THE executive committee of the All India Peoples Science Network (AIPSN) met on March 17-18 in Chennai and decided to join the Global March for Science to be held on April 14. The AIPSN sees a pattern in the attacks on science and reason across the world. The US president Trump’s denial of climate science, and the current Indian central government ministers’ rejection of evolution, and other scientific advances, are prime examples.

In India, such attacks on science have been accompanied by assassination of rationalists and journalists: Dr Dabholkar, Comrade Pansare, Professor Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh. AIPSN believes that the scientific community, and all people believing in science and reason, must unitedly resist such attacks. The AIPSN calls on all right thinking people to also oppose the attacks on scientific and educational institutions, not just funding cuts, but also their democratic functioning.

April 14, the date of the Global March, is also Ambedkar Day. The AIPSN calls on the scientific community to fight all forms of discrimination in the work place, particularly caste and gender discrimination. A Rohith Vemula should not again be denied his dream of reaching the stars due to the "fatal accident of his birth". 

AIPSN has resolved that it will join hands with all organisations willing to participate in the Global March for Science, and hold joint rallies in various cities/towns in the country. It also appeals to the scientific community, progressive organisations and all right thinking people to join such rallies on April 14.