When animal rights, medical research clash.

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When animal rights, medical research clash.

By Pranab Dhal Samanta.

 

02/17/2002

The Hindu

© 2002 Katsuri & Sons Ltd

 

NEW DELHI, FEB. 16. It has been about 18 months since this year's Bhatnagar

Award winner, B.N. Mullick, has carried out any meaningful experiment for

his

research, with animal rights activists vetoing him from doing so on ethical

grounds.

 

A neuro-science teacher in Jawaharlal Nehru University's life sciences

department, Prof. Mullick is today in a dilemma. Despite being a recipient

of

some of the country's most prestigious science awards like the CSIR award,

the

National Bioscience award, and now the much acclaimed Bhatnagar award, he is

unable to carry out any animal experiment.

The problem started three years ago when activists stormed his laboratory

and

took away the cats on which he was conducting experiments as part of his

research on neurological imbalances related to sleep.

 

The argument being that these cats had not been obtained from a registered

cat

breeder.

 

The allegation of the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision

of

Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) while not totally incorrect, Prof. Mullick

argued, did not consider that there was no registered cat breeder in the

country. Importing cats being a costly affair, he had chosen to get some

kittens, bring them up in the laboratory as per international guidelines,

and

then conduct experiments on them.

 

The argument failed to make an impact and Prof. Mullick had to forego his

experiments with cats and resort to using rats and mice instead. However,

three years later, Prof. Mullick still cannot get his experiments cleared by

the CPCSEA.

 

Queries are being raised on the need for such experiments. He has been asked

to furnish technical details on his project to the animal rights activist on

JNU's animal ethics committee and still being denied the animals. On one

occasion, the activist concerned termed the research " redundant " .

 

A visibly frustrated Prof. Mullick argues that he does not have to prove his

credentials to a non-expert. " I have been recognised internationally. My

work

has appeared in some of the most reputed journals on neuro-science in the

world and various scientists have gone through my project before deciding to

fund me. So, why should I be scrutinised this way by someone who is not

qualified to understand the nuances of my project. "

 

Till sometime ago, Prof. Mullick was seen as an isolated case, but today

there

are hundreds of students working in laboratories of well-known institutions

across the capital who claim their careers have been jeopardised by the

attitude of animal rights activists. As Ashok Jaryal of AIIMS puts it: " So

many MSc, MPhil, and PhD degrees are at stake. How will these students get

their degrees if they are not given rats and mice to conduct experiments. "

 

These scientists are of the view that there is a need to develop a common

charter or a set of objective standards to remove arbitrariness. " This way

both scientists and activists would know what to expect of each other, " adds

Satyajit Rath of the National Institute of Immunology.

 

As of now, the scientific community is busy garnering support with forums

like

the Federation of Central Universities Teachers' Association which has

decided

to take up the matter.

 

But despondency seems to have already set in. As Prof. Mullick remarks: " I

don't know what to do now. Perhaps the only thing left is to go on a hunger

strike or even immolate oneself. "

 

 

 

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