The Bharatiya Janta Party-led government in Haryana has announced a series of measures to honour victims of the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi-led government during the period 1975-77. Those so identified have been given special identity cards that will allow them and their spouses to travel free of cost in Haryana roadways buses, a concession enjoyed also by freedom fighters, gallantry award winners and award-winning sportspersons. Besides, they will get a 75% rebate on travel in Volvo buses. The Haryana government has announced that it will honour all such people with a Tamra Patra award next Republic Day, in January 2016.
The government had estimated that 2,000 persons who were imprisoned during the Emergency live in Haryana. An official in the state transport department said that so far they had received names of over 700 individuals and their spouses, on the basis of which the department started offering these facilities to them last month.
Proof of imprisonment
The state government gave the task of identifying such persons to the district administration and issued public advertisements inviting claims. Those who applied for this recognition were asked to fill a form listing details of any First Information Report registered against them at the time, details of the laws and its sections listed against them.
To examine claims in this category, the Haryana government considered arrests made under three laws – the Maintenance of Internal Security Act, the Defence of India Act, and sections 107 & 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure which relate to arrests made on grounds of "apprehension of breach of peace and tranquility of an area".
If someone had been imprisoned under the relevant laws in the period from 1975 to 1977, they were asked to provide the name of the jail and details of their prison term. Officials were asked to also consider names and details mentioned in books, newspaper clippings, audio or video clippings as proof of involvement in the agitation against the Emergency.
Satish Kumar who is the city magistrate in Karnal, said 35 persons were identified in the district. “We asked the Director General (Prisons) for data on those who were arrested under these three laws and sections during 1975-77, and also tried to get this information from villages and then verified it from prison records."
Faridabad city magistrate Gaurav Antil said the district had issued identity cards to 23 persons living in the district last month. “First, we asked the police for data on this but because we could not make much headway this way, we asked the local officials, patwari, numberdaar, village-level revenue and police officials, to share the names of any such persons and then tried to verify this from old files,” said Faridabad Sub-Divisional Magistrate Mahabir Prasad.
Recognising the Sangh's struggles
Fifty seven-year old Ravi Bhushan Khatri, who runs a rubber goods business in Faridabad, was among those identified in the district. He said he had been imprisoned in Gurgaon for four weeks soon after the Emergency was declared in June 1975. “I was attending a Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh camp in Rohtak when the police came and asked us to wind the camp up,” Khatri said. “A few days later, 14 of us including senior leaders from the RSS were protesting in Gurgaon when we were arrested. At the time, even shouting 'Emergency Hai Hai!' was enough to get you arrested. I remained in prison for a month and then applied for bail to be able to continue my classes in college.” Khatri said besides him, all the other 14, who had continued being cadres of the RSS had now been recognised as victims of the Emergency.
Sanjay Arora, who has a plastics business in Faridabad, said he had spent two months in Gurgaon jail along with Khatri. “We do not need these travel concessions, and they are not the main thing,” said Arora. “What is important that the RSS's struggle in upholding democracy is now being recognised.”
Among other BJP-ruled states, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have instituted pensions for victims of the Emergency.
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The government had estimated that 2,000 persons who were imprisoned during the Emergency live in Haryana. An official in the state transport department said that so far they had received names of over 700 individuals and their spouses, on the basis of which the department started offering these facilities to them last month.
Proof of imprisonment
The state government gave the task of identifying such persons to the district administration and issued public advertisements inviting claims. Those who applied for this recognition were asked to fill a form listing details of any First Information Report registered against them at the time, details of the laws and its sections listed against them.
To examine claims in this category, the Haryana government considered arrests made under three laws – the Maintenance of Internal Security Act, the Defence of India Act, and sections 107 & 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure which relate to arrests made on grounds of "apprehension of breach of peace and tranquility of an area".
If someone had been imprisoned under the relevant laws in the period from 1975 to 1977, they were asked to provide the name of the jail and details of their prison term. Officials were asked to also consider names and details mentioned in books, newspaper clippings, audio or video clippings as proof of involvement in the agitation against the Emergency.
Satish Kumar who is the city magistrate in Karnal, said 35 persons were identified in the district. “We asked the Director General (Prisons) for data on those who were arrested under these three laws and sections during 1975-77, and also tried to get this information from villages and then verified it from prison records."
Faridabad city magistrate Gaurav Antil said the district had issued identity cards to 23 persons living in the district last month. “First, we asked the police for data on this but because we could not make much headway this way, we asked the local officials, patwari, numberdaar, village-level revenue and police officials, to share the names of any such persons and then tried to verify this from old files,” said Faridabad Sub-Divisional Magistrate Mahabir Prasad.
Recognising the Sangh's struggles
Fifty seven-year old Ravi Bhushan Khatri, who runs a rubber goods business in Faridabad, was among those identified in the district. He said he had been imprisoned in Gurgaon for four weeks soon after the Emergency was declared in June 1975. “I was attending a Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh camp in Rohtak when the police came and asked us to wind the camp up,” Khatri said. “A few days later, 14 of us including senior leaders from the RSS were protesting in Gurgaon when we were arrested. At the time, even shouting 'Emergency Hai Hai!' was enough to get you arrested. I remained in prison for a month and then applied for bail to be able to continue my classes in college.” Khatri said besides him, all the other 14, who had continued being cadres of the RSS had now been recognised as victims of the Emergency.
Sanjay Arora, who has a plastics business in Faridabad, said he had spent two months in Gurgaon jail along with Khatri. “We do not need these travel concessions, and they are not the main thing,” said Arora. “What is important that the RSS's struggle in upholding democracy is now being recognised.”
Among other BJP-ruled states, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have instituted pensions for victims of the Emergency.