The Delhi BJP will organise a public awareness programme on June 26 to mark “Emergency Black Day”, commemorating the imposition of the Emergency in 1975 and highlighting its impact on democratic rights.
Announcing the programme on Monday, Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra said the event would be held at 11 am at the NDMC Convention Centre, Jantar Mantar.
The BJP observes June 25 every year as Emergency Black Day, recalling the declaration of the Emergency by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975. The party maintains that the period witnessed the suspension of civil liberties and the arrest of thousands of political workers and citizens under laws such as the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA).
Malhotra said the BJP had been organising awareness programmes against the Emergency every year since the party’s formation in 1980. This year’s event, however, will be held a day later on June 26. The party has constituted a three-member committee comprising MP Yogendra Chandolia, former BJP Yuva Morcha president Dharmveer Sharma and former district president Devendra Solanki to coordinate the programme.
Emergency detainees residing in Delhi and the National Capital Region will be invited to the event and honoured for their role during the period.
The programme is expected to be attended by senior BJP leaders, party workers and individuals who were imprisoned or affected during the Emergency.
