Odisha’s public universities, colleges asked to observe ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ to mark 50th year of Emergency

The Odisha government has asked all public universities and colleges in the state to observe “Samvidhan Hatya Diwas” on June 25 to mark the 50th year of the imposition of Emergency.

The higher education department, in a letter to the colleges and universities, requested the organization of an awareness march with students and teachers holding placards and slogans invoking constitutional values. They were also requested to hold debates, workshops and lectures on the imposition of Emergency, and the need for constitutional rights and duties.

The letter from the department stated that the declaration of the Emergency on June 25, 1975, remains a grim reminder of the blackest moment in the history of India's democracy. July 11, 2024, has been notified as "Samvidhan Hatya Diwas" by a Union Ministry of Home Affairs notification, the letter added.

Emergency saw a widespread suspension of civil freedoms, undermining of constitutional protections and unparalleled centralization of executive authority. Basic rights were violated, the media muzzled under draconian censorship, (and) thousands of political figures, journalists and civil society activists jailed," the letter stated.

It stated it was necessary to mark the 50th year of the Emergency with "serious reflection and reaffirmed commitment to democratic principles and constitutional ethics.".

Colleges and universites have also been instructed to arrange seminars on the Constitution's Preamble, conduct panel discussions, arrange different competitions, documentary screenings and street plays.

The institutions have also been instructed to maintain attendance in these events and to file records.

The Odisha BJP government has also made grand preparations to commemorate 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' in a state-level function. The BJP government of the state previously declared a monthly pension of Rs 20,000 to people who were jailed during the Emergency period declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.