New Delhi: As India marks 50 years since the 1975 Emergency, the nation reflects on one of the darkest hours in the history of Press freedom. The 21-month period not only suspended civil liberties and jailed dissenters but also waged a silent war on the Free Press- muting the soul of democracy through unrelenting censorship.
In the immediate wake of the Emergency declaration under Article 352, the government imposed sweeping controls on the Print media. All newspapers were required to submit content for prior approval-an act that struck at the heart of journalism’s independence. The Censorship machinery stifled dissenting voices, rewrote headlines, and erased editorials that challenged state actions. Reporters and editors who dared to question faced intimidation, arrest, or abrupt shutdowns.
Among the most symbolic acts of resistance was The Indian Express publishing a stark blank editorial, silently screaming against the clampdown. Similarly, The statesman carried an eerie white space under its masthead, standing firm for the people’s right to know. These powerful acts became rallying cries for Journalistic integrity . Behind the scenes, a network of underground publications and handwritten bulletins worked to disseminate information beyond the state’s radar.
But the chilling fear of retribution ensured that many journalists went underground or fell into silence. The era coined a haunting term—self-censorship—as even unwritten words were weighed with fear. The Emergency era also marked a turning point for the Indian media’s institutional memory. It exposed the vulnerability of information channels in the face of authoritarianism and catalyzed the emergence of more vigilant watchdog journalism in the decades that followed.
As candlelight vigils and seminars take place across the country, media houses and journalists are not only commemorating the past but also reasserting their role as custodians of democracy. In the words of a historian today: “When truth is muzzled, democracy decays in silence.”
