As It Happened: When Nathuram Godse Killed Mahatma Gandhi

30th Januarys 2016, marks the 68th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the chief-advocator of Non-Violence in India. Bapu, as he is commonly knows as, was born on October 2 1869 in Porbandar and spent his entire life fighting against the Britishers to make India a free land again.

In 1947, when India gained Independence, he was one of the key people to witnessthe partition of country and creation of new state – Pakistan. However, months after the independence, Mahatma Gandhi was killed by Hindutva activist Nathuram Vinayak Godse.

His last words before dying are believed to be ‘Hey Ram’.Today, as the nation pay tribute to Father of The Nation, here’s a look at how Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated.

On January 30, 1948, during the evening prayer at Birla House in Delhi, Nathuram Godse approached Mahatma Gandhi and bowed to him. One of the girls flanking and supporting Gandhi, Abha Chattopadhyay, said to him, “Brother, Bapu is already late” and tried to put him off. But he pushed her aside and shot Gandhi in the chest three times at point-blank range with a semi-automatic pistol. Gandhi died almost immediately.

After shooting, Godse did not try to run or threaten anyone else. He was attacked and pinned to the ground by the crowd around him and was subsequently arrested when a small group of police officers arrived on the scene a few minutes later.

Mahatma’s killing, however, has left many questions unanswered, few of them are:

1. Why Nathuram Godse killed Gandhi ji?

2. Why Nathuram didn’t run away after killing Gandhiji and instead surrendered

himself?

3. Why he chose the public place to assassinate Mahatma?

4. Why Godse’s statements during trial were not made public for a long time?

5. Was Nathuram Godse a fanatic or a true patriot?

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30 Jan 2016
Rumani