India’s Emergency in 1975 is usually considered the darkest hour for democracy in the country, a time when the Prime Minister decided to centralise power, take away fundamental rights and jail those who opposed her. The two years of Emergency are crucial to our understanding of the India of today: They helped catalyse opposition to the Congress, which until then continued to dominate Indian politics as it had done since Independence, and they served as a picture of a different India, one that followed the authoritarian route that was more familiar to its South Asian neighbours.
Many of today’s Indian politicians had their formative political years during the Emergency, and as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party continues to point to it as an example of the Congress’ excesses, even though many people believe Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule represents Emergency of sorts.
Either way, it was a pivotal moment in Indian history, but despite its importance there is still plenty about it that you may have missed. So here are 8 questions about the Emergency to see how well you know it: