Nathuram Godse: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Assassin of Mahatma Gandhi}}
{{short description|Assassin of Mahatma Gandhi}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2021}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox criminal
{{Infobox criminal
|name     = Nathuram Vinayak Godse
| name = Nathuram Vinayak Godse
|image     = Nathuram godse.jpg
| image = Nathuram godse.jpg
|alt     = Nathuram Godse
| alt = Nathuram Godse
|caption   = Godse at his trial for the murder of Mahatma Gandhi
| caption = Godse at his trial for the murder of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948
|birth_name   = Ramachandra Vinayak Godse
| birth_name = Ramachandra Vinayak Godse
|birth_date   = {{birth date|1910|5|19|df=yes}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1910|5|19|df=yes}}
|birth_place = [[Baramati]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British India]]
| birth_place = [[Baramati]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British India]]
|death_date   = {{death date and age|1949|11|15|1910|5|19|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1949|11|15|1910|5|19|df=yes}}
|death_place = [[Ambala]] Prison, [[East Punjab]], [[Dominion of India|India]]
| death_place = [[Ambala Central Jail]], [[Ambala]], [[East Punjab]], [[Dominion of India]]
|death_cause = Execution by [[hanging]]
| death_cause = [[Capital punishment|Execution]] by [[hanging]]
|organization = [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]]<br />[[Hindu Mahasabha]]
| organization = [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]]<br />[[Hindu Mahasabha]]
|criminal_charge= Murder ([[assassination of Mahatma Gandhi]])
| criminal_charge = [[Murder]]
|criminal_penalty= Death by hanging
| criminal_penalty = [[Capital punishment in India|Death]]
| module =
| known_for = [[Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi]]
{{Infobox writer
| victims = [[Mahatma Gandhi]]
| weapon = [[Beretta M 1934]] [[semi-automatic pistol]]
| date = 30 January 1948
| module = {{Infobox writer
|embed =yes
|embed =yes
|name = Nathuram Vinayak Godse
|name = Nathuram Vinayak Godse
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}}
}}
}}
}}
'''Nathuram Vinayak Godse''' (19 May 1910 – 15 November 1949) was the assassin of [[Mahatma Gandhi]], who shot Gandhi in the chest three times at [[Point-blank range|point blank range]] in [[New Delhi]] on 30 January 1948.<ref name="frontline1">{{cite news|last1=Noorani|first1=A.G.|title=The BJP and Nathuram Godse|url=http://www.frontline.in/books/the-bjp-and-nathuram-godse/article4328688.ece|access-date=4 July 2017|publisher=Frontline|date=8 February 2013}}</ref> Godse, a [[Hindu nationalism|Hindu nationalist]] from [[Pune]], who believed Gandhi to have favoured the political demands of India's Muslims during the [[partition of India]], plotted the assassination with [[Narayan Apte]] and six others. After a trial that lasted over a year, Godse was sentenced to death on 8 November 1949. Although pleas for [[commutation (law)|commutation]] were made by Gandhi's two sons, [[Manilal Gandhi]] and [[Ramdas Gandhi]], they were turned down by India's prime minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], deputy prime minister [[Vallabhbhai Patel]], and the Governor-General [[C. Rajagopalachari]].<ref name=godse-commutation/> Godse was hanged in the Ambala Central Jail on 15 November 1949.<ref name="Bandyopadhyay2009"/>
'''Nathuram Vinayak Godse''' (Marathi pronunciation: [[Help:IPA/Marathi|[nət̪ʰuɾaːm ɡoːɖse]]]; 19 May 1910 – 15 November 1949) was the assassin of [[Mahatma Gandhi]]. He shot Gandhi in the chest three times at [[Point-blank range|point blank range]] in [[New Delhi]] on 30 January 1948.<ref name="frontline1">{{cite news|last1=Noorani|first1=A.G.|title=The BJP and Nathuram Godse|url=http://www.frontline.in/books/the-bjp-and-nathuram-godse/article4328688.ece|access-date=4 July 2017|publisher=Frontline|date=8 February 2013}}</ref> Godse was a [[Hindu nationalism|Hindu nationalist]] from [[Pune]], [[Maharashtra]],{{sfn|Hardiman|2003|pp=174&ndash;176}} a member of the political party, the [[Hindu Mahasabha]],{{sfn|Nash|1981|p=69}} as well as a former member of the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS), a right-wing Hindu paramilitary volunteer organization.