Revisiting the Emergency: contested memories and the Sikh diasporic community

Abstract

The Indian National Emergency continues to cast a long shadow over Indian collective memory, particularly within the Sikh diaspora, where the legacy of Indira Gandhi remains intertwined with memories of violence and historical trauma. The recent release of Kangana Ranaut’s film Emergency (2025) has seen several demonstrations against the film being staged by Sikh groups in Punjab and abroad. The problem with the film, the Sikh Press Association explains, is its promotion of anti-Sikh sentiments, which, they argue, have been stoked by Ranaut since her comments during the farmers’ protests (2020–2021), which evoked collective memories of state violence towards Sikhs. The opposition to the film speaks of the continuing controversy over the memorialisation of a prime minister who, during her time in office, not only established what Jaffrelot and Anil called “India’s first dictatorship” (2020), but was also behind the Operation Blue Star, leading to the mass violence against Sikhs in 1984 and to her own assassination. These protests offer the opportunity to reflect on the legacy of Indira Gandhi and her politics within the Sikh diasporic community  – the making and breaking of a community. Drawing upon my research on the creative output produced in support of Indian farmers, I will discuss the connection between arts produced in response to the farmers protest, the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, and the protest against the release of Kangana’s film in India and abroad.