[sacw] SACW #1 (21 August 01)

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire / Dispatch No.1
21 August 2001
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

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[1.] Pakistani Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy
[2.] A Pakistani School's Visit To India
[3.] Pakistan - India: Tiny rays of peace and hope
[4.] India: 'Miracle', or misuse of science?

-----------------------------------------

#1.

[ Write to President Musharraf of Pakistan re the case of Dr. Sheikh=20
which involves fundamental issues of freedom from religion, and=20
freedom of expression. Seek intervention of President Musharraf to=20
help save the life of Dr. Sheikh.
E Mail for President Musharraf is: <ce@p...> ]

------

The New York Times
August 20, 2001

Pakistani Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy
By CELIA W. DUGGER

NEW DELHI, Aug. 19 - Dr. Younus Shaikh, a physiology teacher who=20
earned $89 a month at a small college on the second floor of a=20
shopping plaza in Pakistan, was convicted there on Saturday and=20
sentenced to death on charges of blaspheming the Prophet Muhammad.

Dr. Shaikh, who has a week to appeal the decision, is one of hundreds=20
of people jailed in Islamic Pakistan on blasphemy charges that carry=20
a mandatory death sentence, whether the offense was intentional or=20
not. The blasphemy law has more typically been applied to religious=20
minorities, but Dr. Shaikh is the third Muslim convicted.

He was arrested in October after some of his students went to a group=20
of fundamentalist teachers of Islam to complain that he had been=20
uttering possibly blasphemous things in class.

The students said he had told them that the Prophet had not become a=20
Muslim until age 40 and that before then, he had not followed Muslim=20
practices concerning circumcision or removing his underarm hair. The=20
Movement for the Finality of the Prophet, well known for pursuing=20
blasphemers, filed a criminal complaint and sent a mob to the college=20
and the local police station, threatening to set them on fire.

Dr. Shaikh said in interview earlier this year at the Adiala jail in=20
Rawalpindi that he had addressed questions in his classroom about=20
whether Muhammad had been circumcised before receiving God's=20
revelations at 40, and only remembers saying the Prophet's tribe did=20
not follow that practice.

His family brought their own teachers to court - from a different=20
chapter of the same group that brought the charges - to argue that=20
the doctor had not committed blasphemy because all his remarks dealt=20
with the period before Muhammad had declared his prophethood.

Pakistan's leaders have acknowledged that the law needs to be=20
revised. The minister for religious affairs, Mahmood Ghazi, a strong=20
advocate of the law, has nonetheless said most cases originate from=20
"ill will and personal prejudice."

Pakistan's military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, last year suggested=20
a procedural change that would have required that blasphemy cases be=20
reviewed by local officials before an arrest. But he quickly backed=20
down when fundamentalists protested in the streets.

Dr. Shaikh has been championed by the International Humanist and=20
Ethical Union, a group with which he has been associated. The group=20
issued a statement today denouncing the intimidating presence of what=20
it called "murderous and menacing fundamentalist clergy" in the=20
courtroom during Dr. Shaikh's trial.

"The civilized world should shudder at the news," the statement said,=20
"that in this century a human being can be tried and eventually be=20
killed by Pakistan's brutal Islamic state for merely saying that=20
neither Prophet Muhammad nor his parents could logically have been=20
Muslims before Islam was revealed to the Prophet."

_________

2.

A PAKISTANI SCHOOL'S VISIT TO INDIA

(Students and teachers of Khaldunia High School in Islamabad make a
visit across the border at the time of the Agra Summit. A 16-year old
student, ALIA AMIRALI, writes about her experiences.)

Nowhere else in the world can one enter an enemy country and feel so at
ease. Crossing the border from Pakistan into India felt slightly=20
strange, as there were no dramatic changes in the environment as I=20
had expected. Of course, a few 100 meters cannot bring about much of=20
a change in landscape, but crossing over to another country one still=20
expects to see something alien. Indeed, as Amritsar approached,=20
signboards and advertisements written in Hindi sprang up, which made=20
us realize we were not just in a different part of our own country.=20
But once read out, I understood every word of Hindi because it is=20
almost identical to Urdu when spoken - just the scripts are different.

