The world is mourning the 73rd anniversary of MK Gandhi’s assassination by the Hindutva terrorists on January 30, 1948. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),the most prominent flag-bearer of the Hindutva politics and cadres of which rule India today reacts angrily whenever the truth is spoken or written that the criminals who assassinated Gandhiji were not only part of the ideological world-view of Hindu Mahasabha (led by VD Savarkar) and RSS brand of Hindu nationalism but were also connected with these. Instead of being ashamed of such a heinous crime it resorts to lies ably expressed in the proverb; the pot calling the kettle black!

Let us compare the RSS claim ofinnocence in Gandhiji’s assassination with the views of the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel on the perpetrators of this crime. It needs no reminding that Sardar continues to be a favourite of the RSS and the present PM Modi who got his statue in Gujarat, the tallest in the world. He never thought of such a statue for Gandhiji. It will be interesting to know that our PM, an’atm-nirbhar Bharat’ (self-relying India) Messiah who never misses to utter prophetic words like Make in India, got it moulded in an iron-foundry of China!

In the following is the compilation in chronological order the communications of Sardar Patel’s home ministry, his letters to Jawaharlal Nehru, Syama Prasad Mookerjee (the then head of Hindu Mahasabha) and MS Golwalkar (the then Supremo of the RSS) on Gandhiji’s assassination. This chronological presentation clearly shows how Sardar Patel developed his understanding (which must have been based on facts supplied by his officials) of the role of the organisations involved in Gandhiji’s assassination.

(1) 4TH FEBRUARY 1948 GOVERNMENT COMMUNIQUÉ BANNING RSS

The order of banning RSS issued by the Sardar’s ministry was unequivocal in holding the former responsible for terror activities. It read:

“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.]

(2) SARDAR PATEL LETTER TO NEHRU: FEBRUARY 27 1948

In the early days of investigation when all facts were not known Sardar told Nehru:

“Allthe 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.” [Italics for emphasis]

The RSS and its supporters quote a part of the above letter which read: “It also clearly emerges from these statements that the RSS was not involved at all” but 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.”

[Shankar, V.,Sardar Patel: Select Correspondence 1945-50, Navjivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, 1977, p. 283-85. ]

HOW TO IDENTIFY AN RSS MEMBER?

Thus, Sardar Patel raised a highly significant question about knowing whether a criminal or terrorist is a member of RSS or not. Whenever a linkage between a criminal activity and RSS is exposed, the latter comes out with the patent answer that the criminal is not RSS member. How do we know it? Is there an authenticated list of RSS members which can be perused for such an investigation by the State? If it is not there, how RSS can file cases against those who find RSS members indulging in the assassinations and terrorist activities. In such cases the police and judiciary should demand from RSS proof that such persons were not its members.

(3) SARDAR PATEL LETTER TO SYAMA PRASAD MOOKERJEE: JULY 18 1948

As investigation progressed Sardar found that Hindu Mahasabha and RSS were jointly responsible for the murder of Gandhiji which was corroborated by him in a letter to a prominent leader of Hindu Mahasabha, Syama Prasad Mookerjee. On July 18, 1948 Sardar wrote:

“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. ” [Italicized for emphasis]

[Letter 64 in Sardar Patel: Select Correspondence1945-1950, volume 2, Navjivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, 1977, pp. 276-77.]

(4) SARDAR PATEL LETTER TO GOLWALKAR: 19 SEPTEMBER, 1948

By September 19 (1948), exactly 214 days after the murder of Gandhiji when Sardar wrote this letter, the role of the organisations in the assassination of Gandhiji was clearer to him. Without mincing words, he told Golwalkar:

“Organizing 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.” [Italics for emphasis ]

[Cited in Justice on Trial, RSS, Bangalore, 1962, pp. 26-28.]

Do we need more proof of RSS involvement in the murder of Gandhiji?

Another contemporary, a senior ICS (predecessor of IAS) who was the first home secretary of Uttar Pradesh corroborated the fact that RSS was involved in this anti-national heinous crime. According to him:

“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.]

