The Emergency 1975:Dark days of free India

 

What is an emergency?

The “state of emergency” when declared gives absolute power to the government, the government can implement policies that were usually not permitted, for the safety and protection of their citizens. An emergency can be declared due to reasons such as natural disasters, civil unrest, armed conflict, pandemic or an epidemic. State of emergency also suspends rights and freedoms guaranteed under a country’s constitution. Although emergency is not considered ideal since it can be used to suppress internal opposition without respecting human rights, in easier terms a “dictatorship”.

As far as the Indian scenario is concerned, emergency was declared in India from 25^th June 1975 to 21^st March 1977 i.e a 21 month long emergency. This move has been widely regarded as the most controversial phase of Independent India’s history. Simply because of the reasons the emergency was declared and the execution of the emergency, which saw a plethora of human rights violated during the period.

                                        

             Indira Gandhi announcing Emergency on AIR

 

What led to the Emergency?

The emergency was issued by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under Article 352[1] of the constitution, but what led to the proclamation of the emergency?                                                                                                                      Here are some facts; 

1.  In 1974, a student agitation by the Bihar Chatra Sangharsh Samiti received the support of Jayprakash Narayan, a Gandhian socialist. He called for “total revolution” asking students, peasants, and labour unions to non-violently transform Indian society and demanded dissolution of the state government which was rejected by Centre.

 

2. Raj Narain filed cases of election fraud and use of state machinery for election in the Allahabad High Court, he was defeated by Indira Gandhi in the 1971 parliamentary elections. A first of its kind case where a Prime Minister was cross examined in court and the decision shook the country, Indira Gandhi was found guilty and court declared her election null and void and she was unseated from her seat in Lok sabha.

                                     

                                   Raj Narain

                                                                                                                           

 

3. Indira Gandhi challenged the Allahabad Court’s decision in the Supreme Court, Justice V.R. Iyer on 24 June upheld the High Court judgement and took away all the privileges she received as an M.P and was debarred from voting.

All these factors made sure her political career and her reputation will suffer big time, and as a result of this Indira Gandhi citing internal disturbance in the country advised the President that an emergency should be declared and the rest is history.

In order to save herself from going out of power she used her influence on other politicians and imposed emergency by saying a deep conspiracy was planned against the government and that is why she has taken that step, isn’t this abuse of power? Yes , this is

 

What happened during emergency?

1.  The freedom of press was taken away, Gandhi government laid out some guidelines for the press to follow, before publishing anything permission was required from the government, anyone violating these rules was imprisoned. Around 11 lakh people were imprisoned during that period.

                                

             A blank editorial of Indian Express

2. Most of Indira Gandhi’s political opponents were imprisoned, because they were the ones raising their voice against this revised definition of dictatorship. One of them was BJP leader LK Advani who spent months in jail during emergency. Later Advani in his address to media said “You were asked only to bend, but you crawled”. An appropriate statement if you ask me.

 

3. The emergency period saw a number of human rights violations, most prominent according to me was the forced mass sterilization, sterilization is a method of birth control that leaves the person unable to reproduce. An inhumane act on many levels, I can’t help but feel for the youth that had to go through this

                                                            

               JP Narayan thrashed for protesting

                                                       

           Newspaper article showing arrest of prominent leaders

          

                                           

The emergency of 1975 is arguably the most controversial move in the history of free India, the restrictions imposed must have taken the people back to the horrors of British Raj. Whatever may be the reason behind imposing emergency, the execution was the reason it is regarded as the darkest phase of India’s political history.

Was the emergency really imposed looking at the interests of the people or was it imposed to save a political career, I think we all know the answer.

 

                                                                                                                             -Anuj Ghatate