This is to draw your attention where an exceptionally talented, committed and passionate scientist (Dr. Shree Prakash Pandey, Associate Professor, IISER-Kolkata) has been publicly maligned, defamed and forced to close his lab and the whole attempt is intended to do mob justice and arm-twist the administration. His basic human right to defend himself and put forward facts has been violated by public lynching which is totally against the law of natural justice as even the law says accuser can’t be publicly defamed before impartial hearing.

Dr. Shree Prakash Pandey is an exceptionally talented, meticulous, focussed and passionate scientist trained at the best scientific institution & culture in the world as well as in India (MaxPlanck Institutes,MIT,JNU & BHU). His PhD work was widely appreciated and was awarded the prestigious Otto-Hahn Medal by the Max Plank Society. His google scholar profile (H-index 20 and i10 index 22) https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4xmjZ0wAAAAJ&hl=en will tell you that very few scientists, in the institution, in their respective fieldshave achieved that much this early in their career. But early success also brings detractors in Indian Institutional system where entitlement is understood as a basic right over meritorious success. But recent system of IISER where process of awarding promotion and scientific benefit has acquired little bit meritorious tone has burned many houses of entitlement (from where you are PhD in India or who where your bosses etc). And it can’t be better example than Dr. Pandey’s event time line in the IISER-K where his growth has lead many detractors and origin of messy politics where you spend more energy in politics and less in Science.

Since he has joined IISER-K he has been targeted at multiple times to obstruct his process of scientific evolution. There has been a systematic effort and obvious chronology of events in the past which has been nurtured and supported within institutional politics to remove him. In the past, atleast twice, his lab was attacked and his green house has been burned down. However, his resilience to survive in odd always has been exemplarily but disappointment was, nothing was done by the Institute (IISER-K) when he lodged complaints though.

Dr. Pandey is hard working, a task master and want his scientific work and his students to achieve excellence. He pushes his students and inspires to break ceilings for excellence and reward them by exposing them to foreign labs & international scientific environment, as well as expects them to perform high quality research with highest quality of scientific integrity and honesty. He is very particular about research quality and his repulsion for data manipulation has lead to retaliations.This particular case, which has been used by his detractors, is basically a case of scientific misconduct and data fraud.His detractors saw an opportunity as in the past they have been failed multiple times as even vandalising his labs did not work/succeed. As we don't want to defame the girl, we are not revealing her name. A student has been misguided and trapped to entangle Dr. Pandey.

How malicious and politically motivated their campaign has been that whenever any comment not suited to their propaganda was posted, itwas deleted. This issue is about girl but surely it is not about her security or rights but it is about institutional politics which is using a girl which may have wanted forgiveness for her misdeeds and scientific misconduct and that would have been only mistake of Dr. Pandey as he declined to entertain her. Politics saw an opportunity and last powerful resort to throw him out as in modern times such cases are more prevalent and public sympathy is always with the accuser. Prejudiced IISER-K has asked him to be on leave and locked his lab. His hard work of several years is now wasted which is a scientific loss of a profession which entirely runs on tax payer’s money and the whole scenario is making Dr. Pandey disturbed and helpless.

We all women have gone through many bosses, some have been wonderful, others have been unfriendly and too hard task masters to be liked by everyone, but there is a clear distinction between sexual harassment and short-temper, scolding for scientific misconduct. Misuse of sexual harrassment laws by false allegations as a way of retaliation is very very unfortunate and must stop!

The bigger question is, if scientific fellows and colleague are not going to protect scientific ethics, integrity and growth of science, who will? And,should the profession, which entirely runs on tax payer’s money, be allowed to waste their energy in politics, personal animosity, settling score and give damn to science for which they are paid from the money of poor man’s coffer! Above all, if a premium insititute of India is not going to take data fraud as serious violation of scientific practices, what impression do they intend to create in the world of science? What kind of scientific temper and ethics do they want to inculcate in their students?

I request you all to please support this and spread awareness, otherwise no professor will ever take a girl student in fear of such dubious manipulation of facts or will give damn to scientific ethics & integrity. It took China long to come out of the perception that their all data is fake-- as a country you don’t want to be counted amongst cheaters.There is a need of counselling, not protecting or hiding behind a game. Girl has right to be counselled so she understands how she is being misused and this man is in need of our support. Please support before an exemplary young scientist loses his faith in hard work under the weight of fake feminism and regionalism. PLEASE JOIN ME IN SPREADING AWARENESS AND CLEARING THE AIR