Archive · 26 Jun 2025
42 Years Later, Family Receives Postmortem Report on Emergency Death
In 1976, during a time when the government forced people to undergo sterilization, a woman named Chanderwati died in her village in India.
Her family searched for answers about her death for 42 years, finally getting a report in 2018.
The report showed she was shot.
This happened during protests against the forced sterilizations, when police intervened.
Chanderwati's family is still seeking justice and recognition.
This story highlights a difficult time in history, where people's rights were limited and the government took actions that caused great pain.
A postmortem report from 2018 revealed details of a woman's death during a forced sterilization drive in 1976.
Chanderwati's family sought answers for 42 years before obtaining the report, which detailed a skull fracture from a bullet.
The incident occurred in Pipli village, Haryana, when police intervened in protests against forced sterilizations during the Emergency.
Chanderwati's name remains absent from official records, hindering the family's access to relief programs.
Local residents recall the events, the government's sterilization targets, and the resulting unrest and violence.
- Who
- Chanderwati and her family; police; residents of Pipli village
- What
- Death of Chanderwati due to police intervention during a forced sterilization protest.
- When
- December 2, 1976
- Where
- Pipli village, Sonipat district, Haryana, India
- Why
- Chanderwati's death occurred during protests against the Indira Gandhi government's forced sterilization program.
Victims/Family
N/A
Justice
Victims/Family
Seeking justice and recognition for the death during the Emergency
N/A
N/A
- Victim
- Chanderwati
- Age at Death
- 30
- Incident Date
- December 2, 1976
- Location
- Pipli Village, Haryana
- Cause of Death
- Bullet wound, as per the report
- Sterilization Target (Haryana, 1975-76)
- Initially 74,300, later reduced to 45,000. Eventually 57,492 were carried out.