually ask, “How do you think we can contribute?” It is my pleasure to respond to them directly as well as in this article. First and foremost, we all can contribute in our own ways, and within our limits and limitations. Once we understand that, half of the job is done. It is also important to realize that, just like P. Ajith and S. Raju, we need to talk about the obvious facts as well as intricate issues. If you are a mathematician like yours truly, just explain how your day is spent – trying to prove a lemma and struggling throughout the day only to discover in the evening that a special case has already been proved, and all we need to do is to extend it in the new setup. This too will be a significant contribution. You know why? It will help because your relative or your neighbour will know you aren’t wasting time using taxpayers’ money – a narrative that we need to refute at any cost.

If you are a biologist or a historian or a physicist but unable to write an article like P. Ajith or S. Raju, the least you can do is to participate in a discourse with your friends over coffee and discuss how your academic contributions matter. We, the academicians, should try our best to take a stand against each and every atrocious event around us. We tend to underestimate the usefulness of such activities but they inspire younger academics, especially students, postdoctoral fellows and even young assistant professors, and assures them they aren’t alone in the fight. We can also inform our friends, relatives and neighbours that the current oppressive regime has done away with most of the prestigious academic awards, fellowships and grants, and how we are suffering because of that. Overall, we need to be more vocal and less shy, and talk about our profession with all and sundry. That’s the only way we can ensure a better environment for our future colleagues in the years to come.

Parthanil Roy is a professor at the Indian Statistical Institute Bangalore Centre. This article is based on the author’s personal experience and opinion.

References:

[1] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/maths-never-helped-einstein-discover-gravity-piyush-goyal/article61986618.ece

[2] https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/maths-helped-einstein-it-can-help-the-economy-too/article29461603.ece

[3] https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/scientists-need-the-oxygen-of-free-speech/article67076627.ece

[4] https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Oee1bwCWrbOGivqYZzvTpjg8JN6VXQP-3iDwVn9Ud_A/edit

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Over 150 academicians, including ICTS-TIFR Professor Suvrat Raju and UMass Amherst Professor Jayati Ghosh, advocated for migrant workers’ demands for transport, wages, and accommodation in a statement addressed to the central government.

“We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the apathy shown by central and state governments with regard to the cause of toiling people of India, including millions of migrant workers, and urge them to take into account [the following points] before making hasty and callous decisions on lockdowns,” said the group members.

The group demanded the earliest introduction of special trains for migrant workers across different states and increased government buses to facilitate ease of travel for migrant workers, in light of 2020’s administrative failings. Despite the lack of restrictions on inter-state travel, the unavailability of train tickets has left many workers stranded. Additionally, private bus tickets are being sold at exorbitant rates.

Members like Alok Laddha argued that every state government must ensure that monthly wages prior to the lockdown are paid in full and that stranded workers continue to be paid as long as lockdown continues.

Similarly, state governments and industries must arrange for accommodation of those workers who will be or have been left unemployed due to lockdown and closure of factories. Officials must make every basti aware about the seriousness of the disease and provide free vaccines to all, including out-of-state migrants.

“MGNREGA is likely to be a lifesaver for the rural economy in the coming months and we urge the government to immediately increase MGNREGA spending and clear all the previous dues to the state governments. Without this, a large section of the rural population will face indebtedness and starvation,” said the statement.

Experts also demanded that Public Distribution System (PDS) rations should be made available to all the citizens in need, irrespective of their state of residence and possession of identification documents.

Raju, Ghosh and others agreed that much like last year, informal workers have been left to fend for themselves in 2020. A second lockdown-induced migration is underway, with workers in Maharashtra, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and many other areas trying to return to their hometowns.

“It is clear that no lessons have been learned over this past year, and the same mistakes are being repeated by those in power. The Government of India has been woefully underprepared for the second wave of Covid-19. The resulting misgovernance is precipitating the announcement of partial or total lockdowns in various states to break the chain of infections,” it said.

Elaborating on last year’s failures, the members said the government disappointed in three respects: 

• free, accessible transport in time for migrant workers which led to a mass exodus on foot in the harsh Indian summer costing many lives; 
• policies that were to support workers such as MGNREGA, PDS and direct cash transfer scheme PMGKY; 
• the government’s subsequent decision to open-up the country when the first wave was peaking resulting in a mass re-exodus, rendering its own viewpoint on the lockdown void. 

The subsequent “amendments to the labour laws” put them at the mercy of their employers thus endangering the already socially and financially insecure migrant workforce.

