"Our Lips Were Sealed But...": Ex Tihar Official Recalls 1975 Emergency Days

NDTV

5 hours ago

New Delhi:
"Our lips were sealed but our conscience wasn't," said a retired Tihar Jail official, claiming that during the 1975 Emergency, probe agencies covertly deployed officers inside the prison to monitor staff and political detainees.
While discipline was maintained, many jail staff were deeply troubled by the detention of familiar faces, including teachers and leaders, HC Verma, who was posted in Tihar Jail in 1975 as an Assistant Superintendent and was 26 years old, recalled that the staff was initially told to expect a group of 'extremist' prisoners.
He emphasized that while the jail staff maintained official discipline, many were deeply disturbed by the detention of people they knew personally.
Sharing an emotional encounter with his former school teacher Master Somraj, who was among the detainees, Verma, who went on to become the Superintendent of Prisons, recalled, "I instinctively touched his feet when I saw him. He stopped me and warned, 'don't do this in jail -- it could go against you'." Verma said that in the initial days of the Emergency, jail officials were kept in the dark about the identity and numbers of incoming detainees.
"We were told that dangerous extremists were being brought in. Only later did we realize that they were prominent national leaders," HC Verma said in an interview with PTI.
He said that amid the sudden influx of political detainees, including leaders like Raj Narain, George Fernandes and Maharani Gayatri Devi, the intelligence apparatus moved quickly.
"We later got to know that under-cover officers from various probe agencies were deployed inside the prison under various pretexts like PWD workers, electricians and many other different works. Their job was not just to keep tabs on the inmates but also to monitor the conduct of the jail staff," he said.
He recalled that even a minor breach of confidentiality was met with swift punishment.
"In one such case, a woman warden was immediately suspended and detained for allegedly passing a casual remark about the well-being of a prominent leader to an outsider. What we got to know that she only said that the leader is fine. But within hours, she was suspended and locked in the same ward where earlier she was monitoring the detainees," Verma said.
He said that surveillance of multiple probe agencies extended to routine delivery and food checks, ensuring nothing was passed without scrutiny.
"Even when a relative brought homemade food for a prisoner on his birthday, it was refused. A junior staffer who tried to help deliver, he was also placed under suspension," he added.
On June 25, 1975, Indira Gandhi announced the imposition of the Emergency in a broadcast on All India Radio, shortly after the Supreme Court granted a conditional stay to an Allahabad High Court verdict declaring her election to the Lok Sabha as null and void. It was lifted on March 21, 1977.
At the peak, Tihar housed around 1,900 detainees, including 350-400 political prisoners under MISA and others under the Defence of India Rules (DIR).
"Managing such a mix of hardened criminals and high-profile political detainees was a massive responsibility I was given," Verma said.
He further said that during the Emergency the jail authorities categorised political detainees under different prisoner classes to manage the influx of high-profile leaders.
Verma said there used to be different categories like -- A and B. The B-class ward was well maintained and got vacated to accommodate the incoming political prisoners.
Cellular wards were also cleared for leaders like Nanaji Deshmukh. Verma said efforts were made to ensure prominent detainees were kept in relatively comfortable conditions within the framework of jail rules.