Alleging that "fabricated" studies were published in foreign journals by JNU researchers on pesticide contamination in Indian vegetables, crop protection industry body CCFI and farm leaders today demanded punitive action against the scientists involved as well as the university.
Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI) said studies on pesticide residues published in the US in 2014 and in Europe by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholars claimed to have found residues of 20 different banned pesticides in each of 52 vegetables samples collected in and around Delhi/NCR.
"The fabricated reports on pesticide residues published in the USA and in Europe by JNU researchers alleged 100 per cent contamination of Indian vegetables by 20 different banned pesticides," CCFI said in a statement.
A CCFI official said: "The demand for action is against JNU as well as researchers involved."
Demanding "punitive action against JNU researchers", CCFI said the reports have tarnished image of Indian agriculture.
When contacted a senior JNU official said: "The paper was published by our colleague in an international journal. The university does not come directly into the picture because the faculty is independent to conduct research and publish it.
"The administration doesn't interfere with research activities. If there is something, which is brought to our notice about plagiarism or any such issue, then we take note of it."
Hitting out at the reports, CCFI said the researchers who committed laboratory "misconduct" should be sacked and the PhD awarded should be withdrawn as the government research body ICAR has also raised serious concerns about the JNU findings.
"JNU's failure to be transparent with certain basic data proves there are fundamental flaws in the published study. ...The raw data of the public-funded research study should be accessible and verifiable," CCFI Chairman Rajju Shroff said.
In the statement, CCFI said that Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has also raised serious concerns about the "scientific veracity" of the JNU study in the absence of laboratory data.
"ICAR's monitoring studies found vegetable sample carrying 2-3 per cent of pesticide residues above the maximum residue limits (MRL), whereas the JNU study claimed 100 per cent of samples exceeding the MRL," said K K Sharma, ICAR's network coordinator for monitoring pesticides residues.
ICAR has sent three letters to JNU demanding the raw data, but the latter is still dodging, Sharma said in the statement.
Alleging that the central varsity is "covering up the research misconduct", CCFI said "JNU is unable to produce any laboratory data under the RTI Act. Even the exact date of the laboratory analysis and the names of the chemists remain a secret and unknown".
CCFI said JNU initially cited University Grants
Commission (UGC) guidelines to shield the laboratory data from an open, transparent review.
"The UGC has recently denied that there are any such guidelines to privacy of data behind public funded research work," it said.
Further, it added that "neither the published reports carry chromatograms nor is JNU able to provide the same under the RTI Act. The JNU has refused to provide the laboratory data to the Ministry of Agriculture too".
Attacking the JNU for not following approved standards and protocols and for not doing confirmatory tests, the industry body said: "The findings of the JNU are in stark contrast with the findings of NABL-accredited laboratories functioning under the ICAR.
"It is an accepted protocol and mandatory for any laboratory to maintain all laboratory records, including gas chromatography readings for challenge inspection and verification post publication. The JNU has has failed to follow this."
In the statement, farmer leaders Krishenbir Chaudhary and Bhagwan Das said they suspected a "deep conspiracy behind such fabricated research published abroad" and sought to know who at the JNU allowed such publication outside India without checking the scientific veracity of the findings.
