Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India K. VijayRaghavan, in response to a pseudoscientific discourse at the ongoing Indian Science Congress at Phagwara in Punjab, has said in a blog post that a formal complaint should be lodged against the speaker, and the country's science academies must voice their objection to it. “It is unfortunate that sitting vice chancellor of a great State university — and a biologist to boot — says something that is scientifically completely untenable. His Chancellor should receive a formal complaint from those who were present in the audience, and he will also surely hear from individual scientists and our vocal science academies,” he said. Mr. VijayRaghavan said, “When lay people, including politicians, make random and erroneous statements linking religion, culture, history etc, to science, the problem must be addressed by collegial communication. The Indian Science Congress, a gathering of students, researchers, government officials and scientists, routinely faces criticism for giving a platform to speakers who advocate pseudoscience.

Source: The Hindu January 07, 2019 07:22 UTC