RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Sunday broke down in tears as he recalled the police "atrocities and barbarism" people suffered during the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi government on this day in 1975.
He described the public movement against the Emergency as the "second freedom struggle" and said it succeeded because of the able guidance and leadership of those who spearheaded it.
"There was widespread barbarism and atrocities during the period of Emergency. Before sending to jail, police would keep in lockup at police station those arrested for raising voice during the Emergency and apply all barbaric, inhuman and horrible methods to torture them," Hosabale, who was arrested during the period, said.
"Some of these people became handicapped for life, some lost their eyesight...many of my friends...such things didn't happen with me but happened with others in front of my eyes," he recalled and broke down in tears.
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The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary said it was not easy to understand the situation that prevailed at that time because there was no TV or internet available back then.
Hosabale was speaking at the Indraprastha Vishwa Samvada Kendra (IVSK), the RSS media wing, on the anniversary of the imposition of the Emergency.
He described the 21-month period as a "black chapter" in India's history and said the then Indira Gandhi government imposed it using the provisions of the Constitution because she "had lost on three fronts - judiciary, political and public".
"While the movement under the leadership of J P Narayan had reached its peak by June, Indira Congress suffered a miserable defeat in Gujarat elections. On June 12, the Allahabad High Court nullified Indira Gandhi's Lok Sabha election victory from Rae Bareli,” he said.
The RSS leader said any attempt to suppress or trample the voice of the people in a democracy cannot succeed.
"You can suppress for some time, like it was during the Emergency period, but you cannot so for long,” he said, adding “People's voice can remain strong in a democratic system and it should remain so."