Looking at the people made it still more difficult to accept the fact
That this was a foreign country. Driving to Delhi, the people I=20
passed were so very similar to our own in every way - appearance,=20
mannerism,
occupation and activity. The houses, the traffic, the atmosphere, all=20
were uncannily familiar.

This was just the beginning.

Upon reaching Delhi we were greeted both by a loud, irritable, and=20
rather large customs officer, as well as by flowers, gifts and a warm=20
welcome from our hosts, the organization ASHA and many school=20
representatives. The press was there as well, and it was the=20
beginning of an entirely unexpected relationship with them.

The first interaction with the Indian people was an informal gathering.
The kindness they showed us was, in my initial opinion, imposed on=20
them due to the situation. But when we got a chance to talk=20
completely of our own accord, I was pleasantly surprised to see that=20
the warmth was sincere.

Most of our time in India was spent in Lucknow. Those seven days were=20
the ones that left a permanent imprint on me. The main organization=20
involved with our visit was ASHA, a voluntary organization. Their=20
main crew was with us from the time we left Delhi, till the very last=20
moment upon reaching Delhi again, which was a period of almost nine=20
days. As time progressed, my impression of these people developed=20
from being organized, friendly, and hospitable people to knowing that=20
they were exceptional in many other ways. Their selflessness,=20
honesty, simplicity, and the harmony between their beliefs and their=20
practices, was something I had never seen before. I became so=20
comfortable with them that I would stay nights at their place,=20
uninvited.

The formal purpose behind our trip to India was to visit schools. The=20
first experience in this regard was on our first day in Lucknow, at a=20
school called Navuge Radiance. I came out of it completely dazed. The=20
reception awaiting us was amazing. Hundreds of schoolgirls crowded at=20
the entrance craning their necks to have a look; microphones,=20
reporters, cameras flashing away; someone parting the crowd to make=20
way for us; elaborate arrangements and decorations, and thunderous=20
applause.

My original impression of our visits to schools had been that of=20
having an ordinary tour of the school, and perhaps getting to talk to=20
some students there. Instead we were greeted with an amazing=20
reception, and with a meticulously prepared show consisting of=20
beautiful classical dances, drama and poetry. Instead of lunch, a=20
banquet was arranged for us. I don't think I ever digested it all=20
completely. (and that's not the food I speak of - the fact that my=20
friends were shocked at my 'expansion' when I returned, says it all=20
so far as the food is concerned.)

But meeting the students was more of an experience. A group of around=20
50 would be allowed into the lunch area where we were, and given a=20
deadline of five minutes. In those five minutes, I would be talking=20
to 20 girls making a ring around me. Subjects of conversation ranged=20
from actors, to music, to boys, to politics, to academics, to=20
friendship, to Pakistan-India relations and mutual=20
government-bashing, and to other things. Soon they would be dragged=20
away to allow another group to come.

Though it might have been only five minutes, the laughing, excited=20
chatting, talking and teasing that constituted those five minutes did=20
not end with those five minutes. The communication, not just by=20
words, but by facial expressions, twinkling eyes and whole-hearted=20
laughs, left an intricate impact on both, with the general feeling of=20
unity, oneness, and a resulting love.

The schools we visited ranged from elite ones like Mirambika where=20
learning is promoted through experience rather than exam-oriented=20
academics, to more mainstream schools where students are prepared for=20
local board examinations. The differences between the elite and=20
middle class schools were noticeable, but not as stark as in=20
Pakistan. As for the students: in mannerism, speech and confidence,=20
there was no apparent distinction to be seen between children of the=20
two classes. Their excitement upon meeting people from the notorious=20
'Pakistan' was perfectly equal. With each student I met, I felt as=20
though a bond had been made, be it an unspoken one.

