FW: IISc Protest - Tehelka Article May 6th

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http://www.tehelka.com/story_main17.asp?filename=Ne050606Animal_rights.asp

 

Animal rights group zeroes in on IISc

 

Premier science institute under scanner for brutal treatment of lab

animals. But it is not the only case

 

By M. Radhika

Bangalore

 

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has come under attack by animal

activists. After a verbal war over the unhygienic condition of animals in

the institute campus for vivisection, animal rights activists of Do It

Yourself Activism (diya), a Bangalore-based group, staged a protest, saying

they are not being allowed to see the caged monkeys in the institute. " The

monkeys are kept in pathetic conditions for long periods in the institute,''

said diya coordinator Sujatha Karanth. She said the institute's director

permitted them to look at the animals in the Primate Research Lab but were

being prevented by lab researchers there.

 

The face-off has thrown up some unanswered questions about the lab

animal welfare regulatory bodies. The story dates back to 2002. In its

report on the state of Indian animal labs, the Committee for the Purpose of

Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) said that of the

467 labs it inspected across the country, at least 400 were in a sad state —

with sick and dying animals, unhygienic living conditions and so on. The

IISc drew flak in that report. Maneka Gandhi, who chaired the CPCSEA then,

also criticised the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune and Hasskine

Biopharma.

 

Activists allege that MNCs are outsourcing lab experiments to

India due to the stringent conditions abroad

" We realised many of these institutes steal a lot of money meant for

food, upkeep and maintenance of animals in the name of research,'' she said.

 

" IISc should allow itself to be regulated. If they are doing really

nothing wrong, why are they scared? They treat them badly, which is why not

everyone is allowed to see the animals,'' she added. IISc director P. Balram

refuted the charges. " After the report, IISc has upgraded labs. Everyone

cannot demand to come and see everything. We have animal welfare groups on

our board.''

 

On the contrary, Maneka Gandhi said that because of the stringent

conditions abroad on testing animals, MNCs are outsourcing lab experiments

to India. Balram denied these allegations.

 

Former CPCSEA members said the institute, like other high-profile labs

in the country, was part of the medical researchers' lobby that won't

tolerate any attempt to 'scuttle' its research.

 

So strong is the lobby, that Dr Chinnikrishna, chairman of Blue Cross

in Chennai who was earlier the Vice-chairman of CPCSEA, doesn't even know

about the existing members. " The tenures of many of us have not been renewed

and the government is least bothered,'' he said.

 

May 06 , 2006

 

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" We are howling out of the cages, In the arms of eternity, my soul it rages,

My heart is crying, My spirit is on fire I've unleashed my demons and armed

my desire " -Casey Neill