On June 25th, Anand Marg will observe ‘Black Day’, an annual event marking the 1975 emergency declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
JAMSHEDPUR – Anand Marg will be observing a ‘Black Day’ on Sunday.
This annual event takes place every June 25th, commemorating the day when the Emergency was imposed on the nation in 1975.
According to Sunil Anand of Anand Marg Pracharak Sangh, the move by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was an affront to democracy, resulting in the suspension of citizens’ fundamental rights.
The imposition of the Emergency led to a ban on over 100 Anand Marg organizations and followers were jailed and tortured.
The guru-founder of Anand Marg, Bhagwan Sri Sri Anandmurti, was allegedly poisoned under the guise of medical treatment, but survived.
Sunil Anand claims that planning for the arrest of Anand Marg followers had begun six months before the Emergency.
Senior journalist Kumi Kapoor’s book "The Emergency" refers to a letter from then West Bengal Chief Minister Siddharth Shankar Ray to Indira Gandhi suggesting the preparation of a list of Anand Marg followers for arrest.
Ray’s letter to Gandhi has also been published in Kapoor’s book.
According to the letter dated January 8, 1975, the Emergency plan was discussed in a meeting with then Law Minister HR Gokhale, Congress President Devkant Baruah and Bombay Congress President Rajni Patel.
The contents of the letter suggest a plot to use the Emergency as a pretext to suppress the Anand Marg community.