Meeting university students was different. They were more deeply=20
involved in politics, more charged, more cynical and harder to=20
convince of a possibly positive solution to the enmity between our=20
countries. Both sides raised questions and faults about the other's=20
country, but always ended up acknowledging that if not all, then=20
most, problems existing in the other's country also prevailed in=20
their own - the differences were that of degree, which varied with=20
the nature of the problem.

India surely displayed its faults along with its attributes. The=20
poverty is deeply shocking even for someone coming from Pakistan. One=20
can point out most problems existing in one country, change some=20
details around, and they fit quite well into an account of the=20
problems faced by the neighbour: fundamentalism, political strife,=20
poverty, health, education....the list is long and common.

Throughout the trip, despite being welcomed and loved so much, the=20
emotions stirred inside me were not always positive. At one point in=20
particular, I felt the conflict in my feelings surge, and it left me=20
a little dazed. It was during the visit to Kanpur - we had just=20
visited a relatively lower-middle class Muslim Jubilee School for=20
Girls and were outside the premises, going towards our cars. As soon=20
as the school gate opened, all we saw was people. So many, that all I=20
could see was a blur of brown and white, and all I could hear was the=20
loud hub-hub of many, many moving people. Then it was security=20
officers shouting, shoving people away to make way for us. I got into=20
a car hurriedly, and then got a chance to look around. I couldn't see=20
too far; people's faces were plastered to the car windows to get a=20
chance to see what a Pakistani looks like. Some were smiling;=20
particularly the young ones with whom I exchanged many waves and=20
smiles; some who were older just looked.

When security had cleared the road enough for the cars to threaten to=20
move, we began inching away, and they began waving. I waved back. We=20
drove through the narrow streets of Kanpur that way: the entire=20
colony had left off all activity to see us pass. Men and boys lined=20
the streets, women and young girls leaned out from balconies,=20
children squeezed between the balcony railings.

The experience is one I've described but cannot explain; maybe the=20
description in itself will serve as the explanation. We were dressed=20
alike, looked alike, yet as foreign as someone from Timbuktoo would=20
be - they had never seen Pakistanis before. It is a different matter=20
that they were happy about our presence there.

We had the chance to visit a village some distance from Lucknow - a=20
comfortable, not to mention exceptionally beautiful, village. I can=20
safely say that the environment, lifestyle, the physical and social=20
structure and the extreme hospitality we saw is completely congruent=20
in both India and Pakistan.

Many, who would think me an idealistic peacenik by now, could=20
legitimately question: if the picture is indeed this rosy, why on=20
earth does the present situation of war and tension prevail?

The picture is indeed as rosy as I have described. To understand=20
this, you will have to experience what my fellow students and I saw=20
and felt. But the problems exist because the political fronts put up=20
by each country take control of its people's minds by creating an=20
image about the other using the media, the education system,=20
prejudiced historical 'facts', and other subtle and not-so-subtle=20
ways. Both governments defy the fundamental reason for their=20
existence, which is to implement the wishes of the people. The people=20
on both sides want peace but the governments on both sides do not.=20
Surely they can't be stupid enough not to understand what the people=20
want=8A.or can they?. The 'people' I speak of are not just the educated=20
ones who have been told that promoting peace is the correct thing to=20
do, as is commonly perceived.

In bazaars, restaurants, villages, and public meetings of Delhi,=20
Lucknow, Agra, and wherever else we went, people were exceptionally=20
pleased and good to me upon knowing that I was from Pakistan. They=20
were usually the initiators of conversation on peace and the=20
unfortunate politics between the two countries. They would inquire=20
which city I was from, and almost always tell me about some relative=20
of theirs living somewhere in Pakistan.

I realize that I have just contradicted myself. Throughout this essay=20
I have been talking about how one can't tell a Pakistani face from an=20
Indian one, and just now in the paragraph above I mentioned that when=20
people realized I was Pakistani, they were good to me. The incident I=20
will relate was a recurring one, and explains how I was identified as=20
Pakistani:

I walked into a dark, dusty little handicraft store in Delhi and began
examining some wooden figures. I picked up an interesting carved face
and asked in Urdu/Hindi,
"How much?"
"One hundred fifty," he replied.
"That's ridiculous, keep that price for the foreigners," I retorted.
After a slight pause he asks, "Where are you from?"
"Why, don't I look like I'm from around here?"
"No, it's not that=8A.you talk very politely, you couldn't be from Delhi
for sure."
I laughed and told him I was from Pakistan, and we struck up a fairly=20
long conversation. He ended up selling me the face for fifty.

I don't think I can possibly write here all that I felt and=20
experienced because I can't remember it all just now and even if I=20
did, I'd have to
write a book rather than an essay. It's time for us people to force=20
our governments to do what it is we want done, and the only way that=20
will be achieved is if their power is threatened. The millions on=20
both sides of the border want peace, even if not for humanitarian=20
reasons, then for economic reasons because it is the vast majority of=20
the population in both countries who suffer terribly due to the=20
exorbitant amount spent on defence. As a result we are robbed of the=20
very basics of life. People die of starvation and disease inflicted=20
by their own government, not by war.

Peace is possible. People make it possible when they want to. I think=20
we want to, so it will happen.

_________

3.

The Hindu
August 17, 2001

TINY RAYS OF PEACE AND HOPE

By Kuldip Nayar

This year the Government did not give us permission to go to the
Wagah-Amritsar border to light candles on Independence Day. It always
did in the past - for the last six years when we began the candle-light
vigil ceremony on the midnight of August 14. We, the NGOs from
different parts of India, forming an umbrella organisation of the Hindu-
Pak Dosti Manch representing various cultural and literary bodies in
Punjab, have embarked on the task of shattering the darkness of the
India-Pakistan relationship with even tiny lights.=20

Our counterparts in Pakistan have never been able to make the border
at midnight because the Government as well as the fundamentalists in
that country have joined hands to stop any people-to-people contact at
the border. Still, this time some 200 women vainly sought formal
permission from the Government and came within a few kilometres of
the border and lighted the candles at that very spot.=20

However, at the time of Retreat when national flags of both countries are
hauled down by the border police on both sides of the border at sunset,
they were at least 5,000 in strength. The Retreat is a strange spectacle
of the military mind. The soldiers deliberately show hatred on their faces
and take hard offensive strides when they march. Sitting in a newly-built
gallery, the people from Pakistan were different: laughing, cheering and
singing, defying the sticks of the Pakistan Rangers, for displaying their
reciprocity to the movement of people-to-people contact.=20

We were only 2,000. But both sides expressed through their presence a
desire to meet and to travel, to trade and exchange views without the
fuss of restrictions and regulations. They knew that if the good people
did not speak out, the bad people would take over.=20

Our candle-light vigil journey began from Jallianwala Bagh on August 14
evening. Standing before the torch burning there, we lit our torch. We
took it through the bazaars of Amritsar, opposite the Khalsa College
and the Guru Nanak Dev University, to the border, a distance of 35 km.=20

A sea of humanity welcomed the torch with slogans like: Long Live India-
Pakistan Friendship, People-to-People Contact Zindabad. People burst
into singing and dancing. And for the next three hours, different artistes
from Punjab participated in the programme. Leading them was the
famous Punjabi artiste, Hans Raj Hans, who rendered a special poem
on the summit at Agra and the thaw in the relationship has begun.

People had come from all parts of India to participate in the function.
Two buses of college girls came from Delhi and many from the different
districts of Punjab. They were disappointed that after travelling long
distances they were not allowed to go right to the border. The Delhi girls
travelled all the way in rain, 500 km. All of them lighted candles on the
outer gate, some 800 yards from the border. None tried to break the wall
of policemen. Nor was there any such programme. They were confident
that one day the border would be soft.=20

The crowd wanted to express its love to the Pakistanis through the
candle lights which emitted tiny rays of peace and hope. They plan to
hold a one-day peace mela at the border for the Indians and Pakistanis
to celebrate on 14-15th August to celebrate their independence
together.=20

As I saw them retreating, I looked at their faces, radiant with hope and
confidence and defiant with determination to go on in their endeavour to
generate goodwill. It was as if they were saying: ``We will return. We
shall overcome.''=20

ooooooooooooooooooo

Times of India

Candles light up Wagah border on I-Day

AMRITSAR: Activists of Indo-Pak Peace Forum and other social
organisations lit candles near the Wagah post on the Indo-Pak border to
mark the 54th Independence Day anniversary and promote love and
friendship between the two countries.=20

The activists, led by MP and noted journalist Kuldip Nayar, lit the
candles at midnight and raised slogans of friendship, cooperation and
understanding.=20

Resolutions for a nuclear-free zone, easy visa facilities, further dialogue
between the two countries and a creating a friendly atmosphere were
passed.=20

The activists held their programme about half km from the zero line. A
cultural programme was also organised where Hans Raj Hans, noted
Sufi singer, enthralled the audience.=20

Nayar stressed the need for friendship between the two countries and
said it was the need of the hour that both the nations forget their
differences and strive for better economic future.=20

The activists earlier gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh here and led a
peace march to Wagah border.=20

There were some tense moments as BSF personnel did not allow the
activists to go near the Indo-Pak border. Security personnel resorted to
minor lathicharge to keep about 3,000 activists under control who were
not allowed to go near the No Man's Land.=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
( PTI, Aug. 15)

ooooooooooooooooo

Candle light vigil at Wagah border

CHANDIGARH: Determined not to be disheartened by the failure of the
Agra summit and subsequent killings in Jammu and Kashmir, a large
number of people committed to the cause of Indo-Pak friendship, will on
Tuesday night participate in a candle light vigil at the Wagah border.=20

The midnight vigil is being organised by the Indo-Pak Frienship Forum
headed by well known columnist and Rajya Sabha MP Kuldip Nayar in
association with some other voluntary groups, organisers said here on
Tuesday.=20

The vigil, an annual feature since last few years, was mooted by Nayar
with the aim of spreading the message of commonness, love and
harmony among the people from across the border.=20

The forum sources last week said that among others film star and
Samajwadi MP Raj Babbar, lyrcist Gulzar and cine stars Om Puri and
Deepti Naval would also participate in the vigil.=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
( PTI, Aug. 15)

_________

4.

Frontline
August 31, 2001

Frontline Column: Beyond the Obvious

Praful Bidwai

'MIRACLE', OR MISUSE OF SCIENCE?

The claim of researchers at Calcutta's Indian Association for the=20
Cultivation of Science of a potential new cancer cure is=20
scientifically dubious and based on violations of many tenets of=20
medical ethics.

Hundreds of desperate patients suffering from cancer are rushing to=20
Calcutta and Pune in search of what has been called a "miraculous"=20
cure--even as a major scandal has broken out in Kerala over clinical=20
trials involving another "new cancer drug". The patients hope they=20
will receive a few spoonfuls of the "miracle" drug developed and=20
being tested by scientists in Calcutta. Hundreds of letters, faxes=20
and telephone calls are pouring into an unlikely address--the Indian=20
Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), a Calcutta=20
institution known for physics and chemistry rather than for the life=20
sciences. (Indeed, medicine does not even figure in its 10 listed=20
"major" research areas.)

Strangely, the IACS clinical trials are being conducted by a private=20
medical practitioner and a group of non-medical scientists. A=20
five-member team has just enlisted 100 cancer patients for the second=20
phase of the trials. Lest it be imagined that the scientists belong=20
or report to a medical centre, they are part of the IACS' Department=20
of Biological Chemistry. While the treatment in Calcutta is free,=20
there are allegations that patients in Pune are being charged hefty=20
sums of money for the experimental "drug". This itself is a violation=20
of standard practices and norms of medical ethics. Yet, this trial=20
has the purported backing of the Drug Controller of India, Department=20
of Science and Technology, and Council of Scientific and Industrial=20
Research.

