Mistaken Arrest During Historic JNU Raid in Emergency Era

New Delhi, Jun 25 (PTI): A case of mistaken identity led to an unexpected twist during a police raid at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in the early days of the Emergency. In a bid to clamp down on an alleged political conspiracy, Delhi Police inadvertently arrested the cook of prominent academic and former MP, Prof ML Sondhi. The incident was recollected by historian Sohail Hashmi, who was detained on the same night.

Hashmi narrated the episode, stating, "On July 8, 1975, the police operation at JNU commenced, armed with a list of names in Urdu. The entire campus was cordoned off with police presence at every entry point." According to him, Prof Sondhi, anticipating potential trouble, had already left the city. However, his cook, unfamiliar with the political tension surrounding him, was not as fortunate.

"He was simply going about his daily tasks when the police detained him. He had no comprehension of what was happening," Hashmi revealed. "I saw him, trembling with fear, at the police station. When questioned by me, the officers swiftly realized their error in arresting him," Hashmi continued.

The raid originated from dubious intelligence that suggested JNU students were hoarding weapons for a presumed insurrection. Hashmi remarked, "The notion was ludicrous. Some detainees were mere attendees for MA admission interviews."

Hashmi, along with around 13 others, was apprehended under the Defence of India Rules (DIR), 1969, which sanctioned detention without trial for those allegedly conspiring against the state. "We were incarcerated at Tihar Jail and subsequently presented before the Parliament Street Court," he recounted.

Only following intervention by university authorities, including Hashmi's research guide, the dean, and the registrar, who corroborated that no conspiracy had transpired, were many of the detainees released on bail. JNU became a focal point of direct repression during this timeframe. "Even a cook found himself mistaken for a political prisoner in this sweep," Hashmi observed.

The Emergency, declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975, marks half a century this week. The 21-month period saw suspensions of fundamental rights, a crackdown on press freedom, and the imprisonment of countless political activists, students, academics, and opposition figures without trial.

Prof Sondhi was an independent-minded politician elected to Parliament in 1967 from New Delhi on a Bharatiya Jana Sangh ticket. Afterward, he joined the Indian School of International Studies (ISIS) as a Reader, continuing to teach at JNU post its merger with ISIS in 1971.

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