HATRED FOR GANDHIJI IS A FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENT OF THE HINDUTVA-RSS DISCOURSE

The RSS’ hatred for Gandhi is as old as the formation of the RSS itself. Dr K.B. Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS, was a Congress leader but parted company with the latter in 1925. After meeting the Hindutva icon V.D. Savarkar, he realised that Gandhi was the biggest hurdle in the Hindutva project of organising Hindus separately. According to an RSS publication, since Gandhi worked for Hindu-Muslim unity,

“Doctorji sensed danger in that move. In fact, he did not even relish the new-fangled slogan of ‘Hindu-Muslim unity”.Another RSS publication corroborates the fact that the main reason behind Hedgewar’s parting with the Congress and formation of the RSS was because the “Congress believed in Hindu-Muslim unity”.

[Seshadri, H.V. (ed.), Dr Hedgewar, the Epoch-Maker: A Biography, p. 61. & Pingle, H.V. (ed.), Smritikan: Parm Pujiye Dr Hedgewar ke Jeevan kee Vibhinn Ghatnaon kaa Sankalan, p. 93.]

The RSS launched its English organ, Organiser, in July 1947 and a perusal of its issues till the murder of Gandhi on January 30, 1948 shows a flood of articles and sketches full of hatred for Gandhiji. The RSS seemed to be competing with the Hindu Mahasabha leader, Savarkar, and the Muslim League English organ, The Dawn, in denigrating Gandhi.

MODI AS CM OF GUJARAT SENT CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO GOA HINDU RASHTRA CONFERENCE (2013) WHERE GANDHI’S ‘VADH’ WAS CELEBRATED.

Modi was in Goa in June 2013 for the BJP executive committee meeting. He as Gujarat CM sent a message to the ‘All India Hindu Convention for Establishment of Hindu Nation’ organised by the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) at Goa from June 7^TH. Modi’s message lauding the conference for establishing a Hindu nation read:

“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.” [ORIGINAL LETTER REPRODUCED AT THE END]

On the 3^rd day from the same dais in this convention from where Modi’s felicitation message was read, one of the prominent speakers, K.V. Sitaramiah, a seasoned RSS cadre 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, ParitranayaSadhunamVinashayaCha 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.” [ORIGINAL DOCUMENT REPRODUCED AT THE END]

It is to be noted that K.V. Sitaramaiah has also authored a book titled ‘Gandhi was Dharma Drohi [anti-religion] and DesaDrohi [anti-religion]’ in which the back cover text, 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”.

It is death-knell for the destiny of a democratic-secular India which was established to fulfill dreams of Gandhiji that India is being ruled by a sectarian group which was born out of hatred for him, played leading role in the assassination of Gandhiji and continues to celebrate his ‘vadh’; sacrifice done for a good cause. Let us take a firm vow on the 73rd martyrdom anniversary of Gandhiji that all of us will rise up to challenge the Hindutva juggernaut.

DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE

*Views expressed are the author’s own.

Other articles by Shamsul Islam:

On 72nd anniversary of the Indian Constitution

Demolition of democratic, secular Constitution, old project of Hindutva gang

In times of CAA & NRC remember the words of Kakori martyrs 

The post The identity of assassins of Mahatma Gandhi as disclosed by Sardar Patel appeared first on SabrangIndia.

It appears this is not the first time the hacker group has struck a right wing supremacist website. In August 2018, the same group has uploaded the recipe for beef curry on the same website! This was allegedly in response to Swami Chakrapani’s comments about flood victims. The group had also allegedly hacked the website of J&K BJP unit in April 2018 to demand justice in the rape case of a minor girl in Kathua.

The post Day after reenacting Gandhi Assassination, Hindu Mahasabha website Hacked! appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 
The Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha celebrated the 71st death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Wednesday by shooting his effigy. A video, showing Mahasabha’s National Secretary Puja Shakun Pandey shooting the effigy went viral on social media. Office bearers and members burned the effigy as it bled. They even garlanded the statue of his assassin Nathuram Godse, reports said.
 