In 2021, the situation is even more grim as the disease has well and truly spread over rural areas. Reverse migration of workers from cities will put an incomprehensible burden on the rural economy and healthcare facilities which, as reports from states like Bihar indicate, are already on the verge of collapse.

Related:

Formulate medical scheme for migrant workers: Delhi HC to gov’t
Pictures of labourers’ migration may be the future of India’s farmer: SKM
SC seeks data on migrant children from all states
Calling it “Corona curfew” instead of “lockdown” does little to allay fears

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Meet the ‘Intellectuals’
The GIA comprises Meera Khadakkar (Retired District Judge, Nagpur), Monika Arora (Supreme Court Advocate), Sarjana Sharma (Journalist), Sonali Chitalkar (Professor) and Monica Aggarwal (Social activist). The group that submitted its report to Union Minister Jitendra Singh and demanded that the case be handed over to the CBI. The GIA claims they met more than 25 people including the victim’s family, the accused family members, the influential people from the Bakarwal community and others. 

Argument-1: Presence of Kashmiris in Crime Branch Team  

“Three investigating teams rapidly changed one after another within a span of 10 days from January 12 to January 23. The crime branch team consists of two ethnic Kashmiris apart from the SSP Crime Branch Jammu who is also Kashmiri. In a sensitive case like this one and interstate like Jammu and Kashmir, this matters,” notes the report. This clearly shows their communal bias given how while Jammu is Hindu majority region, Kashmir is predominantly Muslim.

The allusion to the incompetence and/or collusion of Muslim investigators in purposely tanking the case should ring enough alarm bells across civil society groups. This is also disturbing given how the charge-sheet clearly mentions that the little girl was raped and murdered because the accused wanted to scare and drive away the nomadic Muslim Bakarwal tribe from the region. The insidious communal colour becomes deeper when the report alleges that harassment by the Crime Branch is forcing Hindus to leave the Kathua region. With the scars of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus of the 90s still deep, such communally inflammatory allegations can cause further destabilisation in one of the most conflict ridden regions in the world.

Argument-2: Post Mortem does not mention Rape
The brutality of the crime had shaken people across the country forcing many to take to the streets. But the GIA report says that the post-mortem does not categorically state that the child was raped. “The charge sheet mentions gangrape by at least three persons over many days. This is not corroborated by the injuries described in the postmortem report. No such injuries are reported on the victim in the Kathua incident which according to the chargesheet is a gangrape. Postmortem report only mentions abrasions but no injuries,” states the report. This is especially ridiculous given how the J&K Police had issued a press release shooting down fake news and categorically stating that the girl had indeed been raped. 

This reeks of the popular conspiracy theory that involves two post-mortems! The theory claimed that the little girl was never raped as the first post-mortem report does not mention it. The conspiracy theory further alleges that rape was added in the second post mortem report to sensationalise the case.

Argument-3: Rape not possible at the Dev Sthan
Meanwhile, Arora maintains that rape would be impossible in a prayer hall that had multiple doors and windows and the keys of which were in possession of four village elders. “There is neither any basement nor any floor. There is only a 20×35 feet room where there is no furniture except a three feet table. There are three windows and three doors. The windows have only grills and they are not covered. You can see from outside what is going on inside. There are four keys to the Dev Sthan which are with four elders of the village. People come and go there frequently,” she said.

But this has also been debunked by The Quint in a piece that takes down multiple conspiracy theories. It says, “The Quint has visited the temple/prayer hall where the police states the girl was held captive and can certify that it is not a crowded temple. The temple is located in the middle of nowhere, with no houses adjacent to it for kilometres.” The Quint adds, “It is situated on a hilltop and is isolated from the Rasanna village which lies about a kilometre away from the hall. The walk, which leads to the village, is a lonely one. It opens up to a number of houses including the home of Sanji Ram. It is on this same path that the body of the victim was found on 17 January. The chargesheet states that that the Devisthan was exclusively manned by the main accused, Sanji Ram, to exclude any other person in the area.”

Last-ditch effort to derail Justice?
Is this yet another move to derail justice after the spectacularly juvenile attempt by lawyers to prevent the police from filing a chargesheet? Or is this a last ditch attempt by right wing sympathisers to protect the accused whose goose has virtually been cooked? Either way, these repeated endeavours to spread ridiculous and often outright incorrect information, are part of the wider conspiracy to sow the weeds of doubt in a case that has been brilliantly investigated by a team of skilled investigators… and a case that will be fought with equal elan and grace by a dedicated lawyer in the court. 

Related:

How Hate for Muslims sells and spreads on Social Media

Is a Police Press Release countering Fake News India’s ‘New Normal’?

Growing Communalism in Jammu

Report on Kathua Rape

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