“Emergency: Never Again...?”

There was indeed a sigh of relief as World War II ended!  The horrors of the holocaust unleashed by Hitler and his brutal regime inflicted a deep wound in the heart of civilisation. People from every nation came together in one voice chanting "Never Again". 

Yes, never again did they wish that the pain and suffering of either the holocaust and the subsequent war, would visit any one.
It was a similar feeling in India on March 21, 1977 when Emergency was lifted. That day ended the darkest chapter in the history of the country which began on the night of June 25, 1975 when Emergency was promulgated. Recalling that period, noted journalist and civil rights activist Kuldip Nayyar said recently, “That was the dark night that we nearly lost our hard-earned freedom".  Ultimately, democracy triumphed and in a fitting reply, the people of India voted Indira Gandhi and her Congress party out of power, with that one refrain "never again".

Sadly, however, a new type of Emergency seems to be emerging in various forms in different parts of the country.  This is reflected in the forceful acquisition of farmer's land in the name of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and industrial units; the many ways by which powerful vested interests displace tribals from their homelands and forests; blatant acts of corruption get institutionalised — a point recently made by the Karnataka Lokayukta justice Hegde.  

Here in Gujarat, the situation is even more alarming! The adivasis who have been displaced by the Narmada dam have still not been rehabilitated.  New dams in the Dangs district will displace thousands more.  Human rights activists who take up the issues of tribals (and for that matter the dalits) are branded as "Maoists" and are incarcerated. The farmers of Mahuva have nowhere to go today. Trigger-happy policemen have had no qualms in killing minorities to please their political masters. The Freedom of Religion Law which necessitates permission from civil authorities for anyone wishing to change one's religion is a clear violation of Article 25 of the Constitution. Letters have been received by several Christian institutions threatening action if their "foreign fund's receipts are not submitted to the local police authority on a weekly basis".  Emergency is alive and kicking today. The reality is frightening!

One is reminded of the lyrics by Wu-Tang Clan in his album 'The Swarm'.
 
"Never again shall we march like sheep to the slaughter
Never again shall we sit and take orders
Stripped of our culture
Robbed of our name (never again)
Raped of our freedom and thrown into the flames (never again)
Forced from our families, taken from our homes
Moved from our God then burned of our bones
Never again, never again…"
The point is we say “never again”…. but is it really “NEVER AGAIN…?”

(The author is the director of Prashant, city-based Jesuit Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace)