MISA Bandi Day: 'It Was A Dark Period; No One Knew When We Would Be Freed'

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): It was a dark period. Fear was in the air. No one knew when the Emergency would end. The entire country was converted into a big prison. The press was gagged and civil liberties were suspended.

This is how MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) detainees from the city described the 21-month-long period of Emergency.

They say that today, no one can become a dictator in the country and that people are now free. On the eve of MISA Bandi Day, The Free Press spoke to some MISA detainees who shared their experiences.

Excerpts:

I was just 14

When the emergency was imposed, I was just fourteen and a student of Class 9. One day, when we were demonstrating against the Emergency at Bhopal’s Chowk Bazar, we were taken into custody.

One by one, policemen began whacking us 150 times each. Being a child, I got away with just 15 whacks. All the others were handcuffed, but I was spared as they could not find a handcuff that would fit my wrist. I was sent to jail under MISA.

After some days, I got bail, but no school was ready to admit me. I began looking for a job after the completion of my education, but due to my stint in jail, I was declared ineligible. Ultimately, I did get a job, but I was posted in a remote area.

-Santosh Sharma, retired govt employee

Didn’t know when we would be freed