The Emergency of India (1975)

25th June, 1975.

The clock’s hands inched closer to midnight. Despite the late hour, a hurricane of chaotic activity spiralled within the President’s office. The cacophony of overlapping voices got louder and more urgent as time continued ticking onwards. Final speech checks were made, microphone connections double checked, and the sari’s pleats and folds straightened. As the broadcasters held up fingers in a countdown, Indira Gandhi stepped up to the microphone and stared into the blinding lights of the cameras.

“The President has proclaimed an emergency. This is nothing to panic about.”

Thus began one of the most infamous and controversial events in Indian political history.

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Indira Gandhi, the first and only female Prime Minister of India, rose to power in 1967. Her charismatic approach to politics earned her the adoration of the poor and underprivileged. As she continued to push forward radical left-wing policies and defend India’s independence through warfare with Pakistan, her political influence grew until she successfully restructured the government to give herself unprecedented power. In the complex, multilayered web that formed India’s central and state government, Indira handpicked loyal supporters to place in positions of power and further bolster her position as Prime Minister.

With the approval of the President, Indira declared a state of emergency to combat the growing conspiracy and political instability throughout India. Shock rippled through India, felt by its citizens and cabinet ministers alike. For the next twenty-one months, the government suspended all civil liberties and showed no restraint in cracking down on competing candidates for the upcoming elections. The Emergency turned from a way to “safeguard unity and stability” became an opportunity to censor broadcast media content and arrest members of opposing political parties.

Consequences of The Emergency were felt across the country in the months to come. Indira Gandhi rewrote the laws of India, creating opportunities to postpone elections and take political prisoners without moderation. Brutal human rights violations like clamping down peaceful protests and mass sterilization campaigns were carried out by her supporters in the name of preserving Indian unity. And, because of the newly-formed censorship laws, Indira was able to mould journalism in her favour, covering up injustices with positive news about the booming economy.

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The Emergency ended on 23rd March, 1977. All political prisoners were released and censorship laws were lifted across the country. March 1977 also saw the end of Indira Gandhi’s political career. Her opponents ruthlessly tore her campaign apart, citing her rule as a dictatorship that flew in the face of the Indian constitution. The people of India, disgruntled with their loss of freedom and the militant rule established by Indira Gandhi, took their revenge in the upcoming election. She failed to win a single vote in states like Uttar Pradesh which had previously been staunch supporters of her policies.

An event like The Emergency hasn’t recurred in India since 1977. Despite many political conflicts and scandals, no politician has dared declare a state of emergency in fear of facing the same consequences that ended Indira Gandhi’s unopposed, powerful regime.