Does Cry1Ac gene harm plants?

A scientific study on the cry1Ac gene has turned controversial, dividing Indian scientists on what appears to be a fundamental issue related to the gene drawn from the naturally occurring soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis. The paper, which was put out by a clutch of scientists including the high-profile Deepak Pental, who recently demitted office as vice chancellor of the University of Delhi, states that expression of the cry1Ac gene in cotton and tobacco is detrimental to growth and development of these plants.