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Journalism of Courage
A week prior to scientist Lakshman Singh Meena8217;s arrest, the Institute of Genomics and Intergrated Biology had requested the University of Central Florida to send clones related to TB.
The institute had written twice after Meena, on a government-sponsored fellowship who was researching TB genes, expressed interest in getting back clones from the Florida laboratory. 8216;8216;We had written that he wants certain clones and we can sign the Material Transfer Agreement,8217;8217; a senior scientist said.
The institute was awaiting a reponse when Meena, expected to return to India and join work on March 26, was arrested on March 22. He was accused of stealing eight vials of cloned DNA pieces from a TB organism and also allegedly took discs with research information.
The institute, sources said, has now sent all the letters written on March 18 and 19 to the embassy in Washington and hopes that the matter will be sorted out.
8216;8216;We were asking for a plasmid in which DNA was cloned. We were in the process of signing an agreement before this happened,8217;8217; said a scientist at the institute which falls under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
Meena, working in the allergies and infectious diseases laboratory in the institute for the past 10 years, went a year ago to Florida after he was chosen for the Boyscast fellowship sponsored by the Science and Technology Ministry.
Reports say the 33-year-old scientist has been charged with offence against intellectual property, petty theft and obstruction by false information and had to surrender his passport after spending nearly two weeks in jail. He is now out on bail.
Meanwhile, Meena8217;s wife and two children returned from the US a few weeks ago and are now in their village in Rajasthan. His brother Amrit Lal Meena, an economics professor at Delhi University, is still trying to understand the ramification of the arrest. 8216;8216;I know the Indian Government has written to the embassy there. This has to be a conspiracy,8217;8217; he said.
