This year, 2025, marked the 77th anniversary of the commemoration of the Martyrdom of Gandhiji, who was murdered on January 30, 1948, precisely at 5.17 pm. In keeping with the national tradition, this platform, HBKL has endeavoured to involve citizens, peoples’ movements and political parties across the spectrum, to mark this day, as a day of national introspection. The aim is to recall the Martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi in the context of his values and teachings, even as we recall all the martyrs of our freedom movement.

Towards this end, the platform had, with local support, put up six hoardings in Nagpur city, where Hum Bharat Ke Log (Nagpur) and Gandhi Smarak Nidhi (Nagpur) were actively involved in the initiative. The billboards, based on a creative effort of a Keralite artist, were put up in six locations across Nagpur.

The locations included – Variety Square FTF Lokmat, Gandhi Statue CA Road, Trimurti Nagar Square, Laxman Nagar Square, Akashwani Square & Bhole Petrol Pump. The billboards were put up in the late evening of January 29. One of the locations included the constituency of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadvanis (BJP).

According to Prajwala Tatte (HBKL, Nagpur), who was coordinating this brave effort, “The company that we had given the contract to, began to call us that they would have to remove the hoardings, as they ‘portrayed violence’. Clearly, the advertising company was being threatened & and pressured by the government, though he was not willing to say this on record. He also said that you could maybe put up hoardings of Gandhiji’s funeral procession. Well, I told him that’s not for him to decide. The billboards were taken down between 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm yesterday, that is January 29.”

In a statement issued on January 31, the HBKL platform has stated that, under the present regime at the centre, the entire country has witnessed the video of Puja Shakun Pandey (Hindu Mahasabha, National Secretary), shooting at an effigy of Gandhiji, to mark the death anniversary of Gandhiji, as Shaurya Divas, in Aligarh. No visible action has been taken against her for promoting hate and violence – and the fact that she was eulogising the murder of the Father of our Nation.

At a time when “temples are being made in honour of Nathuram Godse, the murderer of our Bapu, the Father of our Nation,” the removal of billboards visually portraying Bapu’s death were pulled down, that too in a town that has the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The organisation has called for a national debate on the murder of Mahatma Gandhi and re-iterated their commitment to Mahatma Gandhi;s thoughts and moral values.

The statement has been issued by Dr. G. G. Parikh, Tushar Gandhi, Feroze Mithiborwala, Guddi S L, Sharad Kadam, Dhananjay Shinde, Santosh Ambekar, Ali Bhojani, Siddesh Kadam, Vanita Tondwalkar, Yashodhan Paranjpe and Archana Tajane.

Related:

Courts and the Gandhi murder case: What happened on January 30 and who was behind it?

Remember when RSS-Jan Sangh leaders (clandestinely) apologised for opposing Emergency, called Gandhi murderer “patriot”

Real History: Gandhi’s Murder, Godse & the RSS

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One had expected much better from Dabholkar who has adapted the original Pradeep Dalvi play in Marathi Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoy (I am Nathuram Godse speaking). I had seen it more than 25 years ago in Mumbai. Even then people had clapped, I immediately wrote a report for the Times of India where I was working, it was, however, suppressed. The Marathi version was directed by Vinay Apte, who was associated with the Sangh Parivar, and the actor Sharad Ponkshe, playing Godse, remains to this day a great admirer of Godse in real life.

Dabholkar is much better educated than Dalvi, has a much better social exposure with his experience in advertising and other fields; he is financially better off. I have enjoyed some of his humour. Unfortunately, he leaves a a much worse taste in the mouth, with this play, than the earlier one. He claims to be impartial but gave himself away during the bow to the audience after the performance when he announced that those who wanted to see the clothes and other belongings of Godse could see them in Godse’s house in Pune. This clearly shows his bias in favour of Godse. He retains some of the wildest distortions of the original with clearly fake characters and scenes regarding the trial.

As Y.D. Phadke[1], the eminent scholar and political science professor, wrote in response to the Marathi play that characters of inspector Shaikh and sub inspector Sawant simply did not exist in real life, in the trial. There is so much nonsensical fiction thrown into the play, Devdas Gandhi , son of the Mahatma, is shown to be a lawyer who wants to take up the case of Godse, his meetings with Godse are shown. In fact, no such meetings took place and Devdas was not a lawyer. More ludicrous is the scene of a burqa clad Zubeida, showing her great afffection, respect for Godse, and she is the sister of the fictitious inspector Shaikh who also becomes an admirer of Godse! Too many falsehoods to be mentioned here.

A note. Since the issue dealt here is sensitive, comments if any may be moderate in tone. (This was for Meta Facebook where the post appears) Extremists, please look elsewhere if you want to write on this.

The volume, Beyond Doubt, A Dossier on Gandhi’s Assassination, edited and introduced by Teesta Setalvad brings to light the report of the Kapur Commission which was appointed by the Government of India in 1965 to examine the depth and scope of the conspiracy that lay behind the killing of Gandhi.

This three-volume report has been absent from the public domain though it contains invaluable evidence—intelligence reports, oral and documentary evidence—of the extent of complicity behind the hate-driven conspiracy that resulted in the Mahatma’s killing.

On November 12, 1964, at a programme organized in Pune, Dr G.V. Ketkar, the grandson of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, disclosed that six months before the actual criminal act, Nathuram Godse had disclosed his intentions to kill Gandhi. This information was passed on by him via others to the Chief Minister of the then Bombay state, B.G. Kher. Not only was Ketkar arrested but a furore ensued in the Maharashtra State Assembly and the Indian Parliament at the time. In 1965, the Government of India set up a Commission of Inquiry into the Conspiracy to Murder Mahatma Gandhi, headed by Justice Jeevan Lal Kapur, a former judge of the Supreme Court. The commission examined evidence not produced during the trial. Justice Kapur concluded that the facts showed that a clear conspiracy existed on the part of Hindu supremacist groups.

(The author, a senior journalist with The Times of India wrote this on meta/Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/share/p/gnM6x6wsr1ykaXp7/?mibextid=WC7FNe; this version has been edited slightly–Editors)

[1] Communalism Combat, in October 2000 published, in translation, extracts from noted historian, YD Phadke’s book in Marathi, Nathuramayan. This was titled, The murderer as martyr https://sabrang.com/cc/comold/oct00/cover1.htm. It is also available on https://sabrangindia.in/murderer-martyr/#:~:text=In%20independent%20India%2C%20politics%20has,his%20statement%20to%20the%20court. This article by eminent historian YD Phadke had exposed Pradeep Dalvi’s claim about his play, Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoye, being based on historical facts as completely bogus. Nathuramayan is a compilation of a series of incisive articles by the (The article in Marathi was first published in the Marathi eveninger, Apla Mahanagar and translated for us into English by Mukta Rajadhyaksha). 

The post Bharat Dabholkar’s adulation of Nathuram Godse is titled Nathuram Godse Must Die appeared first on SabrangIndia.

“He had barely covered six or seven steps when a person whose name I learnt later as Narayan Vinayak Godse, resident of Poona, stepped closer and fired three shots from a pistol at the Mahatma from barely 2 / 3 feet distance which hit the Mahatma in his stomach and chest and blood started flowing. Mahatma ji fell backwards, uttering “Raam – Raam“. The assailant was apprehended on the spot with the weapon.”

– Nand Lal Mehta, F.I.R. filed in the Gandhi murder case 

Case- Rex v. Nathuram Vinayak Godse and Others        

It was on January 30, 1948, almost 76 years ago, that our beloved Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse. Godse had put three bullets into Gandhi’s chest. The trial and appeal of Godse’s case, also known as the Mahatma Gandhi Murder case, was concluded within 2 years of his assassination. A total of twelve were chargesheeted for the charges of conspiracy (under section 120B of the Indian Penal Code) and murder (under Section 302 of the IPC) of Gandhiji.

While Nathuram Godse, the assassin from the Hindu Mahasabha previously with the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) and Narayan Apte were given death sentences after being held guilty of murder—the bench observing his actions to be both “deliberate and calculated,” —investigation into the conspiracy angle in the attack on the Mahatma was sharply criticised and Vikram Damodar Savarkar was let off on count of lack of evidence. Four of the accused, namely Vishnu Karkare, Madanlal Pahwa, Shankar Kistayya, Gopal Godse, were given life sentence. The remaining Dattatraya Parchure was given a sentence of seven years of imprisonment.  In fact the judgement observes that the assassination may have been avoided had previous attacks on Gandhi and statements of Madanlal Pahwa and Dr JC Jain been delved into.

Out of these twelve, nine were tried, namely Godse, Narayan Apte, Vishnu Karkare, Digambar Badge, Madanlal Pahwa, Shankar Kistayya, Gopal Godse, Vinayak Savarkar and Dattatreya Parchure. The remaining three accused, namely Gandadhar Dandwate, Gangadhar Jadhav and Suryadeo Sharma, were declared absconding. It is essential to note that Accused Digambar Badge had turned approver in the said case and was granted pardon later in June, 1948.

The build-up to the killing- the explosion, the misdirected anger, the murder of the father of the nation

Ten days prior to the murder of Gandhiji, on the evening of January 20, 1948, an explosion had taken place near the compound wall of Birla House, New Delhi. Birla House was where Gandhiji had been staying, holding his prayer meetings on the lawns. Since these were the days following the partition of India with Pakistan being carved out, the atmosphere in Delhi and other parts of the country was tensed and charged. Gandhiji, along with many leaders of the Indian National Congress, had been raising calls for non-violence, urging for the citizens to maintain Hindu-Muslim unity and uphold the values of secularism.

Since India had chosen to remain a secular nation, many were enraged with Gandhiji. Police were posted at Birla House to protect him from any possible assault. At first, it was believed that the explosion of January 20, was not aimed at Gandhi as it had taken place almost a hundred and fifty feet away from the dais where he sat. However, it was during intestigation that the police had revealed that the explosion was a part of the conspiracy to kill Gandhi off. Notably, Madanlal Pahwa had been apprehended on spot on the day.

Even when the police had gotten information that Madanlal had other accomplices in the plot and that the plan did not work and that his co-conspirators had fled, the police was unable to apprehend the others. The Government had also reinforced the police force and tightened the security measures at Birla House.

At 5 pm on the evening of January 30, 1948, Gandhi was shot point-blank by Godse as he was on his way to the dais for the prayer meeting, which he had continued with even after the explosion attack. After firing the three bullets, Godse had raised his hand with the gun and had been caught red-handed by the police. It is essential to highlight here that Godse was one of those involved with the explosion and the police had been looking for him.

For the case, the Investigations were confined mainly to Bombay, Delhi and Gwalior. Though Gandhi was shot in Delhi, the plot was hatched in the erstwhile Bombay Province.

The trial of the murder of Mahatma Gandhi-

The trial of the said case had been held in the Special Court of Red Fort, Delhi in the court of Special Judge Atma Charan, ICS. The said special court had been constituted on May 4, 1948 under Sections 10 and 11 of the Bombay Public Security Measures Act, 1947. After the chargesheet was submitted and the charges were read out to the accused, the accused had pled not guilty and the trial had ensued.  The prosecution had been led by the then advocate general of Bombay, C.K. Daphtary. It is essential to note that while Godse was initially represented by advocate V.V. Oak, he had later on applied to argue the case himself, who which he was given permission.

The prosecution: The prosecution’s evidence in the aforementioned case began on June 24, 1948, and continued until November 6, 1948. In addition to calling 149 witnesses for examination, the prosecution also filed 404 documentary evidence and 80 material exhibits. The recording of the statements of the accused commenced on November 8, 1948 and carried on till November 22, 1948. Documentary exhibits totalling 119 were brought on record. It is pertinent to note that Morarji Desai, the then home minister of the Bombay was one of the witnesses examined by the prosecution. His evidence had been used by the prosecution to establish a fact in relation to the explosion which had taken place at Birla House at the behest of Madanlal Pahwa and others.

The defendants: Interestingly enough, accused Godse had declined to adduce evidence in his defence. Rather, in his ninety-two page long written statement, which he had gotten the chance to read out loud, Godse took full ownership of the heinous act committed and denied the involvement of any other accused in the conspiracy to murder Gandhi. His statement was more of an ideological assault on the principles and values of Gandhi rather than a statement of defence, which was surprisingly allowed to be read in an open court for nine hours.

In regards to the other accused, some of the accused pleaded alibi. Kistayya, in his written statement, had stated that the acts committed by him were at the bidding of Badge. Notable, while Kistayya had taken the responsibility for transporting revolvers and bombs from place to place, he had later retracted his statement. In his statement, Savarkar had denied the charges against him in totality and had contended that he had no control over the acts of Godse and Apte.

The judgment: The judgment in this historical case, delivered on February 10, 1949, ran into 111 pages. The said judgment had been divided into a total of 27 chapters which cover the role played by each of the accused, the incidents as they took place, the evidence and written statements submitted and the offences made out.

In the portion of offences made out and the sentencing, the bench of special judge Charan that based on the evidence provided, illegal acts of conspiracy and murder were committed by the accused. Through the judgment, the bench convicted seven of the accused while acquitting one, namely Savarkar. The said seven were held guilty of transporting arms without license, abetting each other of the commission of the offences described above and kept possession of arms without license. In reference to the January 20 explosion, the seven were held guilty of possessing explosive substances and abetting each other to commit the offending acts.

The judgment clearly holds Nathuram Godse to be guilty of intentionally and knowingly cause the death of Mahatma Gandhi, an offense that will within the ambit of Section 302 of the IPC and constitutes murder. In the judgment, the bench observed that “the act of Nathuram V Godse in committing the murder of Mahatma Gandhi was a deliberate and calculated one. No extenuating circumstances have been pointed out nor could have been pointed out in his behalf. With this, the court gave accused Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte death sentences. Four of the accused, namely Vishnu Karkare, Madanlal Pahwa, Shankar Kistayya, Gopal Godse, were given life sentence. The remaining Dattatraya Parchure was given a sentence of seven years of imprisonment. While acquitting Savarkar, judge Charan had noted in the judgement that the case against him by the prosecution had only depended on the evidence supplied by the approver Badge, and depending on the same alone for the conviction would not be in the sake of justice.

Towards the end of the judgment, special judge Charan also highlighted the “slackness of the Police in the investigation of the case” during the period of the ten day between the explosion at the Birla House and the shooting of Gandhi. As per the judgment, passing strictures against the casual conduct shown by the police in investigating the conspiracy to kill Gandhi, “the police had miserably failed to derive any advantage from the statements [of Madanlal Pahwa and Dr. JC Jain]. Had the slightest keenness been shown in the investigation of the case at that stage, the tragedy would probably have been averted.”

The complete judgment can be read here:

The appeal in the East Punjab High Court at Shimla:

A period of 15 days had been provided to those convicted to file the appeal against the judgment in the Punjab High Court. All the seven accused had moved the appeals. In the High Court too, Godse had sought permission to argue on his behalf and had been granted the same. Significantly, keeping up with the “heroic” image that Godse saw himself as, in his Godse had not appealed against his death sentence and had only appealed against the conviction of criminal conspiracy under Section 120 B and other charges.

The appeals filed by the convicts were heard swiftly, with the hearings taking place in the month of May and June and the verdict being pronounced by the end of June. By a judgment dated June 21, 1949, the three-judge bench of the High Court comprising Justices Bhandari, Achhru Ram and Khosla had upheld the conviction for five of the accused persons and acquitted two of the accused persons, namely Shankar Kistaiya and Dr. Parchure. The sentences granted by the trial court to accused Vishnu Karkare, Gopal Godse and Madanlal Pahwa were confirmed. In addition to this, the Judges had also confirmed the death sentence of Narayan Apte.

The judgment ran to a total of 561 pages. Justice Achhru Ram’s 360 paged judgment formed the main part, accompanied by Justice Bhandari’s long concurring judgment. A one paragraph judgment was also written by Justice Khosla through which he had simply disagreed with the recommendation of the Justice Achhru Ram to commute the sentence of Pahwa.

The judgment of Justice Acchru Ram contained the sequential history of India and of Gandhi since 1914, which contained the principles of togetherness and non-violence of Gandhi and the objections that “Hindu nationalists” had against him. The judgment recounts the various meetings that took place between the accused at different points of time to conspire to kill Gandhi, the preparation in furtherance of the conspiracy, the arms and the attempts. A major chunk of the judgment traces the events that took place in the month of January 1948. In the later part of the judgment, the court weighs the statements and evidence provided by approver Badge in the case along with the other witnesses and corroborators. In the operative part of the judgment, Justice Ram accepted the appeals filed by accused Kistayya and Parchure and acquitted them from the charges filed against them. On the other hand, Justice Ram dismissed the appeals filed by Godse and four others, namely Apte, Gopal Godse, Pahwa and Karkare, and upheld their convictions. It is important to note that Justice Ram recommended commutation of sentence for accused Gopal Godse as well as Pahwa in view of their young age and them being in “bloom of their lives”. Rather, in regards to the role played by Gopal Godse and Pahwa, Justice Ram stated that the two seemed to have acted under the influence of the other “stronger and determined persons”.

Towards the end of the said judgement, Justice Ram specifically pointed towards the comments made by Special Judge in the trial court judgement against the police. Observing the said strictures passed by the trial judge against the Delhi Police to not be justified, Justice Ram deemed the same to be uncalled for.

The reasons behind the Justice Bhandari authoring a nearly 100-paged concurring judgment remained unclear. Through his judgment, Justice Bhandari also acquitted the two accused Parchure and Kistayya on the ground that there was insufficient evidence while convicting Godse and four others. Similar to Justice Ram, Justice Bhandari also suggested commuting the sentences of Gopal Godse as well as Pahwa for commutation of sentence in regards to their young age.

Similar to Justice Ram, Justice Bhandari too found the remarks made by the special judge against the Delhi Police to be unjustified, observing that it would have been impossible for any police officer, however capable and efficient he might have been, to have prevented Nathuram from committing the crime on which he had set his heart.

In the one paragraph authored by Justice Khosla, the acquittal granted to two accused as well as the conviction of the remaining five accused was concurred with. However, Justice Khosla disassociated himself from the recommendations made the other two members of the High Court bench in favour of the commutation of sentence of accused Pahwa in view of the prominent part played by him in the conspiracy to kill Gandhi. In his judgment, Justice Khosla wrote that “The fact that the place of January 20 miscarried does not, in my opinion, extenuate Pahwa’s guilt.”

The complete judgment can be read here:

The last avenue for appeal- the Privy Council

There remained only one possible course of action- to file appeals in the Privy Councils. All five of the individuals who were found guilty and convicted by the high court—Nathuram Godse, Apte, Karkare, Pahwa, and Gopal Godse—filed a special leave petition to appeal to the privy council. John McGaw represented the appellants. Members of the privy council’s judicial committee included Sir John Beaumont, Sir Lionel Leach, Lord Greene, Lord Simonds, and Lord Radcliffe.

Upon considering McGaw’s arguments, the Privy Council decided not to grant special leave to appeal, citing no need for the Crown to respond. Following this, the governor general in council also denied the mercy pleas filed by Apte and Nathuram Godse. It is to be noted that Godse had not himself filed the mercy pleas, rather his family had on his behalf. Till the end, Nathuram Vinayak Godse, a Hindu Mahasabhaite, was not ashamed of having killed Mahatma Gandi, the father of the nation.

Godse and Apte were hanged in Ambala jail on November 15, 1949.

Plea for re-investigation into Gandhi Murder Case dismissed by the Supreme Court

The saga of courts and the Gandhi murder case did not end with the Privy Council. In the year of 2017, a Special Leave Petition was moved in Supreme Court by Pankaj Phadnis urging for the reopening of the criminal investigation of Gandhi’s assassination. In his plea, the petitioner had suggested that there was a foreign conspiracy involving ‘Force 136’ and presence of a second assassin as well as a ‘fourth bullet’ fired at the Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948. Through the plea, it had also been alleged that “adverse, unfounded” remarks were made by the Kanpur Commission in 1969 against Savarkar and therefore, it was pleaded to setup a commission to review the same and find out the conspiracy behind the incident.

In the judgment passed by the Supreme Court bench comprising former Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara, the Court refused to enter into the arena of reviewing the correctness and fairness of the findings of the report.

As per a report in the LiveLaw, the bench had observed “You said people have the right to know about what happened. But it appears that people already know about it. You are creating suspicion in the minds of the people. The fact is that the people who committed assassination have been identified and hanged. It (the incident) is too late in the day. We are not going to reopen or correct it.”

With regards to the arguments raised in regards to the “unfairness” shown by the Commission to Savarkar, the bench held “The submission of the petitioner that Shri Savarkar has been held guilty for the murder of Gandhiji is misplaced.” (Para 7)

In the judgment, the bench further stated, “We are, however, not inclined to enter into the correctness or fairness of the findings in this report. That would be another exercise in futility and would none the less pan new fires of controversy. This Court must at all cost be vary of such contentious issues and must not allow its jurisdiction to be invoked for such purposes.” (Para 8)

Dismissing the PIL moved, the bench stated “We consider the petitioner’s attempt to reopen this controversy as an exercise in futility.” (Para 9)

The complete judgment can be read here:

Three bullets, one freedom fighter, one aggrieved supremacist

The assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse has been etched into the collective memory of every citizen of India, every follower of the Gandhian principles of non-violence, tolerance and togetherness. It has been evident from the brief overview of the judgments by the Courts in the Gandhi Murder case that his assassination was not a spontaneous reaction, but an elaborate conspiracy by certain Hindu supremacists to hamper his message of peace.

In January of 1948, only two weeks prior to his assassination, Gandhi had sat on a fast at Birla House, stating that he will only end his protest when an atmosphere of Hindu-Muslim amity and harmony returns to Delhi. These were days when the newly partitioned India had been under the grips of violence and certain “anti-national elements” want the nation to be a Hindu nation. Three days prior to the killing of Gandhi, a Hindu Mahasabha Delhi meeting had demanded that Gandhi and his “anti-Hindu forces” should go to Pakistan.

The cracks in the Hindu-Muslim unity and secularism had become evident the day our beloved Gandhi had died.

