A group of scientists have written to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking his intervention in the transfer of Tapan Misra, the former director of Space Applications Centre. This centre is the research and development wing of the Indian Space Research Organisation.
Indian Space Research Organisation chairperson K Sivan issued an order on July 19 appointing Misra as senior advisor to the chairperson, according to The Times of India. “He has been moved to the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru with immediate effect,” the order said.
ISRO officials, however, said Misra’s transfer as an advisor practically edges him out of the race to head the space agency, reported The Indian Express. “It is a consultative post, not an executive one,” an unidentified ISRO official said. “The chairman has always been selected from the pool of executive directors. Besides, such a post never existed in the organisation before.”
The letter to President Kovind was signed by 28 scientists, including former chief scientist at Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Gauhar Raza, Distinguished Professor for Life at University of Mysore Mewa Singh, former director of Vigyan Prasar Subodh Mahanti.
It said the government and ISRO have not responded to these accusations and that the “nation awaits an official clarification”, according to The Wire. The letter also cites reports that Misra was transferred because he opposed the delay in a project and the move to privatise ISRO.
“If this is true, then the act of transferring Misra will cause widespread demotivation among scientific community as it constitutes a strong signal to scientists to either align their views with the political powers of the day, or else be prepared to migrate elsewhere if they want to practice independent scientific enquiry,” the letter said.
The scientists also claimed they “have witnessed not only interference in scientific institutions but also a sustained series of attacks on scientific temper”. They said acts of interference, punitive actions, motivated appointments and “creating a hostile atmosphere” will have detrimental consequences.
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