This could be only one in a series of violations of elementary tenets=20
of medical ethics--possibly a gigantic fraud exploiting the=20
gullibility and desperation of people suffering from an incurable,=20
disease, to alleviate whose terminal symptoms they may be prepared to=20
try out anything. There is a distressing lesson in this for our=20
healthcare system and for our attitudes to human life and well-being,=20
as well as human rights. The IACS malpractices may prove far graver=20
than the scandal at the Regional Cancer Centre at Thiruvananthapuram.=20
While the RCC scam involves a violation of the patient's right to be=20
told about the likely effects of the substance used in an experiment,=20
the IACS trial is probably based upon multiple breaches of sound=20
ethics. Consider the following:

The "miracle" drug is a chemical derived from Methylglyoxal as the=20
"lead ingredient", which scarcely qualifies as a medicine.=20
Methylglyoxal is a regular chemical not cleared for human use. It is=20
made without conforming to sound manufacturing practices and widely=20
respected codes of good laboratory practices followed throughout the=20
world. Why the drug was chosen for trial two years ago remains a=20
mystery, as does the apparent clearance of the trials by the apex=20
science authorities. The IACS' main supplier of Methylglyoxal is an=20
American warehouse corporation, Sigma Medical Company, which sells it=20
for research purposes at $1 to 2 per gramme and specifically states=20
that none of its chemicals is meant for medical use.

The principal scientist involved is Professor Manju Ray, a=20
biochemist, not a pharmacologist or cancer specialist. Only one of=20
her colleagues has been identified as a medical practitioner. The=20
"secret" of the "miracle" lies in the anti-tumour effect of=20
Methylglyoxal--a property shared by hundreds of toxic chemicals.=20
Methylglyoxal, it is claimed, inhibits electron flows in cancerous=20
cells and blocks a crucial step necessary for the production of ATP,=20
the cellular energy "currency".

This spells the theoretical possibility of using Methylglyoxal=20
against cancer. However, the researchers have by no means established=20
a link between Methylglyoxal treatment and retardation of growth of=20
malignant tumours. Their findings, published in the Indian Journal=20
of Physics (the IACS' in-house publication), do not even establish a=20
statistically respectable relationship despite the claim of a=20
"dramatic positive" effect. A critical ingredient, a control group=20
with which the treated patients are compared, is absent from the=20
study. The researchers treated 24 patients, mostly in highly advanced=20
stages of cancer, with oral administration of Methylglyoxal, with=20
Vitamin C, over eight to 10 weeks. They claim that after treatment,=20
11 were in "excellent physical condition" and five in a condition=20
that "can be considered stable". "The rest either opted out of=20
treatment or died during the course of study." This is disturbing=20
enough.

The study does not show how, through what process, the "cure" occurs.=20
It merely defines "excellent physical condition" as one in which "the=20
patient leads almost normal life and the disease is apparently in=20
remission." Such descriptions are vague, and can change within days.=20
They involve highly questionable subjective criteria. The bare=20
requirements of respectable science demand the demonstration of a=20
causal connection between a disease and the curative properties and=20
mode of action of a drug. For the most part, what is defined as=20
"excellent" physical condition is no more than symptomatic=20
relief--better appetite, general feel-good factor, with occasional=20
increase in the haemoglobin count. (However, the critical factor=20
even in remission, leave alone cure, is actual reduction in the=20
cancer load.)

The argument advanced by the IACS team that there is "widespread=20
hope" amongst cancer patients because this drug is "cheaper and has=20
fewer side-effects" is beside the point. Such considerations only=20
become relevant once the therapeutic effectiveness of a medicine is=20
established.

It is truly amazing that such a "scientific" paper was published in=20
the Indian Journal of Physics, without peer review by biological or=20
medical professionals. Its editor says he rushed the article through=20
although it was submitted one day before the issue was to go to=20
press, because its "findings were important". The study is so shabby=20
that it should have been summarily rejected. What is equally=20
astonishing is that the drug should be used in clinical trials on=20
human beings in the first place. Such trials are permissible only=20
after the pharmaco-kinetics (the way and the speed with which the=20
body will handle the drug) is properly understood, and trials on=20
experimental animals have been carried out.

