Sterilised against will

 

 

Of all the excesses committed during the National Emergency of 1975-77, the demolition drive in the walled city and forced sterilisation drive have perhaps left the deepest imprints on the psyche of Indians. Sanjay Gandhi’s publicly initiated sterilisation programme went horribly wrong when officials and cops, at their sycophantic worst, started forcibly performing vasectomies in order to meet their 'quotas'. Although every section of society suffered, Muslims were especially targeted – the first to be sterilised in any locality. Many Muslim youths still adolescent were sterilised. Images of Rukhsana Sultana wearing fancy Police goggles, monitoring sterilisation drive in the walled city area shocked people. And this drive trigerred Muslim alienation from Congress. (1975-77)