Indore, Jul 19 (PTI) Citizens jailed during the Emergency gathered in Indore on Sunday to mark 51 years since its imposition in 1975, recalling how fundamental rights were suspended and dissenting voices were silenced during the period.
A 100-year-old former MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) detainee, Ramkishan Sharma, and several other “Loktantra Senanis (soldiers of democracy)” were honoured at the reunion organised by the Loktantra Senani Sangh.
The Emergency was imposed by the then Indira Gandhi government, from June 25, 1975, to March 21, 1977.
Addressing the gathering, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot said the Emergency was a period in India’s democratic history when fundamental rights were suspended, press freedom was curbed and thousands of people who disagreed with the then government were jailed.
Gehlot alleged that during the Emergency, the then government brought all four pillars of democracy — the judiciary, executive, legislature and the press — under its control by curbing their independence.
He said he himself had spent 54 days in Ujjain jail as a MISA detainee then and had witnessed the circumstances of that period.
“I wholeheartedly congratulate and pay my humble respects to all those democracy fighters (MISA detainees) who chose to defend democracy instead of bowing before injustice and repression during the difficult days of the Emergency,” the governor said.
Gehlot said that as India moves towards its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, it is essential to strengthen democratic institutions, promote awareness of constitutional values and connect the younger generation with democratic traditions.
“Our youth should know that democracy did not come to us effortlessly. It is the result of the sacrifices of freedom fighters, the vision of the Constitution’s framers and the struggle of democracy fighters,” he said.
Sharing his experiences, 100-year-old Sharma said he had spent 19 months in jail during the Emergency and recalled the social and political atmosphere prevailing at the time.
He said public anger against the then Indira Gandhi government stemmed from what he described as its failure to fulfil promises such as removing poverty and ensuring social equality.
Sharma said the lack of dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition was also one of the reasons behind the Emergency.
“Even today, those in power and the opposition need to keep talking to each other. If there is no dialogue between them, the situation that prevailed then could recur,” he said.
He also said that while the country had made commendable progress in infrastructure and industrial development, unemployment among educated youth remained a major challenge.
Former MISA detainees from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra, besides host state Madhya Pradesh, attended the event.
During the 21-month Emergency, MISA became a key tool for suppressing dissent, with thousands detained, including journalists, activists, students, and political opponents.
The act was finally repealed in 1978 when the Janata Party formed its government. PTI HWP LAL NR
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