Apprehending serious repercussions over what could have been perceived as an anti-government activity, many researchers and scientists were instructed not to participate in the India March for Science on August 9.

The march saw thousands of scientists and science enthusiasts from premier research institutions and colleges of the country taking to streets in 26 cities across the country. It was held to protest government promoting ‘unscientific ideas’ and budgetary cuts in the funding to research institutes. Hundreds of demonstrators holding placards, reading messages such as “Defend science, not defund science”, “stop killing science for your personal and political agenda” and sought “respect for research.”

Demanding that the government invest 3 per cent of country’s total GDP in the field of research and development, they lamented that the investment remains stagnant at around 0.9 per cent for the past 10 years.

Pertinently, India March for Science follows the global March for Science that was held in April, Washington DC, along with over 600 other cities around the world in April to support scientific research and evidence-based policy making. It was held shortly after US President Donald Trump’s inauguration earlier this year, to protest his government’s attitude towards science.

Describing climate change an “expensive hoax” and declaring that numerous environmental protection laws would be rolled back, President Trump had withdrawn the United States from the landmark 2015 global agreement to fight climate change.

In India, however, members of several institutes like Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology (IGIB)—which is a premier Institute of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), engaged in research of national importance in the areas of genomics, molecular medicine, bioinformatics, proteomics and environmental biotechnology, were advised not to participate in the march.