{{sfn|Hansen|1999a|p=249}} He believed Gandhi to have favoured the political demands of [[British India]]'s Muslims during the [[partition of India]] of 1947.<ref name="CushRobinson2008">{{Cite book|last1=Cush|first1=Denise|last2=Robinson|first2=Catherine|last3=York|first3=Michael|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i_T0HeWE-EAC&pg=PA544|access-date=31 August 2013|year=2008|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-7007-1267-0|page=544|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012221104/http://books.google.com/books?id=i_T0HeWE-EAC&pg=PA544|archive-date=12 October 2013}} Quote: "The apotheosis of this contrast is the assassination of Gandhi in 1948 by a militant Nathuram Godse, on the basis of his 'weak' accommodationist approach towards the new state of Pakistan." (p. 544)</ref>{{sfn|Markovits|2004|p=57}}{{sfn|Mallot|2012|pp=75–76}} He plotted the assassination with [[Narayan Apte]] and six others.
 
After a trial that lasted over a year, Godse was [[Capital punishment in India|sentenced to death]] on 8 November 1949. Although pleas for clemency were made by Gandhi's two sons, [[Manilal Gandhi]] and [[Ramdas Gandhi]], they were turned down by India's prime minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], deputy prime minister [[Vallabhbhai Patel]], and the Governor-General [[C. Rajagopalachari]],<ref name="godse-commutation" /> and Godse was executed at the [[Ambala Central Jail]] on 15 November 1949.<ref name="Bandyopadhyay2009" />


==Early life==
==Early life==
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==Political career and beliefs==
==Political career and beliefs==
[[File:Nathuram.jpg|thumb|Group photo of people accused in the murder of [[Mahatma Gandhi]]. ''Standing (L to R)'': [[Shankar Kistaiya]], [[Gopal Godse]], [[Madan Lal Pahwa]], [[Digambar Ramchandra Badge]]. ''Seated (L to R)'': [[Narayan Apte]], [[Vinayak Damodar Savarkar|Vinayak D. Savarkar]], Nathuram Godse, [[Vishnu Ramkrishna Karkare|Vishnu Karkare]]]]
[[File:Nathuram.jpg|thumb|Group photo of people accused in the murder of [[Mahatma Gandhi]]. ''Standing (L to R)'': [[Shankar Kistaiya]], [[Gopal Godse]], [[Madan Lal Pahwa]], [[Digambar Ramchandra Badge]]. ''Seated (L to R)'': [[Narayan Apte]], [[Vinayak Damodar Savarkar|Vinayak D. Savarkar]], Nathuram Godse, [[Vishnu Ramkrishna Karkare|Vishnu Karkare]]]]
Godse dropped out of high school and became an activist with Hindu nationalist organisations [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (National Volunteer Organisation) and [[Hindu Mahasabha]], although the exact dates of his membership are uncertain.<ref>''The Hindu'' (18 August 2004). [http://www.hindu.com/2004/08/18/stories/2004081805151100.htm] "RSS releases 'proof' of its innocence". Retrieved 26 June 2007</ref><ref name="RSSRefutal">IANS, [http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/rss-denies-godse-was-its-member-rebuts-cong-claim_677631.html RSS denies Godse was its member, rebuts Cong claim], ''Zee News'', 30 December 2010</ref>
Godse dropped out of high school and became an activist with Hindu nationalist organisations [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS; National Volunteer Organisation) and [[Hindu Mahasabha]], although the exact dates of his membership are uncertain.<ref>''The Hindu'' (18 August 2004). [https://web.archive.org/web/20040905230837/http://www.hindu.com/2004/08/18/stories/2004081805151100.htm] "RSS releases 'proof' of its innocence". Retrieved 26 June 2007</ref><ref name="RSSRefutal">IANS, [http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/rss-denies-godse-was-its-member-rebuts-cong-claim_677631.html RSS denies Godse was its member, rebuts Cong claim], ''Zee News'', 30 December 2010</ref>


==RSS membership==
==RSS membership==
