RSS workers tortured in jails during Emergency, at least 100 died: Sunil Ambekar

THOUSANDS of RSS volunteers, including some prominent office bearers, were put in jail and subjected to various kinds of tortures in custody during the period of Emergency imposed by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975, senior RSS functionary Sunil Ambekar said.

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"At least 100 such Sangh 'karyakartas' died during this period. Some of them died in jail while others (happened) outside. Our Pandurang Kshirsagarji (then head of Sangh's all India Management committee) was one of those who died in jail due to extreme torture," the RSS's national publicity and media department head told PTI.

Ambekar termed the imposition of Emergency by the erstwhile Congress government a "black spot" on India's democratic traditions and said those 21 months of "dictatorship" in the country can never be forgotten.

The RSS workers were arrested, beaten and many of them were subjected to even third-degree torture in custody to force them to come in support of the government and imposition of Emergency, he said.

"They also wanted them to reveal the names of the Sangh leaders participating in the nationwide movement (against the imposition of Emergency)," Ambekar said.

"But the dictatorship eventually came to an end and democracy was restored in the country due to unrelenting mass movement in the country,” he added.

All 'swayamsevaks' actively participated in the nationwide movement to save democracy, he said.