 "Former PM Indira Gandhi declared the historic moment of Emergency in 1975. File image/PTI")
“The President has proclaimed the Emergency. This is nothing to panic about. I am sure you are all aware of the deep and widespread conspiracy, which has been brewing ever since I began to introduce certain progressive measures of benefit for the common man and woman in India.”
With this announcement made through All India Radio, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared Emergency in the country.
It was on this day — 25 June, 49 years ago — in 1975 — that Emergency was declared for the next almost two years during which widespread arrests took place, the press was heavily censored and there was severe curtailment of civil liberties to India’s millions of citizens. The 21-month period, known in India simply as the Emergency, represents one of the darkest periods of India’s political past.
Here’s a timeline of the events related to the Emergency on the 49th anniversary.