An Indian virologist has resigned from a government panel advising a consortium of laboratories working on the detection of COVID-19 variants.

Shahid Jameel resigned days after criticising the government’s handling of the second wave of the pandemic.

He confirmed on Monday that he resigned last week but did not give reasons for his resignation from the panel.

India is currently in the midst of a virulent second wave of the pandemic which has seen more than 300,000 cases and over 4,000 deaths daily since April ending.

The number of new daily infections dropped below 300,000 for the first time on Monday since April 21. However, the death toll remained high at 4,106.

Jameel was the chairman of the Scientific Advisory Group of the consortium of laboratories set up by the Modi government in late December.

The Indian SARS-COV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) of 10 national laboratories was tasked with finding variants of COVID-19 circulating in India and their extent.

It had identified the B.1.617 variant in early March.

The variant was believed to be largely responsible for India’s deadly second wave, spokesman for the federal Health Ministry repeatedly said at news conferences in March and early April that its role was not clear.

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Jameel was critical of the government’s lack of use of the data in interviews with the media.

Days before his resignation, he wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times in which he said scientists were facing “stubborn resistance to evidence-based policymaking.

“On April 30, over 800 Indian scientists appealed to the prime minister, demanding access to the data that could help them further study, predict and curb this virus.

“Decision-making based on data is yet another casualty, as the pandemic in India has spun out of control. The human cost we are enduring will leave a permanent scar.”

India had an official caseload of about 25 million infections, second only to the United States, and 274,390 deaths. Experts maintained that both numbers were likely to be much higher. (dpa/NAN)