1975 emergency was assault on Indian democracy: Anwar Khan

Srinagar, Jun 25: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in Kashmir witnessed a sombre reflection Thursday as party members gathered to observe a ‘Black Day.’ This was not merely a ritualistic observance; it was a potent reminder of a period in modern Indian history that continues to cast a long, cautionary shadow over our democratic journey: the Emergency of 1975.
The event, marked by a palpable sense of gravity, saw the party’s State General Secretary, Anwar Khan, and Party Spokesperson, Altaf Thakur, stand before the cadre and the media to articulate a narrative that transcends partisan lines. Their message was clear: to ignore the lessons of the past is to court the dangers of the future.
Addressing the gathering, Anwar Khan remarked, “The Emergency was not just a political crisis; it was an assault on the very soul of the Indian Constitution. When the liberty of the individual is sacrificed at the altar of political survival, the nation loses its direction. We observe this day to ensure that the silence imposed in 1975 is never again allowed to stifle the voice of the people.”
For the younger generation, the Emergency might seem like a distant footnote in history. However, the leadership was keen to contextualise it as a living warning. Altaf Thakur underscored this urgency in his interaction with the media, stating, “Those nineteen months were a dark chapter where dissent was criminalises and the media was shackled. We remind the nation today that democracy is not a luxury, but a responsibility. Vigilance is the price we pay for freedom, and as long as we hold the memory of that dark era, we remain committed to preventing any recurrence of such authoritarian overreach.”
There is a particular resonance in observing this ‘Black Day’ in the context of Kashmir. The speakers emphasized that the struggle against the Emergency was not just a regional or ideological battle; it was a pan-Indian fight for the restoration of individual liberty and the rule of law. By revisiting these memories, the BJP unit in Kashmir sought to underscore that the values of democracy and transparency are non-negotiable.
Critics may argue that such observations serve to deepen political divides. Yet, the gathering at the BJP headquarters functioned more as a public audit of our democratic health. By commemorating the ‘Black Day,’ the party is not merely looking backward; it is asserting that the preservation of democratic institutions requires an active, collective memory.
As the meeting concluded, the message resonated beyond the party walls: power, when unchecked, inevitably tends toward overreach. The dark era of the Emergency remains the most stark testament to this truth.