The imposition of Emergency in India by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975 remains the darkest hour for its democracy when she suspended civil liberties, jailed political opponents, and censored the press. What unfolded over the next 21 months constituted a grave threat to core democratic values. The Emergency remains a singular inflection point marking a shift towards authoritarianism in our political system.
However, critics draw parallels between those days and certain contemporary developments, raising concerns about democratic backsliding under the current NDA rule. Still today, civil liberties are not unconstrained, free speech is not so free, preventive detentions take place, and law enforcement and investigative agencies are used to selectively target Opposition leaders and rights activists.
Incidents like bulldozer justice and vigilante action are disturbingly reminiscent of the Emergency era’s excesses. There is also a growing tendency to label all protests as anti-national or urban naxalism. These labels are used to liberally invoke draconian laws, particularly the UAPA. Democratic institutions are under stress. These are all characteristics of authoritarianism.
