50 years of Emergency: ‘Indira Gandhi feared a revolt after Jayaprakash Narayan's call', says journalist-activist Santosh Bhartiya
A massive crackdown was unleashed on the night of June 25, 1975, when opposition leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan, Chandrashekhar,
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
, and LK Advani were arrested, marking the beginning of the Emergency — a 21-month period during which civil liberties were suspended and democracy curtailed.
'Acting on the advice of the then West Bengal chief minister Siddhartha Shankar Ray, Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency. At midnight, JP (Jayaprakash Narayan) was arrested from the Gandhi Peace Foundation. After the news spread, Chandrashekhar went to meet him at the Parliament Street police station. When he got up to leave, the police said, 'You're under arrest too',' senior journalist Santosh Bhartiya, an activist during the Emergency period, told TOI.
The trigger was JP's fiery speech at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan earlier that day, in which he urged the police and armed forces to 'disobey any unconstitutional orders'. The call, seen by Indira as a veiled incitement to rebellion, prompted action.
Already cornered by the Allahabad HC's judgment invalidating her election and the Supreme Court's refusal to stay the ruling, Indira perceived JP's words as a direct threat to her authority.
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In the morning, All India Radio announced the Emergency, and most Indians learned about it through Akashvani.
Several activists, including LK Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, along with many others, were arrested. While many were held under the Defence of India Rules (DIR), those granted bail were booked again under MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act).
'We travelled to Varanasi, Bombay, and Madras, meeting supporters and building resistance.
Political unity among opposition parties remained a challenge until JP declared he wouldn't campaign unless they contested together.
This prompted Indian Express founder Ramnath Goenka to rush the message to Charan Singh and Morarji Desai. Within hours, the Janata Party was formed,' he said. In the 1977 elections, public resentment culminated in a historic defeat for Indira Gandhi
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