Nathuram Vinayak Godse was the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. He is a right-wing exponent of Hindu nationalism. He is a member of right-wing organizations; Hindu Mahasabha and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. After murdering Mahatma Gandhi, he never apologized for his actions.
Wiki/Biography
Nathuram Godse was born on 19 May 1910 in the Marathi Chitpawan Brahmin family in Baramati, Pune district, Bombay Presidency, British India (age at time of death: 39 years). His father Vinayak Vamanrao Godse was an employee of the post office. His real name was Ramachandra. However, to prevent bad omen, he was renamed Nathuram. Before he was born, his parents had three sons and a daughter. Their sons died in infancy. For fear of being cursed, Ramachandra was raised as a girl with his nostrils pierced (hence, he got the name, Nathuram, a man with pierced nostrils). When his brother Gopal Godse was born, his parents started treating him as a boy. As a child, he received his primary education at a local school. Later, he was sent to his aunt’s house in Pune for English education. Earlier, he was an admirer of Mahatma Gandhi and had great respect for him. He failed to enter school and did not continue his studies.
family
He was born to Vinayak Vamanrao Godse and Lakshmi. He has a brother Gopal Godse (died in 2005) and a sister, but her name is unknown.
Gopal Godse, brother of Nathuram Godse
He never married.
Life Story/Career
When he left his study, he joined the Hindu nationalist organization, the Hindu Mahasabha. He founded a Marathi newspaper called “Agrani” which was renamed “Hindu Rashtra” a few years later. Since he believed that Mahatma Gandhi only worked for the welfare of Muslims, he rejected Gandhi’s philosophy and at times, he viewed Gandhi as anti-national. In 1932, he became a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the Bombay Presidency of British India (now Maharashtra), but he remained a member of the Hindu Mahasabha. He often wrote articles to make his ideas known to the public. During this period, he along with MS Golwalkar (later RSS chief) translated Babarao Savarkar’s book “Rashtra Mimansa” into English. According to sources, he had a falling out with Golwalkar when he took full credit for translating the book. On Vijayadashmi day in 1942, he founded his organization “Hindu Rashtra Dal”. However, he remained a member of the Hindu Mahasabha and the RSS. In 1946, Godse left the RSS and the Hindu Rashtra after realizing that they were not doing a good job in preventing the partition of India. As a result, his relations with many RSS and Mahasabha volunteers soured.
Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi
first try
Godse expressed condolences over the partition of India. He held Mahatma Gandhi responsible. On January 20, 1948, he and his friends made their first attempt to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi. On that day, Gandhiji stayed at Birla House in New Delhi and prayed on the high lawn there. Gandhi Ji will deliver a speech in a nearby park. Godse and his friends, armed with hand grenades, reached the place where Gandhi Ji was delivering his speech. One of his friends first threw a grenade to disperse the crowd and the second grenade was to kill Mahatma Gandhi but his friend Digambal Baji lost his courage and all his friends joined the scared crowd Escaped.
second try
On January 30, 1948, Nathuram Godse himself and his friend Narayan Apte carried out the second assassination attempt on Mahatma Gandhi, along with seven others is an accomplice. Narayan Apte planned the assassination. Mahatma Gandhi was 10 minutes late when he held a prayer meeting at Birla House. Accompanying Gandhiji is Manuben (Gandhi’s grand-niece) on the right and Abha (the adopted girl of Mahatma Gandhi) on the left. Nathuram Godse squeezed through the crowd in a khaki dress. He clasped his hands together to give the impression that he wanted to touch Gandhiji’s feet. Manuben tried to push him aside, asserting: “Bapu is already ten minutes late, why are you embarrassing him.” According to her, Godse pushed her aside and told Gandhi at 5:17 p.m. ·Ji was shot three times in the chest. She saw smoke everywhere and Gandhiji folding his hands and trying to say, “Hey, Ram.” Gandhiji was taken to a room near Birla House where he was declared dead. Colonel Bhargava arrived and declared Mahatma Gandhi dead.
Mahatma Gandhi’s body
arrest and trial
American diplomat Herbert Reiner Jr. stood by Mahatma Gandhi when he was assassinated. He immediately captured Nathuram Godse. According to some, Nathuram Godse surrendered and did not try to escape. The trial began on May 27, 1948. Eight of the nine people were charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
Man accused of murdering Mahatma Gandhi poses for photo
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was acquitted due to lack of evidence. On February 10, 1949, Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte were sentenced to death and six others, including Gopal Godse (brother of Nathuram Godse), were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Nathuram Godse (red circle) with Narayan Apte and other convicted persons
All but Godes asked for clemency or reduced punishment, but were denied. Godes proudly accepted the death penalty. Even Gandhiji’s two sons; Manilal Gandhi and Ramdas Gandhi appealed for commutation of their sentences, but their appeals were rejected by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Deputy Prime Minister Vallabhbhai Pa Tel and the Governor-General of India Chakravarti Rajagopalachari’s refusal. On November 15, 1949, Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte were hanged in Ambala Jail.
fact
- The pistol used by Nathuram Godse to kill Mahatma Gandhi was the “Beretta M1934” made in the Kingdom of Italy. The pistol was carried by an officer during the Italian invasion of Abyssinia and was later taken as a trophy by a British officer. How it reached India is unclear.
Gun used by Nathuram Godse
- Clarifying “Why did I kill Gandhi?”, he said Gandhi supported the idea of an independent country for Muslims. According to him, he was fully responsible for the partition of India. Despite Pakistan’s invasion of Kashmir, Mahatma Gandhi fasted, forcing the Indian government to release a certain amount of rupees. 550 million to Pakistan. The aggressiveness and militancy of Muslims was the result of Gandhi’s policy of appeasement.
- When Nathuram Godse explained why he murdered Mahatma Gandhi, GD Khosla, one of the judges hearing the assassination proceedings, wrote:
“The audience was visibly and audibly moved. When he stopped speaking, a deep silence fell around him. (…) I have no doubt, however, that if the audience that day formed a jury and entrusted it with the decision of Go Des appeals task, they will overwhelmingly deliver a “not guilty” verdict.
— GD Khosla, Chief Justice of Punjab
- Gopal Godse, Nathuram Godse’s younger brother, wrote a memoir “Your Majesty” and published it in 1967. However, the Indian government immediately banned the book’s publication on the grounds that it would spread hatred between Hindus and Muslims. After the new government came to power in 1977, the ban was lifted.
- In 2014, after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power, the Hindu Mahasabha made some attempts to rehabilitate Nathuram Godsey and portray him as a patriot. It asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to install a bust of Nathuram Godse. The Hindu Mahasabha also produced a documentary titled “Desh Bhakt Nathuram Godse” (Patriot Nathuram Godse).
- During the campaign for the 2019 general elections, Sadhvi Pragya, the BJP candidate from Bhopal, called him a patriot.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education