On June 25, 1975, Indira Gandhi, the prime minister of India at that time, declared an emergency. According to the order issued by the then-President Fakhrudin Ali Ahmed, the cause of the emergency declaration was ongoing internal unrest. This order led to the start of a 21- month era wherein Indira Gandhi got the autocratic authority to rule the country by violating all principles of democracy and human rights. Political opponents of Mrs. Gandhi were put behind bars, and censorship and curbs on press freedom were imposed against the media. The emergency continues to be one of the most contentious eras in India's history as an independent nation.
Jayaprakash Narayan, popularly referred to as JP or Lok Nayak is remembered for leading the mid-1970s opposition against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, for whose overthrow he had called for a "total revolution". When the Allahabad High Court declared Indira Gandhi guilty of breaking electoral laws, she and the CMs were ordered to resign by Narayan and the police and military were told to disobey immoral and illegal commands.
Along with the limitations on civil liberties, there was a crackdown on trade unions during the emergency. According to reports, the government enacted fixed pay without room for bonuses and prohibited worker strikes and union activities. The workers who resisted this were severely repressed. Sanjay Gandhi's nationwide programme of mass sterilisation and the 'beautification' of cities through the removal of slums with little to no advance notice to slum residents were additional contentious aspects of this time period.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to those who resisted the emergency on completion of 48 years of the ‘dark days of emergency.’ PM Modi said the 21-month period remains an ‘unforgettable period in our history’.