It is also crucial to highlight here that the Courts had acquitted Savarkar from having played any role in the assassination of Gandhi due to “lack of evidence”. Savarkar, under whose guidance the Hindu Mahasabha worked, threw Godse and Apte under the bus to save himself and the two, who believed to have been working for a greater purpose, had happily refused any involvement of Savarkar. Many articles have been written about the “cowardly” attitude of Savarkar during the trials of the Gandhi murder case. In an article by the Wire, it was written that “During the trial, Savarkar did not even turn his head towards.. Nathuram.. much less speak with him (Godse).” Many have also alleged that the contentious speech delivered by Godse in the trial court for his defence, in which he has revered the falsifying and divisive ideologies of Savarkar, was written by Savarkar himself.

Today, the current ruling regime, who had backed the demand of the Hindu Mahasabha to install Godse statues in temples across the country in the year 2015, have been on the mission to cleansing and easing Savarkar in our minds and lives by distorting history. The partisan and supremacist ideology of Savarkar, who some regard as a Hindutva Hero, into the Indian pantheon and re-shaping India into Hindu Rashtra (Hindu Nation).

As we observe a two-minute silence today to show our respect for the man whose ideologies and path of non-violence led us to attain freedom and independence for our country, it is also necessary that we learn from our past. Neither Gandhi nor those convicted are alive today. What remains are their ideologies. Gandhiji- who stood for the rights of the oppressed and believed in unity or Savarkar and Godse- who believed in violence, otherisation and oppression. It is our choice to choose our paths.

Related:

76th Anniversary of Gandhiji’s Martyrdom: Killers identified by Sardar Patel, then Home Minister of India

Temples should propagate equal respect to all religions: Gandhi on inaugurating Birla Temple

Real History: Gandhi’s Murder, Godse & the RSS

Urging preventive action against hate offenders, Gandhiji’s grandson, Tushar urges Navi Mumbai police to act

The post Courts and the Gandhi murder case: What happened on January 30 and who was behind it? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

These documents also carry comments of a contemporary senior officer of the Indian Civil Service (ICS) on the linkages of the killers with RSS. Another shocking document is from 2013, the Goa conference for the “Formation of the Hindu nation” organised by the Hindu Janjagruti Samity which was inaugurated with a congratulatory message from Narendra Modi (then chief minister of Gujarat), during which Gandhiji’s killing was celebrated.

FEBRUARY, 4, 1948 UNION GOVERNMENT COMMUNIQUÉ BANNING RSS: 

“Undesirable and even dangerous activities have been carried on by members of the Sangh. It has been found that in several parts of the country individual members of the RSS have indulged in acts of violence involving arson, robbery, dacoity, and murder and have collected illicit arms and ammunition. They have been found circulating leaflets exhorting people to resort to terrorist methods, to collect firearms, to create disaffection against the government and suborn the police and the military.”
[Cited in Justice on Trial, RSS, Bangalore, 1962, pp. 65-66.]

SARDAR PATEL LETTER TO NEHRU:    FEBRUARY 27,1948

“All the main accused have given long and detailed statements of their activities. In one case, the statement extends to ninety typed pages. From their statements, it is quite clear that no part of the conspiracy took place in Delhi…It also clearly emerges from these statements that the RSS was not involved at all. It was a fanatical wing of the Hindu Mahasabha directly under Savarkar that (hatched) the conspiracy and saw it through. It also appears that the conspiracy was limited to some ten men, of whom all except two have been got hold of.”
(RSS supporters quote the above part of Sardar’s letter and hide the following text of the same letter which is very significant)

The letter continues: “In the case of secret organization like the RSS which has no records, registers, etc. securing of authentic information whether a particular individual is active worker or not is rendered a very difficult task.”
[V. Shankar, Sardar Patel: Select Correspondence 1945-50, Navjivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, 1977, p. 283-85 ]

SARDAR PATEL LETTER TO SYAMA PRASAD MOOKERJEE: JULY 18,1948

“As regards the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha, the case relating to Gandhiji’s murder is sub judice and I should not like to say anything about the participation of the two organizations, but our reports do confirm that, as a result of the activities of these two bodies, particularly the former, an atmosphere was created in the country in which such a ghastly tragedy became possible. There is no doubt in my mind that the extreme section of the Hindu Mahasabha was involved in the conspiracy. The activities of the RSS constituted a clear threat to the existence of Government and the State. Our reports show that those activities, despite the ban, have not died down. Indeed, as time has marched on, the RSS circles are becoming more defiant and are indulging in their subversive activities in an increasing measure.”
[Letter 64 in Sardar Patel: Select Correspondence1945-1950, volume 2, Navjivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, 1977, pp. 276-77.]

