Top virologist quits Covid-19 panel after airing differences with govt

"I am not obliged to give a reason," Shahid Jameel said in a text message, adding that he quit on Friday.

A top Indian virologist has resigned from a forum of scientific advisers set up by the government to detect variants of the coronavirus, he told Reuters on Sunday, weeks after questioning the authorities' handling of the pandemic.

The body of a Covid-19 victim being cremated at Nigambodh Ghat crematorium, in New Delhi. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Shahid Jameel, chair of the scientific advisory group of the forum known as INSACOG, declined to give a reason for his resignation.

"I am not obliged to give a reason," he said in a text message, adding that he quit on Friday.

Renu Swarup, the secretary of the Department of Biotechnology that oversees INSACOG, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.

Another INSACOG member said he was not aware of any direct disagreements between Jameel and the government.

A top government scientist who is part of the forum said, on the condition of anonymity, that he did not think the departure of Jameel would hamper INSACOG's monitoring of virus variants.

Asked why the government did not respond more forcefully to the findings, for example by restricting large gatherings, Jameel had told Reuters that he was concerned that authorities were not paying enough attention to the evidence as they set policy.