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Godse joined RSS in [[Sangli]] (Maharashtra) in 1932 as a ''boudhik karyawah'' (ground worker), and simultaneously remained a member of the [[Hindu Mahasabha]], both right-wing organisations. He often wrote articles in newspapers to publicise his thoughts. During this time, Godse and [[M. S. Golwalkar]], later [[list of Sarsanghchalaks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS chief]], often worked together, and they translated Babarao Savarkar's book "Rashtra Mimansa" into English. They had a falling out when Golwalkar took the entire credit for this translation.{{Citation needed|reason=story needs verification|date=November 2017}} In the early 1940s, Godse formed his own organisation, "Hindu Rashtra Dal"<ref>{{cite book|last=Hansen|first=Thomas Blom|author-link=Thomas Blom Hansen|title=The Saffron Wave: Democracy and Hindu Nationalism in Modern India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SAqn3OIGE54C&pg=PA249|year=1999|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=1-4008-2305-6|page=249}}</ref> on the [[Vijayadashami]] day of 1942, though he continued to remain a member of the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha.<ref name="et">{{cite news|last1=Venugopal|first1=Vasudha|title=Nathuram Godse never left RSS, says his family|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/nathuram-godse-never-left-rss-says-his-family/articleshow/54159375.cms|access-date=4 July 2017|publisher=Economic times|date=8 September 2016}}</ref>
Godse joined RSS in [[Sangli]] (Maharashtra) in 1932 as a ''boudhik karyawah'' (ground worker), and simultaneously remained a member of the [[Hindu Mahasabha]], both right-wing organisations. He often wrote articles in newspapers to publicise his thoughts. During this time, Godse and [[M. S. Golwalkar]], later [[list of Sarsanghchalaks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS chief]], often worked together, and they translated Babarao Savarkar's book "Rashtra Mimansa" into English. They had a falling out when Golwalkar took the entire credit for this translation.{{Citation needed|reason=story needs verification|date=November 2017}} In the early 1940s, Godse formed his own organisation, "Hindu Rashtra Dal"<ref>{{cite book|last=Hansen|first=Thomas Blom|author-link=Thomas Blom Hansen|title=The Saffron Wave: Democracy and Hindu Nationalism in Modern India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SAqn3OIGE54C&pg=PA249|year=1999|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=1-4008-2305-6|page=249}}</ref> on the [[Vijayadashami]] day of 1942, though he continued to remain a member of the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha.<ref name="et">{{cite news|last1=Venugopal|first1=Vasudha|title=Nathuram Godse never left RSS, says his family|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/nathuram-godse-never-left-rss-says-his-family/articleshow/54159375.cms|access-date=4 July 2017|publisher=Economic times|date=8 September 2016}}</ref>


In 1946, Godse claimed to have left the RSS and moved to the Hindu Mahasabha over the issue of the partition of India. However, historical sources do not corroborate this claim; an investigation published by [[The Caravan]] in January 2020 revealed that up until his final days, Godse was listed as a member in records kept by the RSS of meetings that took place long after he was supposed to have left the organisation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jha |first1=Dhirendra K. |title=The Apostle of Hate |url=https://caravanmagazine.in/reportage/historical-record-expose-lie-godse-left-rss |website=The Caravan |publisher=Delhi Press |access-date=8 January 2020}}</ref> His family has also said that he had never left the RSS, highlighting that he held membership at the RSS as well as the Hindu Mahasabha.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/nathuram-godse-never-left-rss-says-his-family/articleshow/54159375.cms|title=Nathuram Godse never left RSS, says his family|first=Vasudha|last=Venugopal|date=8 September 2016|via=The Economic Times}}</ref> Godse's 1946 claim is also refuted by his first deposition in Marathi after he assassinated Gandhi, where he says that while he did join the Hindu Mahasabha, "I remained active in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh."