In this case, the first criterion was never fulfilled. And there is=20
no mention of animal trials. According to the Indian Council of=20
Medical Research "Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research on Human=20
Subjects", any trials on humans should be conducted "only after the=20
approval of the Drugs Controller of India". There is no evidence that=20
this was ever obtained.

Yet, the IACS has apparently granted its approval to Phase II trials,=20
which is part of a three-phase process by which a medicine under=20
evaluation is judged to be effective and (relatively) safe enough to=20
be marketed. (Phase I trials are conducted on healthy volunteers to=20
determine toxicity, safety, adverse effects, etc. Phase II involves=20
controlled studies on 20-25 patients of both sexes, to determine=20
therapeutic uses and effective doses, etc. And Phase III trials are=20
meant to obtain adequate data on the safety and efficacy of a drug in=20
a large number of patients, in comparison to a standard=20
drug/placebo). Going by all appearances, the IACS researchers=20
violated the requirement that each phase of the trials be given prior=20
approval by a qualified Ethics Committee.

If the IACS is guilty of a serious malpractice, so is the media,=20
which breathlessly reported the "miracle" without critically=20
examining the claims made by its conjurors. The Calcutta papers went=20
rapturous on this "great achievement". Even worse, some "national=20
dailies" too celebrated it as a "breakthrough" by a "brave breed",=20
and a triumph of Indian science--one more landmark in India's=20
"arrival" as a technology "superpower". Some of the pathological=20
breathlessness may be explained by the fact that the IACS is a very=20
old institution, established in 1876 and the Indian Journal of=20
Physics was set up by C.V. Raman, India's only winner of the Nobel=20
Prize for physics. But the Prize was awarded in 1930--not for=20
medicine or oncology (science of tumours) eighty years later. The=20
IACS got embroiled in an area totally outside its competence--in=20
violation of good scientific practice.

While slightly less scandalous, the RCC scam is equally violative of=20
human rights. The experiment was carried in association with a=20
reputed US institution, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore (JHU). It=20
came to light because head of radiobiology VN Bhattathiri, and V.P.=20
Gangadharan, blew the whistle and disclosed that RCC director=20
Krishnan Nair had sanctioned drug trials without informing the=20
patients that they would be administered a new medicine. This=20
violates medical ethics: no trial must be conducted without the=20
patient's full prior, informed, consent.

Going by the media debate over the trials, it would appear that even=20
"obtaining" prior sanction from an institutional Ethics Committee is=20
not a scrupulously followed practice. As a former member of the RCC=20
Ethics Committee confesses, sometimes there is a gap of four to six=20
weeks after the trial commences, which, she says, is considered=20
"okay". However, this is not okay. Medical ethics are based on the=20
principle that human life is sacred and that each person must have=20
full information on what she or he is subjected to and at what risk=20
and potential benefit. Trials must have the prior approval of Ethics=20
Committees.

Bhattathiri has since alleged that "NDGA M4N (the substance being=20
tested) is not a drug but a chemical that has been excluded from the=20
US Food and Drug Administration's list of drugs generally considered=20
as safe". JHU has already instituted an inquiry into the drug trials=20
and said faculty member Ru Chi Huang "has been directed to cease all=20
activities related to the study in question". It has categorically=20
said the experiment had "not been approved". (This university does=20
seem to have a supervision problem, despite its acceptance of the=20
importance of ethical norms. It was recently involved in a=20
controversy in the US where a 24-year-old woman died in a drug trial.)

However, unlike Johns Hopkins, the RCC has not even admitted it=20
committed any ethical violation. Now, embarrassed by adverse=20
publicity, however, the Kerala government has appointed a one-man=20
panel to investigate the scandal. Even this has got mired in=20
controversy because the investigator is a junior doctor; and his=20
terms of reference are extremely limited.

