Since about April 2020, I was part of the group ISRC (Indian Intolerant Scientists' Response to Covid-19). In early Aug 2022, I was removed from ISRC, I am not even sure exactly when or why.
Throughout the above period, I was among the minority voices speaking against the extreme harms of lockdowns, school closures, and vaccine mandates. I had given out multiple calls for debate within the group, on topics such as:
I had presented various data points and analyses to present my arguments, while seeking debate and counter-opinion. Throughout the 2.5 years, ISRC did not take any stance on substantive issues of Covid-19 response, such as lockdown, school closure, vaccine coercion, or inadequately tested experimental vaccines for children when they faced no Covid-19 emergency whatsoever.
Far from answering any of my calls for debate, or responding to numbers/data I presented, I was censored unceremoniously. Such censorship represents intolerance, and is the anti-thesis of science. If what information I presented was wrong, there were several hundred others to correct it, or just ignore. Why censor? This level of intolerance of alternate opinion, right or wrong, cannot be a part of a group which calls itself scientific.
Reading between the lines, it appears that I was censored because I was questioning the God-like status of the Covid-19 vaccines, among the "scientists".
Censorship as part of pandemic response has of course been nothing new. Censorship of any opinion counter to the mainstream narrative has been rife in media as well as social media. I have a long list of people who have blocked me on twitter for calling them for debate, including several doctors and "scientists". Twitter itself has banned so many people speaking out against the mainstream narrative. So have all other social media platforms.
ISRC also chose censorship over open debate. It was actually far worse. Even in Twitter ban, they generally give reasons, warnings, and a chance for appeal. In the case of ISRC censoring me, there have been no such courtesies extended. In fact it appears to be a decision taken in secret.
It appears that the admins who decided to remove me did not document any reason. I think I deserved a reason, even though the admin group is the legislature, executive/police, judiciary, all rolled into one here. I also deserved at least being informed about the decision, but was not. I came to know that I was removed, after an email I sent on 04 Aug 2022 bounced back. And one of the admins confirmed that I have indeed been removed.
I had asked the admins the following questions, on 17 Aug 2022, but am yet to receive a response.
Note that at no point I asked that I be reinstated. But even the above simple questions were left unanswered, even without the courtesy of an email response.
The purpose of this documentation is for people to reflect on the level of intolerance encouraged by group of so-called "scientists", not only by the censorship itself, but also the manner of censorship.