SARDAR PATEL LETTER TO THE THEN SUPREMO OF RSS, M S GOLWALKAR: SEPTEMBER 19, 1948

“Organising the Hindus and helping them is one thing but going in for revenge for its sufferings on innocent and helpless men, women and children is quite another thing…Apart from this, their opposition to the Congress, that too of such virulence, disregarding all considerations of personality, decency or decorum, created a kind of unrest among the people. All their speeches were full of communal poison. It was not necessary to spread poison in order to enthuse the Hindus and organize for their protection. As a final result of the poison, the country had to suffer the sacrifice of the invaluable life of Gandhiji. Even an iota of the sympathy of the Government, or of the people, no more remained for the RSS. In fact opposition grew. Opposition turned more severe, when the RSS men expressed joy and distributed sweets after Gandhiji’s death. Under these conditions it became inevitable for the Government to take action against the RSS…Since then, over six months have elapsed. We had hoped that after this lapse of time, with full and proper consideration the RSS persons would come to the right path.” But from the reports that come to me, it is evident that attempts to put fresh life into their same old activities are afoot.”
[Cited in Justice on Trial, RSS, Bangalore, 1962, pp. 26-28.]

COMMENT OF A SENIOR ICS WHO WAS FIRST HOME SECRETARY OF UP

“Came January 30, 1948 when the Mahatma, that supreme apostle of peace, felt to a bullet fired by an RSS fanatic. The tragic episode left me sick at heart.”
[Rajeshwar Dayal, A Life of Our Times, Orient Longman, 94.]

Cartoons like this were published in Hindutva publications which created hatred against Gandhiji

MODI AS CHIEF MINISTER OF GUJARAT SENT A CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO GOA HINDU RASHTRA CONFERENCE (2013) WHERE GANDHI’S ‘VADH’ WAS CELEBRATED. THIS REFLECTS THE RSS’ HATRED FOR GANDHIJI EVEN TODAY.

Goa in June 2013 for the BJP executive committee meeting Gujarat CM, Modi sent a message to the ‘All India Hindu Convention for Establishment of Hindu Nation’ organised by the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) on JUNE 7TH. Modi’s message read: “Even though every Hindu conducts himself with love, compassion and intimacy with god, giving precedence to non-violence, truth and “satvikta”, repelling demoniacal tendencies is in our destiny. It is our tradition to remain alert and raise a voice against persecution…Only by protecting our culture, can the flag of “dharma” and unity be kept intact. Organisations inspired by nationalism, patriotism and devotion for the Nation are true manifestations of people’s power.”

On the third day from the same dais in this convention from where Modi’s felicitation message was read, one of the prominent speakers, K.V. Sitaramiah, declared that Gandhi was ‘terrible, wicked and most sinful’. Rejoicing the killing of M.K. Gandhi, he went on to declare, “As Bhagwan Shri Krishna said in the Gita, ParitranayaSadhunamVinashaya Cha Dushkritam/ DharamasansthapnayaSambhavamiYuge-Yuge (For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of righteousness, I am born in every age) On…30th January 1948 evening, Shriram came in the form of Nathuram Godse and ended the life of Gandhi.”

Let me add that K.V. Sitaramaiah has also authored a book titled ‘Gandhi was Dharma Drohi and DesaDrohi’ in which the back cover matter, quoting from the epic Mahabharat, demands ‘Dharma Drohis must be killed’, ‘Not killing the deserved to be killed is great sin’ and ‘where the members of Parliament seeing clearly allow to kill Dharma & truth as untruth, those members will be called dead’.

Copy of the CM Modi’s felicitation letter to Hindu Janjagruti Samity

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author’s personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sabrangindia.

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The post 76th Anniversary of Gandhiji’s Martyrdom: Killers identified by Sardar Patel, then Home Minister of India appeared first on SabrangIndia.

How do we see these deletions? The deletion, especially that Godse is referred to as a Hindu extremist, a Brahmin needs to be understood.

One recalls that the murder of Swami Shraddhanad was committed by a Muslim, Abdul Rashid. Gandhi condemned the murder but addressed Rashid as “brother” and said that he should not be blamed for this murder; instead those who created the atmosphere of hate should be blamed. On the same lines Gandhi and his disciple, Sardar Patel in particular, saw Godse being the manifestation of the Hate prevalent in the society.

Of course Gandhi was not there to opine about Godse after his murder but his attitude to the dastardly act became clear when,  in 1944, Godse tried to attack him with a dagger at Panchagani near Pune. The incident was, “During a prayer meeting that evening, Nathuram Godse, dressed in a Nehru shirt, pajama and jacket, rushed towards Gandhi. He was brandishing a dagger in his hand and shouting anti-Gandhi slogans. Godse was overpowered… “and Gandhi was saved. In response Gandhi “asked Godse to spend eight days with him so that they could understand each other. Godse rejected this invitation and was allowed to go free by a magnanimous Gandhi.” In both the case of Abdul Rashid and Godse, Gandhi’s response seems to be similar, on the same page.

