New Delhi : Thousands of RSS volunteers, including some prominent office bearers, were put in jail and subjected to various kinds of tortures in custody during the period of Emergency imposed by the then-prime minister Indira Gandhi on June 25 in 1975, senior RSS functionary Sunil Ambekar said.
“At least 100 such Sangh karyakartas died during this period. Some of them died in jail while others outside. Our Pandurang Kshirsagar ji head of Sangh’s all India Managment committee was one of those who died in jail due to extreme torture,” the RSS’s national publicity and media department head told.
Ambekar termed the imposition of Emergency by the erstwhile Congress government a “black spot” on India’s democratic traditions and said those 21 months of “dictatorship” in the country can never be forgotten.
The RSS workers were arrested, beaten and many of them were subjected to even third-degree torture in custody to force them to come in support of the government and imposition of Emergency, he said.”They also wanted them to reveal the names of the Sangh leaders participating in the nationwide movement (against the imposition of Emergency),” Ambekar said.”But, the dictatorship eventually came to an end and democracy was restored in the country due to unrelenting mass movement in the country,” he added.
The RSS workers were arrested, beaten and many of them were subjected to even third-degree torture in custody to force them to come in support of the government and imposition of Emergency, he said.
“They also wanted them to reveal the names of the Sangh leaders participating in the nationwide movement (against the imposition of Emergency),” Ambekar said.
“But, the dictatorship eventually came to an end and democracy was restored in the country due to unrelenting mass movement in the country,” he added.
All ‘swayamsevaks’ actively participated in the nationwide movement to save democracy, he said.
On June 25, 1975, Indira Gandhi made the announcement of the imposition of Emergency in a broadcast on All India Radio, shortly after the Supreme Court granted a conditional stay to a Allahabad High Court verdict declaring her election to the Lok Sabha as null and void. It was lifted on March 21, 1977.
The 21 months of Emergency is known for massive crackdown on political opponents of the erstwhile Congress government, forced mass sterlisations, censorship of the press, suspension of constitutional rights and centralisation of power.
Soon after the declaration of the state of Emergency in the country, then RSS chief Balasaheb Deoras was arrested in Nagpur and the organisation was banned by the Indira Gandhi government.
“Many Sangh workers including prominent ones were also arrested at different places. Some were picked up on June 25 night itself while others later. There were about 1300 Sangh pracharaks then. Of them, about 189 pracharaks were arrested,” Ambekar said.
Thousands of RSS ‘swayamsevaks’ and ‘karyakartas’ were arrested during the Emergency, he added.
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