Maharashtra Government Planning To Grant ‘Freedom Fighter’ Status To Those Jailed During Emergency

The Maharashtra government may soon grant “freedom fighter” status to those who served time in jail during the Emergency imposed in 1975 by the then Congress government led by Indira Gandhi, the Indian Express has reported.

“The government is positively considering according freedom fighter status to all those who served imprisonment during Emergency,” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was quoted by the daily as saying.

“The process to compile the list of individuals who served imprisonment during Emergency will be done across Maharashtra. They would be accorded honour and dignity as freedom fighter,” Fadnavis added.

The proposal, which reportedly received unanimous support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena, will come up for discussion in the first cabinet meeting in January 2018 following pressure from various quarters.

Other BJP ruled states, including Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, are also considering the proposal, the report says.

“Almost all 19 BJP-ruled states are planning to give freedom fighter status to individuals who fought against Emergency and served a sentence in jail,” the daily quoted an unnamed BJP leader as saying.

The decision, party insiders said, is aimed “to convey a strong message and uphold the importance of democracy”.