After Pandey shot at the effigy, ‘blood’ was seen oozing out of it. Reports suggest that Pandey also distributed sweets among her supporters and fellow Mahasabha members.

 
Pandey said she was starting a tradition of recreating Gandhi’s assassination every year on 30 January, comparing it to the burning of Ravana effigies every Dussehra, Times of India reported. According to the report, she held Gandhi responsible for the Partition and called Godse’s act of killing Gandhi admirable.
 
After the video went viral, a case was registered against 13 persons associated with Hindu Mahasabha including Pandey, Senior Superintendent of Police of Aligarh, Akash Kulhary SSP, said, adding no arrests have been made so far.
 
“The incident took place in a house in Naurangabad locality of the city. Later, the video of the event went viral on social media,” Kulhary told PTI.
 
The police are conducting raids to nab the accused persons.
 
The Hindu Mahasabha celebrates January 30 as ‘Shaurya Divas’ in the memory of right-wing leader Nathuram Godse, who had shot down Mahatma Gandhi on this very day in 1948.
 
They reminded the people of India that Gandhi was assassinated by one of their own, Nathuram Godse, on January 30, 1948, within six months of Indian Independence.
 
Surprisingly, this time a woman office bearer enacted the assassination and even had it recorded. They even chanted Mahatma Nathuram Godse Amar Rahey (Long Live Nathu Ram Godse).
 
“Since its inception in 1915, the Mahasabha has been distinctly “anti-national” in its activities, its devotion to a singular Hindu system overshadowing every other political concern. One of the very first instances of the organisation’s dissent was seen when it colluded with the British during Gandhi’s Quit India Movement in the 1940s because the Mahatma opposed the idea of having Muslims under the domination of Hindus,” a Firstpost report said.
 
While the Partition did realise Jinnah’s vision with the formation of the Islamic state of Pakistan, the Hindu Mahasabha’s demand remained unfulfilled, leading it to nurture a hatred towards Gandhi and any form of politics which is not violently Hindu for decades, the report added.
 

The post Hindu Mahasabha burns Gandhi’s effigy, garlands Nathuram Godse appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 

File Photo : Modi – India’s New Mahatma

It is far too early to dismiss the possibility of a future Hindu State in India. However, the possibility does not appear a strong one. The secular state has far more than an even chance of survival in India”

(India as Secular State, 1963).
It was the early sixties when American political scientist Donald Eugene Smith commented about the “possibility of a Hindu state in India”.

Today, even to a layperson, the secular state in India seems to be standing on very weak foundations, and the possibility of a Hindu State is far stronger than it was more than half a century ago, in 1963.

Perhaps, a pertinent expression of this transformation of India is the metamorphosis we witness in the image of Nathuram Godse – the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi — and the growing trivialisation of his most despicable act for which he and his accomplice Narayan Apte were sent to gallows. (November 15, 1949)

No doubt the act itself was the first terrorist act in independent India but was it just that or much, much more.

As Teesta Setalvad writes in the introduction of the book, Beyond Doubt: A Dossier on Gandhi’s Assassination ( Tulika, 2015, Page 1), the act

‘[w]as a declaration of war and a statement of intent. To those forces, who …, conspired in the killing, the act declared a lasting commitment to India as a Hindu Rashtra, and announced how the RSS and its affiliates would be at perpetual war with the secular, democratic Indian state as well as any and all who stood to affirm these priniciples.’

On closer scrutiny, the assassination could be said to be a culmination of a vicious campaign launched by Hindu communal groups in post-independence times.

There is enough documentary proof available that shows how these Hindu communal groups were attempting direct provocation of ‘organised’ communal violence. B S Moonje, a Hindu Mahasabha leader, who was also one of the founders of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), had observed that to counter Jinnah ‘we will have to organise violence on a scientific basis’. He said this in his presidential address to the All India Hindu Mahajati Sammelan (All India Hindu Mahasabha Papers, File C-105/46, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, quoted in the book, RSS, School Textbooks and Mahatma Gandhi’s Assassination, edited by Aditya and Mridula Mukherjee and Sucheta Mahajan, Page 60)

Perhaps an extract from the same book (page 65) is worth quoting in full to know to what extent they were ready to go.

