AFP, New Delhi: India said yesterday it would hold an annual “Murder of the Constitution Day” from next year, commemorating a dark historical chapter tied to the family of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s chief political rival.
June 25, 2025 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, when then-premier Indira Gandhi suspended the constitution in response to a court ruling that threatened her hold on power.
The following months saw thousands of activists jailed, press freedoms suspended and an abusive compulsory sterilisation campaign that forced millions of men to receive vasectomies in an abortive population control effort.
Modi said on social media platform X that the new day of remembrance would “serve as a reminder of what happens when the Constitution of India was trampled over”. “It is also a day to pay homage to each and every person who suffered due to the excesses of the Emergency.”
