New Delhi, 25 June (H.S.):
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Thursday welcomed the inclusion of a chapter on the Emergency in the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Class 9 textbook, saying that the younger generation should be aware of this period in India’s history.
Speaking to journalists at the Delhi Secretariat, Sood said, “What is freedom of expression? What is the difference between a declared Emergency and an undeclared Emergency? The new generation should know all these things.”
He said NCERT has attempted to educate students about how freedom of expression was curtailed during the Emergency period and why it remains an important chapter in the country’s democratic history. According to him, it is essential for young people to understand these events so that such circumstances are never repeated in the future.
In a post on social media platform X, the minister described June 25, 1975, as a dark chapter in the history of Indian democracy. He said the Emergency, imposed to preserve political power, dealt a severe blow to citizens’ fundamental rights, freedom of expression, and democratic values.
Paying tribute on “Samvidhan Hatya Diwas” (Constitution Murder Day), Sood saluted all those who fought to protect democracy and restore civil liberties during that period. He said their courage and sacrifices would continue to inspire the nation.
Notably, NCERT has for the first time included the 1975–77 Emergency in its Class 9 Social Science textbook. The chapter covers the suspension of fundamental rights, press censorship, and the movement led by Jayaprakash Narayan during the Emergency era.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
