NEW DELHI: On the 50th anniversary of the Emergency imposed on June 25, 1975, the Delhi Government on Tuesday observed the day as “Constitution Betrayal Day” by inaugurating a special public exhibition at Central Park, Connaught Place. The exhibition, organized by the Hindi Academy and the Department of Art, Culture, and Language, showcased rare archives, photographs, detention orders, and press clippings from the 21-month period widely regarded as one of the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and Delhi’s Minister of Art and Culture Kapil Mishra inaugurated the exhibition, which, for the first time, made several official documents from the Emergency era publicly accessible.
“Millions were imprisoned without cause during the 21-month-long Emergency,” said Chief Minister Gupta. She paid tribute to those who resisted the authoritarian regime, saying, “Just as freedom fighters liberated the country from British rule, the defenders of democracy risked their lives during the Emergency to keep the spirit of democracy alive.”
Calling the period beginning June 25, 1975, the “darkest chapter in Indian democracy,” she added, “There was no appeal, no argument, and no hearing, it was a dictatorship in full force.” Referring to leaders of the then government, she remarked, “Those who once crushed democracy now ironically roam with the Constitution in their pockets.”
The Chief Minister also announced a year-long series of events to honour the “warriors of democracy from 1975,” hailing them as the “true sons of Bharat Mata.”
Art and Culture Minister Kapil Mishra highlighted the historical significance of the exhibit. “The documents displayed here are ample proof of the murder of democracy during the Emergency,” he said. “Overnight, opposition leaders were jailed, courts were silenced, journalists imprisoned, and media establishments shut down.”
He further added, “This is the first time many of these documents have been shown to the public. The country must never forget how democracy was attacked, and saved through struggle and sacrifice.”
The event was attended by senior Delhi Government ministers, BJP Delhi President Virendra Sachdeva, and other dignitaries.