As the sordid drama is played out at the expense of cancer patients,=20
the ICMR and the Drug Controller respond with thundering silence. The=20
ICMR did publish "Ethical Guidelines" last year. But it has to do a=20
lot about implementing them, ensuring compliance, and punishing their=20
breach in an exemplary fashion. It speaks poorly of the apex=20
institution that it has to wait for a scandal to break out and fester=20
for months before it responds--always, in an apologetic, defensive,=20
fashion.

Had the ICMR behaved more responsibly in enforcing its own norms, it=20
might have prevented some of the worst abuses we are witnessing=20
today. For instance, had it exemplarily punished those guilty of=20
gross malpractice in the Delhi "cervical cancer" scandal which came=20
to light in 1997, it might have created a deterrent. This involved=20
failure to treat 62 "control group" patients with anti-cancer drugs,=20
from among a sample of 1,100 illiterate women. The women were not=20
properly informed of their condition (cancer), or about the trial and=20
its risks.

The ICMR, to its credit, accepted blame for the scandal, involving=20
its own Institute for Cytology and Preventive Oncology. There was a=20
strong case for prosecuting the researchers under Section 300 of the=20
Indian Penal Code: "to do an act with the knowledge that is likely to=20
cause death, is culpable homicide". Similarly, had it penalised the=20
perpetrators of the Quinacrine fraud--one of the worst instances=20
anywhere of Nazi-style abuse of poor, illiterate women through a=20
highly corrosive chemical, involving dedicated neo-Malthusians and=20
population control fascists, besides BJP MP J.K. Jain--we might have=20
had a greater semblance of respect for human rights in drug trials.

Today, several cases cry out for the ICMR's intervention. One is a=20
neo-Malthusian experiment on men, with a dubious polymer--conducted=20
at the instance of yet another non-medical researcher (Sujoy K. Guha)=20
at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. This involves the=20
injection of the polymer, styrene maleic anhydride (SMA,) into the=20
vas deferens in a vehicle of dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO).

Put simply, the polymer swells and forms a block or barrier and=20
prevents the ejection of sperm--and hence conception. However, there=20
are serious problems here. DMSO is a moisture-absorbing industrial=20
solvent used in antifreeze and hydraulic fluids, and as paint/varnish=20
remover. It is toxic to human and produces primary irritation with=20
redness, itching and sometimes scaling and wheals. Corneal opacities=20
have been produced in experimental animals. Besides, there are=20
nagging questions about the use of SMA and its reversible effects.=20
Will the swelling it produces lead to other harmful effects? What is=20
the acceptability of such a method over competing alternatives like=20
straightforward vasectomy? And yet, the trial is now going into Phase=20
III. This clearly calls for ICMR intervention.

There have been numerous cases of abusive drug trials in India,=20
Quinacrine being just one. The country has a huge patient pool and is=20
severely under-regulated. High illiteracy rates and extremely unequal=20
relations between rich upper-caste doctors and poor low-caste=20
patients are conducive to abuse. The ICMR itself has come across=20
several instances of dubious trials: in 1995, of a bovine virus=20
"vaccine" against HIV/AIDS (Bombay and Calcutta); in 1997, a dubious=20
eye surgery procedure (Hyderabad); and most recently, treatment of=20
coronary artery disease with vascular endothilial growth factor (at=20
Metro Hospital, Noida). Its "Guidelines" forbid trials without proper=20
authorisation and require that a drug that has gone through a certain=20
phase of trials abroad be put through the previous phase in India.

The case for direct intervention does not arise from a narrow,=20
professional, "expert" consideration, but a simple human one. Decent=20
science cannot tolerate lack of transparency, abuse of human rights,=20
and disrespect for safety. To condone such abuses in science's name=20
is to degrade and berate it, and to vulgarise a rational=20
pursuit--thereby demeaning rationality itself as something whimsical=20
and indifferent to human dignity. It is also to legitimise=20
hierarchy, the rule of the powerful, and the tyranny of "experts".=20
Nothing could be worse for democracy.--end--

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