Hindu Mahasabha workers publicly charged the national leaders with betraying the interests of the Hindus. They threatened that Nehru, Patel and Azad would be hanged and Gandhi Murdabad (Death to Gandhi) became a common slogan at Mahasabha meetings. Delhi Police Abstract of Intelligence dated 18 December 1947 reported an annual rally of the RSS attended by 50,000 volunteers, where Golwalkar described the attitude of the government as ‘unIndian and Satanic’. At a meeting of 2,500 workers on 8 December 1947 Golwalkar said: (Kapur Commission Report, Chapter XIX: 66)

Senior journalist Bharat Bhushan had in a write-up provided details of Delhi CID’s report that corroborates this. It spoke of how ‘RSS chief Golwalkar threatened to kill Gandhi. The article also includes details of Lucknow CID’s letter which spoke of how on December 1, fifty RSS men met in Mathura, and allegedly discussed assassinating Congress leaders.

How did the killers of Gandhi tried [try] to rationalise their criminal act?

The oft repeated explanation about Godse’s act talks about his ‘spontaneous reaction to Gandhiji’s fast to compel the Government of India to release an amount of Rs 55 crores due to Pakistan’. This is a complete lie, because it does not explain why since the mid-thirties, Hindutva Supremacists hatched one plan after other to kill Gandhi and Godse himself was party to two earlier such attempts.

One can as well refer to Chunibhai Vaidya, the legendary Gandhian leader, who wrote in his book:
“Beginning with the year 1934 and over a period of fourteen years, on as many as six occasions, attempts were made to kill Gandhiji. The last one by Godse on January 30, 1948 was successful. The remaining five were made in 1934, the months of July and September 1944, September 1946 and 20 th January 1948.

When the unsuccessful attempts of 1934, 1944 and 1946 were made, the proposal regarding partition and the matter regarding release of Rs 55 Crore to Pakistan were not in existence at all.'”
(Chunibhai Vaidya: The Murderer as Martyr, Gandhi or Godse, Page 61, Beyond Doubt.)

A simple query comes to mind. Is it possible for us to deliberate the fact that the idea of Gandhi’s elimination emerged with a lot of vehemence in the mid-thirties among the Hindutva Supremacist? Why ?
Remember, that was the period when the Indian masses were fighting the British colonials in myriad ways. Not only the Congress, the Socialists and Communists were on the offensive, too. The stream of social revolutionaries led by Ambedkar-Periyar -Mangoo Ram-Achhutanand etc was also engaged in launching struggles for social emancipation.

As opposed to these struggles, the Hindutva Supremacists, led by Hindu Mahasabha and RSS, were focussing themselves on building their organisation and were engaged in plans to divide the people on sectarian lines. Can we forget that Savarkar in a presidential address in Ahmedabad at the 19th session of the Hindu Mahasabha in 1937, declared that India comprises two nations? A year later, he said: “Hindus are the nation in India – in Hindusthan — and the Moslem minority a community.’ (Page 25, Savarkar and Hindutva, by A G Noorani, Leftword, 2003). Remember, Jinnah propounded his two-nation theory in 1939, exactly two years after Savarkar presented it.

One thing is certain that with the passage of time, the idea of composite nationalism started taking deep roots in society, in which Gandhi was a key figure. As a result, the Hindutva Warriors became more and more convinced that their project of carving out Hindu Rashtra would always remain in wilderness if something drastic was not done.

With Gandhi, their struggle was at two levels:

First, on the idea of nationhood – whether it should be a composite one or should be based on religion;

Second, on the idea of Hinduism – for Gandhi, Hinduism meant ‘Sarv Dharm Sambhav’ whereas for the Hindutva people, it meant the exact opposite

The decade of thirties also saw the martyrdoms of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdeo. It also witnessed Congress’s bold move to put forward the idea of Swaraj. The Karachi Congress, which was presided over by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, also stipulated the state’s religious neutrality.

