India witnessed one of the darkest phases since Independence when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared an emergency across the country. ‘The Emergency’ spanning for 21 months came to effect from June 25, 1975 and lasted until March 21, 1977. But how many of us are aware of what exactly happened at that time, once you get to know the whole history of that dark phase of India, you will feel the chills run down your spine.
So here are the 10 shocking facts about worst phase in the Indian History:
1) What exactly was the Emergency?
2) Why did Indira impose Emergency?
Indira’s Congress won 352 seats in the 1971 elections, and her rivals led by the likes of Morarji Desai were decimated. Success in the Bangladesh war followed. Although she remained unchallenged in her party and in Parliament, the mood of the public changed soon afterward — triggered by inflation caused by the 1973 oil shock, poor management of food grains and commodities, rising unemployment, and increasing corruption in government. Trade union militancy peaked with the 1974 railway strike. Agitating students in Bihar were backed by the Gandhian JP, who came out of retirement to give a call for Total Revolution. In June 1975, the combined opposition, with the blessings of JP, won the Gujarat assembly polls.
On June 25, at a massive rally in Delhi, JP announced a weeklong Satyagraha to press for Indira’s resignation. He also appealed to the armed forces, police and government employees not to obey the “illegal and immoral orders” of the government. That night, Indira Gandhi, reportedly on the advice of then West Bengal Chief Minister S S Ray, decided to act. The Cabinet was not consulted. At 8 am on June 26, she made an unscheduled radio broadcast to tell the nation about the Emergency. Many newspapers in Delhi had had power supply cut off the previous night, and had not reached readers. They reported the news on June 27.
3) This was the third ‘Emergency’ since independence, the other two times were 1962-1968 (India – China War) and 1971 (Indo – Pak War)