Dhankhar Calls for Shah Panel Report Over Emergency

New Delhi: BJP MP Deepak Prakash on Friday called for the government to release the Shah Commission report, claiming it was destroyed by the Congress government and that the only existing copy is in the National Library of Australia. Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar supported the request, urging the government to explore the possibility of placing an authentic copy of the report, which investigated "the darkest period of democracy," on the House table.

The Shah Commission report, related to the atrocities committed during the Emergency imposed in 1975, was the focus of Prakash’s Zero Hour mention. He highlighted that the Commission, established in 1977, held 100 sittings and reviewed 48,000 documents, presenting its findings on August 6, 1978, in three volumes. Prakash asserted that the report, destroyed after Indira Gandhi’s government returned to power in 1980, holds critical facts about the Emergency.

Chairman Dhankhar noted the significance of the report and emphasised the importance of making it available for the benefit of members and the public. He directed the government to examine the feasibility of acquiring an authentic copy.

In related proceedings, TMC’s Sushmita Deb called for the release of funds to address the Assam floods, while AAP’s Harbhajan Singh advocated for converting the Bhakra Beas Management Board Hospital in Talwara into either a Postgraduate Institute (PGI) or an All India Institute of Medical Science.