No matter what allegations are levelled against the Bharatiya Janata Party — and there have been several of late — it can rarely, if ever, be accused of possessing a scientific temper. The most recent claims in support of ‘science’ came from the Haryana chief minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, who defended the stand of village kangaroo courts or khap panchayats of not allowing people from the same gotra to marry on the grounds that it genetically ‘weakens’ the generation. Such a stance ought not to be surprising. Can Mr Khattar’s defence of unreason under the guise of ‘science’ — especially when the scientific basis of his assertion is highly doubtful — be considered any different? Civil society must zealously resist the push to use ‘science’ as a front for furthering a regressive and repressive agenda.

Source: The Telegraph January 15, 2020 22:18 UTC