Horror and Brutality: During the Emergency, it was not only prominent political figures, but also thousands of grassroot workers across the nation who experienced the abuse of power orchestrated by Indira Gandhi. Among them was Vaikom Gopakumar from Kerala, a young man of just 25 years old at the time of his arrest. He endured brutal beatings at the hands of the police, resulting in lifelong medical conditions.

Troubling reports of torture and mistreatment surfaced from detention centers across the country during the period of the Emergency. Those who challenged the regime faced physical violence, sexual assault, and psychological torment. These acts of brutality aimed to instill fear and crush the spirit of resistance left an indelible mark on the lives of the unfortunate victims and devastated the lives and future of numerous fellow Indians.

In a chilling incident, Snehalata Reddy, a well-known Kannada actress and a close associate of George Fernandes, a fiery politician and staunch critic of Indira Gandhi’s autocratic methods, was subjected to nightly beatings to extract information about his whereabouts. Despite suffering from asthma, she was denied medical treatment, and tortured till her cries were heard by fellow inmate in the adjacent cell, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Tragically, Snehalata Reddy passed away five days after her release from jail. Similarly, Lawrence Fernandes, George’s brother, was severely beaten and threatened with the rape of his elderly mother in his presence unless he revealed George’s location. As a result of the police brutality he endured, Lawrence lived the rest of his life with a permanent limp.

During this period, Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi’s son, exerted significant influence in her name and orchestrated a large-scale campaign of mass sterilizations, despite lacking any official government position. It is estimated that approximately 120 million people were forcibly sterilized between 1975 and 1977. This inhumane experiment primarily took place in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh, which were infamously referred to as the “vasectomy belt” during that period. In Uttar Pradesh, the vasectomy camps initially performed 331 operations per day, but that number escalated to 1,578 per day and eventually reached a staggering 5,664 operations per day, exemplifying the complete disregard for individual freedom and bodily integrity. Sanjay Gandhi set ambitious targets for his pet project, with police commissioners being awarded gold medals for meeting these targets. Even government medical treatment in hospitals was denied until a sterilization certificate was presented. Congress governments put on hold promotions and payments to employees until they were sterilized or fulfilled their assigned quota of convincing others to undergo sterilization. People were even required to produce a sterilization certificate to renew their driving and sales tax licenses. The victims of this brutal campaign were often the poor, illiterate men, jail inmates and hospital patients, who were deceitfully or forcibly sterilized. Even bachelors and young married men were not spared. Protesters who resisted were met with deadly force from the police. To meet the targets, both men and women were forced to undergo surgeries under unhygienic conditions, leading to subsequent infections. Many eventually died from these infections.

In addition to the curtailment of civil liberties, there was a severe crackdown on trade unions during the Emergency. The government took measures to ban trade union activities and suppress workers’ strikes, while also imposing fixed wages without any provisions for bonuses. Those who dared to protest against these unjust policies faced harsh repression and punitive actions.

Janata Coffee House, a renowned establishment in Connaught Place, served as a gathering spot for many journalists, politicians, and lawyers who convened there regularly to engage in political discussions. Upon discovering that discussions against the Emergency were taking place, Sanjay Gandhi promptly bulldozed the coffee house one morning, effectively suppressing the voices of those who dared to express their opposition to the regime.