Nagpur: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday assured to consider pensions to those detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency. Making a statement in State Legislature, Fadnavis assured to fulfil the long-ending demand of the MISA detainees in Maharashtra on the lines of other states.
It was expected that after coming to power the BJP government would provide pension and other facilities to those detained under MISA during the Emergency. But no decision in the matter was taken as yet. According to Loktantra Senani Sangh, fighting for the cause of MISA detainees, the state government is doling out only the assurances since the past three years. The Vice President of Sangh, Ravi Kaskhedikar, said that a memorandum in this regard was submitted to State Government in September last year. Since then the government is only considering over the demand and nothing concrete has been done.
Around 9000 MISA detainees are in Maharashtra. During the Emergency, imposed by the then Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi from June 25, 1975 to March 21, 1977, thousands of people were jailed for the dictatorial step. They were booked under the draconian Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA). The detained belonged to political parties other than Congress, social organisations such as RSS and those connected to 1974 railway strike.
The Loktantra Senani Sangh says that the MISA detainees should be treated as freedom fighters and given all facilities including pension available to a freedom fighter in the country.
