October 15, 1980, Forty Years Ago: Emergency In Lanka

The Indian Express front page from forty years ago.

The Sri Lankan government has decided to declare a state of emergency through out the island nation to head off “a blood bath planned by the Opposition” Sri Lanka Freedom Party of former Prime Minister Srimavo Bandaranaike. A government spokesperson said it would take necessary action under emergency measures to establish law and order. The government said it had been brought to its notice that at meetings of the SLFP inflammatory speeches have been heard. The Sri Lankan Parliament is due to meet tomorrow to discuss a resolution to deprive Srimavo Bandaranaike and her nephew Felix Dias Bandaranaike of their civil rights.

Parties Place Demand

Leaders of all the 14 legislature parties in Assam asked the Centre to revive the state assembly and install popular government in order to facilitate an early and amicable resolution of the foreigners’ issue. The leaders met the Union Home Minister Giani Zail Singh in between his lengthy deliberations with the Assam agitators. The consensus at the home minister’s meeting with the leadership was that while the NRC of 1951 could be considered as one of the many documents for the detection of foreigners in Assam, a solution to the problem should be based on the Constitution, the Citizenship Act and other laws of the land.

Oil Gets Priority

Faced with growing uncertainties over oil supplies from abroad, the Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet decided to step up off-shore production at Bombay High. It’s also decided to spend an extra Rs 165-crore to develop the facilities at Bombay High.

Chemistry Nobel

Two Americans and one Briton shared the Nobel Prize for chemistry for biochemical studies of nucleic acids. Professor Paul Berg of Stanford University shared one half of the prize, while the other half went to Harvard Professor Walter Gilbert and Fredrick Sanger of Cambridge University.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Opinion News, download Indian Express App.