Patna journalist’s memoirs on Emergency
Law Kumar Mishra
On June 26, 1975 morning on All India Radio, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi informed the Nation, “The President has proclaimed the Emergency” and assured there is nothing to panic about.
I was working with The Searchlight when the Emergency was proclaimed. It was morning shift (8 am to 2 pm). Believe it or not, the head of the IB, who used to visit the newspaper office to “collect waste” press releases of the Sangharsh samiti or signed statements of JP during the students’ movement, was not aware of the proclamation when he visited the newsroom occupied by the morning desk.
He had many friends on the desk and reporting. The Chief Sub, who was leading the morning desk, told him that he would not get leftovers (press releases and statements) anymore. He did not appreciate it, but when informed Emergency has been imposed, no leader would dare to come to the Press, he asked for the details and made a hasty retreat on his Willy’s jeep without waiting for the tea offer.
The Press Information Bureau was literally next door, behind the petrol pump. Yadunath Sinha was heading the PIB, friendly with the senior reporters and chief subs and always a perfect host after sunset. A joint secretary of the home department acted as censor officer for some time, little knowledge and dangerous things, he perfected.
One day editor S R Rau, in his edit, talked of rising prices of vegetables, which was not allowed. The Edit went blank the next morning. Later, PIB took over as censor officer, he had knowledge of news and views.
The cooperation between reporters and the censor increased with mutual respect. Releases of DPR/PIB got more space.
Chief Minister Dr Jagannath Mishra, himself a former Journalist, was not Harsh. As the Searchlight was delisted by his predecessor, Abdul Ghafoor for “publishing false and concocted stories”, Dr Mishra was careful. No Journalist was arrested, only five detained under MISA during the 21 months emergency.
Editor S R Rau maintained the high standards set by his brilliant predecessors, Murli Babu, MSM Sharma, K Rama Rao, TJS George and Subhash Sarkar and did not bow down. That was the reason that leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Rajmata Scindia, Karpoori Thakur visited him in the Searchlight to consult him on political issues too.
And, at a press conference at the residence of Bihar Chief Minister, after a 21 months old emergency, she boasted, “Do you think they will handle the emergency.” She was reacting to rising prices, rural violence and unrest during the Janta Regime and the emergency as a weapon to stop “anarchy”.
And the annual Emergency Rudali goes on.
(The author has worked with the Times of India and is now based in Patna)
