Notable scientist P M Bhargava, who got Padma Bhushan Award in 1986 has given back the award to India President Pranab Mukherjee. Bhargava argued that “Our scriptures put no bar on our eating beef.” P M Bhargava is a well-known scientist and founder, director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology. Bhargava returned his award to President in support to protest along with other award winners.

Bhargava sent the Award to President on November 6th along with a letter addressing the President. In his letter, the 87-year-old Bhargava expresses concern that space for dissent, which is the hallmark of a democracy, is decreasing and intolerance increasing. He also added in the letter that the Padma Bhushan award was very dear to him.

Bhargava said, “The returning of the award is an expression of my concern at the prevailing socio-politico situation in the country.” Bhargava’s wrote many other reasons explaining his decision of giving back the award. Minorities are in the situation feeling that they are second-class citizens in the country. There are organized attempts to impose the Hindutva agenda.

He told that the BJP has abandoned the road of democracy in the country and driving to make the country as a Hindu religious autocracy like Pakistan. “BJP having the leadership of RSS that is fully dedicated to an ideology of Hindutva, which I find divisive,” Bhargava said. According to the Constitution, Article 51a (h), one of the duties of our citizens is “to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform”.

Bhargava also made a strong dissent against PM Modi’s government arguing that the current NDA government is the “least knowledgeable and least concerned about science.” “The climate of religious conservatism that we have today is a major obstacle in the functioning of science and, thus, meeting developmental objectives,” says Bhargava.