Partly true

The Reel accurately shares genuine archival footage of Indira Gandhi's September 1975 interview with the BBC. As seen in the video, she defended the Emergency, claimed she was functioning within the constitution, and cited Abraham Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus to justify her actions.

Some of it's right, some isn't. Reel by @bbcnewsindia · checked 13 Oct 2026 · History

The Reel we checked

@bbcnewsindia

At midnight on 25 June 1975, India - a young democracy and the world’s largest - froze. Then prime minister Indira Gandhi had just declared a nationwide…

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What we checked

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Indira Gandhi claimed in 1975 that she had not taken any extra powers and was functioning absolutely within the constitution.

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Indira Gandhi claimed in 1975 that legal immunity had just been extended to the vice president and the prime minister of India.

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Indira Gandhi claimed that Abraham Lincoln once asked, "Do you want the Union or habeas corpus?" during American history.

Indira Gandhi defended her decision to impose the 1975 Emergency in an interview with journalist Paul Saltzman in September 1975.No reliable source found for this yet.

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