Suvendu Adhikari Announces Rs 10,000 Pension For 325 Emergency Prisoners

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday announced a Rs 10,000 monthly pension for 325 people who were jailed for protesting during the Emergency in 1975. They will also get free travel on government buses and medical assistance.

The announcement was made at the state secretariat, where Adhikari honoured the former prisoners with the Paschimbanga Loktantra Senani Samman. He said their suffering and role in defending democracy should be remembered.

Each of the 325 people identified by the state will receive Rs 10,000 every month. They will also get Rs 1,000 in medical assistance for treatment at government hospitals. If a beneficiary has died, the benefits will be given to their spouse, Adhikari said.

The chief minister said the decision was a promise made by his government and was being fulfilled within 90 days of taking office. The BJP came to power in West Bengal for the first time in this year's Assembly elections.

Recalling the Emergency, which began on June 25, 1975, Adhikari said nearly 1 lakh people were jailed across the country. He put the number from West Bengal at around 5,000. He said those who opposed restrictions on democratic rights helped protect parliamentary democracy and voting rights.

Adhikari also attacked the previous Left Front and Trinamool Congress governments over what he called their failure to highlight Syama Prasad Mookerjee's contribution and the role of nationalism in Bengal's history.

A special committee headed by the chief secretary will be formed on August 13. It will examine changes to school textbooks, including Mookerjee's ideas and what Adhikari described as the “correct history” of Bengal's Partition.

The chief minister also assured the Loktantra Senani Sangh, an organisation of former Emergency-era political prisoners, that their suggestions would be considered.

The announcement came on August 9, the anniversary of the Quit India Movement. Adhikari also paid tribute to freedom fighters earlier in the day.

The Centre observes June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas to mark the imposition of the Emergency. Several BJP-ruled states have also honoured people jailed during that period with pensions and awards.