As for Gandhi blaming Hate as the cause of murder in the case of Swami Shraddhanand, the same view was taken by Gandhi’s disciple Sardar Patel, who banned the RSS. Some mistakenly believe that it was on the insistence of Nehru that RSS was banned. The actual facts are revealed by the communiqué issues by the Government. Just to recall Sardar Patel was the Home Minister at that time. (See Beyond Doubt-A Dossier on Gandhi’s Assassination, edited by Teesta Setalvad)

In a communiqué issued on February 4, 1948, the Central government said it was banning the RSS “to root out the forces of hate and violence that are at work in our country and imperil the freedom of the Nation and darken her fair name… It has been found that in several parts of the country individual members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have indulged in acts of violence involving arson, robbery, dacoity, and murder and have collected illicit arms and ammunition. They have been found circulating leaflets exhorting people to resort to terrorist methods, to collect firearms, to create disaffection against the government and suborn the police and the military.”

In a letter to M.S. Golwalkar, India’s first Home Minister, Sardar Patel, writes, “All their speeches (RSS members, added) were filled with communal poison… As a final result of the poison, the country had to suffer the sacrifice of the invaluable life of Gandhiji. Even an iota of the sympathy of the Government, or of the people, no more remained for the RSS. In face of this, opposition grew. Opposition turned more severe, when the RSS men expressed joy and distributed sweets after Gandhiji’s death.”

RSS propagates that mentioning the ban on RSS is a half truth as the ban was lifted by courts as being illegal. The Paragraph which has been deleted mentions quite precisely that the ban was imposed for a period, only.

All in all, from Gandhi to Patel and Nehru, they all realised that more than Godse as an individual, it is Hate which is responsible for the violence, including that of murder of Swami Shraddhanand and later of Gandhi. While the ban on the RSS was subsequently held to be not valid on legal grounds, the ban was prompted by RSS spreading the Hate which led to violence and murders, including that of Mahatma Gandhi. While paying lip service to Mahatma, the RSS, even today, continues to do what it began, spreading Hate against Muslims and at the same time glorifying a caste-based  hierarchical society.

The Hate which Godse imbibed was from the teachings within the RSS shakha. Godse writes, “Having worked for the uplift of the Hindus I felt it necessary to take part in political activities of the country for the protection of just rights of Hindus. I therefore left the Sangh (RSS) and joined Hindu Mahasabha.” (Godse, ‘Why I Assassinated Mahatma Gandhi’ 1993, and Pg.  102). He held Mahatma responsible for appeasing Muslims, and thereby, the formation of Pakistan. He joined Hindu Mahasabha, at that time the only political party representing Hindutva, and became the general secretary of its Pune Branch.  In due course he first started a newspaper, as founder editor, called Agrani(leader) and later another one called Hindu Rashtra. And undoubtedly mentioning him as a Brahmin is not unwarranted as Brahmins were at the forefront of Hindu Nationalist politics, to begin with.

Understanding the hate imbibed by both Abdul Rashid and Godse in today’s context will mean that those youth who are waving lathis, swords and pistol in the religious processions are guilty of course but the bigger blame has to be apportioned to the indoctrination of an Ideology of Hate, hate speech and the social media which is  constantly amplifying the Hate against religious minorities. Looking at the neighborhood it confirms that nationalism in the name of religion is the main weapon which is creating and propagating Hate. In a way we are following the path of Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In Pakistan (Islamic Nationalism) the Hate manufactured against Hindus and Christians did result in their persecution there. In Srilanka (Buddhist Sinhala Nationalism) Hindus (Tamils) and Muslim- Christians, have been on the receiving end of consequences of Hate.

Now with these deletions in text books those upholding Hindu nationalism and their advocates are further intensifying the Hate which has led to so many acts of violence, have led to the marginalisation of minorities further culminating in Ghettoes which are proliferating in various localities. Defending the deletions, particularly related to the Gandhi murder and the role of RSS is yet another attempt to deepen the divisive agenda that dominates Indian public discourse at present.

(The piece has been edited and modified slightly-Editors)

Please also look at

Beyond Doubt, A Dossier on Gandhi’s Assassination

Beyond Doubt I – Who killed the Mahatma?

Beyond Doubt II – The Assassins of Gandhi

The post Real History: Gandhi’s Murder, Godse & the RSS appeared first on SabrangIndia.