In her book mentioned above, Teesta Setlavad tells that how “communal amity remained central to the constructive programmes of the Congress party” and how it was the same period when “majoritarian as well as minority communal forces were at play pushing their narrow, hate-driven, communal agendas.”

Quoting from what Savarkar and Golwalkar had written about ‘nationhood’. Badri Raina, in his writeup ‘Gandhi’s Murder and RSS’ makes a similar point:
“Gandhi’s elimination was clearly perceived as a ‘nationalist’ requirement by the combined Hindu/Fascist camp. The bone of contention between this camp and the Congress movement led by Gandhi comprised conceptualising the defining features of Independent India. The Mahasabha/RSS view was nowhere more identical than in this. One only has to read how Savarkar (1938, Nagpur session) and Golwalker (in We, Our Nationhood Defined, 1938) spoke to this issue.

Savarkar: “The original political sin, which our Hindu Congressites. . . committed at the beginning of the Indian National Congress movement and are persistingly committing still of running after the mirage of a territorial Indian Nation and of seeking to kill. . . the life growth of an organic Hindu Nation. . . .We Hindus are a Nation by ourselves because religious, racial, cultural, and historical affinities bind us intimately into a homogenous nation”.

Golwalkar: “The idea was spread that for the first time the people were going to live a national life, the Nation in the land naturally was composed of all those who happened to reside therein and that all these people were to unite on a common ‘National’ platform and win back ‘freedom’ by ‘Constitutional means.’ Wrong notions of democracy strengthened the view and we began to class ourselves with our old invaders and foes under the outlandish name—Indian—and tried to win them over to join hands with us in our struggle. The result of this poison is well known….with our own hands are undermining true Nationality.”

Thus, all the way from Savarkar, through Golwalker, Deoras and the current day ‘cultural nationalists’, the Nation is conceived of not as a bounded territory but as a racial/religious construct. Gandhi’s fault was that he said any ‘swaraj will be incomplete without Hindu-Muslim unity.” He paid the price.

The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi. The views are personal.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

The post Gandhi’s Assassination – Much More Than Just a Murder appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image credit: Rarereports.com

The Central Information Commission on Thursday directed that the statement of Nathuram Godse, along with other relevant records related to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, be “proactively disclosed” on the website of the National Archives.

“The Right to Information is intrinsic in this fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression as held by Supreme Court in several judgments, and thus the reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2) do apply to the right to information also. The restrictions under Section 8 of RTI Act, are more or less coached in the same theme and language of Article 19(2). Thus the Bombay High Court cleared the disclosure/circulation after considering several grounds of restrictions, which are akin to Section 8(1) (a). Moreover, the appellant is seeking only the statement of Nathuram Godse as given to the trial court in Mahatma Gandhi Assassination case, which cannot be denied.  One may disagree with Nathuram Godse and his co-accused, but we cannot refuse disclosure or circulation of his opinion,” Prof. M. Sridhar Acharyulu observed.

The Commission was hearing an appeal filed by Mr. Ashutosh Bansal, who had sought a copy of the chargesheet issued against Nathuram Godse, his statement before the Court, and the details of the persons and the organisation responsible for Gandhi’s assassination. The question now posed before the CIC was whether disclosure of Godse’s statement be denied, on the ground that it could cause Hindu-Muslim enmity.

The Commission however ruled that Section 8(1) (a) did not apply to the case at hand, and observed, “The Commission also directs the NAI to place the index of records available now with them about assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on their official website along with the procedure to gain access, and recommends development of an archive to include present digitized records and collect as many as possible from various sources to be part of their disclosures under Section 4(1) (b). This will effectively reduce the number of the RTI applications on Gandhi assassination related issues.”

Read the order here.

Courtesy: LiveLaw.
 

The post Post all details of Gandhi’s assassination on wesbite of National Archives: CIC order appeared first on SabrangIndia.