Arrests, electricity cuts… those days of emergency when press censorship was implemented

New Delhi: The month of June will be remembered for centuries in the political history of India for the Emergency. Within two days of the declaration of Emergency, not only were the activities of political opponents and agitators put under surveillance, but this was the first time in independent India that the government imposed restrictions on the press. The situation was such that the news published in newspapers was censored and a restriction was imposed on taking permission from the government before printing the newspaper. During the Emergency, declarations of 3801 newspapers were confiscated. 327 journalists were arrested under MISA and advertisements of 290 newspapers were stopped. The situation worsened to such an extent that the news correspondents of Time and Guardian newspapers were asked to leave India. Telexes and telephones of other agencies including Reuters were cut off. On 28 June 1975, in the backdrop of anti-government protests during the Emergency in India, the Centre implemented the most stringent press censorship after independence.

That date of 25 June 1975
25 June 1975 was the date when Emergency was declared in the country at midnight. 25 June has been a witness to an important event in the history of India. Emergency was imposed in the country for a period of 21 months from 25 June 1975 to 21 March 1977. The then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed declared Emergency in the country under Article 352 of the Indian Constitution on the recommendation of the government led by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi herself announced on the radio that Emergency has been imposed in the country.

The press was hit the most
Although the country had to impose emergency twice before this, but the reasons were different then. Emergency had to be imposed in 1962 due to the Chinese invasion and then in 1971 due to the war with Pakistan. The reason for the emergency imposed this time was political. In the previous two emergencies, the freedom of the press remained intact and both times the freedom of the press was not taken away. But the emergency imposed in the entire country on the midnight of 25-26 June saw a different scene. Many restrictions were imposed in this emergency and the press suffered the most.

power line cut off
Many journalists of the country including Kuldip Nayyar were arrested. The accreditation of more than 50 journalists and cameramen was cancelled. The Press Council of India was dissolved. At that time, the offices of major newspapers were on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi. The electricity line there was cut off. As a result, newspapers could not be published. The newspapers that were printed were confiscated. Officers were deployed in newspaper offices. Political news was not allowed to be printed without their permission. In protest against censorship, the editorial space in some newspapers was left blank.