Berhampur: Former defence minister George Fernandes, who passed away Tuesday, was in Berhampur when former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi proclaimed Emergency in the country on the night of June 25, 1975.
On that day, Fernandes, a fiery socialist leader, was attending a meeting of intellectuals at Prakasham Theatre in the evening. While addressing the gathering, he apprehended that Indira Gandhi would either resign or might undemocratically declare Emergency in the country to retain power in her hands.
The police and the administration on being alerted beforehand had readied themselves to crack down on the dissidents.
Fernandes fled the scene when the meeting was on. Former Kabisuryanagar MLA-cum-Janata Party leader late Tarini Charan Patnaik and eminent environmentalist-cum-tribal rights activist Prafulla Samantara and others had helped the socialist leader escape from the scene.
He had arrived in Berhampur June 24 and was staying at his father-in-law Humayun Kabir’s house on Gopalpur beach. Kabir was the education minister in former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet.
Fernandes’ June 25th schedule was packed. He attended a meeting of the Berhampur University Employees Association, a meeting with socialist leaders and workers and a gathering of intellectuals in the evening.
He was scheduled to attend a meeting of the Railways Workers Association June 26 but before that he fled the Silk City secretly.
Fernandes was the national president of the All India University Employees Association and the Railways Workers Federation.
PNN