In 1946, Godse claimed to have left the RSS and moved to the Hindu Mahasabha over the issue of the partition of India. However, historical sources do not corroborate this claim; an investigation published by [[The Caravan]] in January 2020 revealed that up until his final days, Godse was listed as a member in records kept by the RSS of meetings that took place long after he was supposed to have left the organisation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jha |first1=Dhirendra K. |title=The Apostle of Hate |url=https://caravanmagazine.in/reportage/historical-record-expose-lie-godse-left-rss |website=The Caravan |publisher=Delhi Press |access-date=8 January 2020}}</ref> His family has also said that he had never left the RSS, highlighting that he held membership at the RSS as well as the Hindu Mahasabha.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/nathuram-godse-never-left-rss-says-his-family/articleshow/54159375.cms|title=Nathuram Godse never left RSS, says his family|first=Vasudha|last=Venugopal|date=8 September 2016|newspaper=The Economic Times}}</ref> Godse's 1946 claim is also refuted by his first deposition in Marathi after he assassinated Gandhi, where he says that while he did join the Hindu Mahasabha, "I remained active in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh."


==Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi==
==Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi==
{{main|Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi}}
{{main|Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi}}
At 17:17 on 30 January 1948, as Gandhi made his way to a prayer meeting on a raised lawn behind [[Birla House]], a mansion in New Delhi, where he was staying, Godse stepped out of the crowd flanking his path to the dais. He fired three bullets into Gandhi's chest.<ref name=bbc-stimpson/> Gandhi fell immediately, sending the attendant crowd into a state of shock.<ref name=bbc-stimpson>{{citation|last1=Pronko|first1=N. H.|last2=Bowles|first2=J. W.|title=Empirical Foundations Of Psychology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dfaAAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA343|year=2013|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-136-32708-7|page=343}}</ref> [[Herbert Reiner Jr.]], a 32-year-old vice-consul at the new American embassy in Delhi, was the first to rush forward and grasp Godse by the shoulders, spinning him into the arms of some military personnel, who disarmed him.<ref name="bbc-stimpson"/><ref>{{citation|date=May 26, 2000|last=Obituary, May 26|title=Herbert Reiner Jr.; Captured Gandhi's killer|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2000/may/26/local/me-34297|access-date=January 27, 2017}}</ref> Reiner then held Godse by the neck and shoulders until he was taken away by the military and police.<ref>{{citation|date=21 May 2000|last=Obituary, May 21|title=Herbert Reiner Jr., Diplomat, 83; Captured Gandhi's killer in 1948|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last=Trumbull|first=Robert|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 31, 1948|title=Gandhi is killed by a Hindu; India shaken; World mourns; 15 die in rioting in Bombay|url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0130.html#article}}</ref> Reiner reported later that in the moments before he apprehended him, Godse looked a little stunned at how easily he had carried out his plan.<ref name=stratton>{{citation|last=Stratton|first=Roy Olin|title=SACO, the Rice Paddy Navy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oTFNAQAAMAAJ|year=1950|publisher=C. S. Palmer Publishing Company|pages=40–42}}</ref> Gandhi was taken back to his room in [[Birla House]], where he died soon thereafter.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEL20060206033504 |title=Controversy over "Hey Ram" |access-date=2013-10-09 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201073017/http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEL20060206033504 |archive-date=1 February 2008 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
At 17:17 on 30 January 1948, as Gandhi made his way to a prayer meeting on a raised lawn behind [[Birla House]], a mansion in New Delhi, where he was staying, Godse stepped out of the crowd flanking his path to the dais. He fired three bullets into Gandhi's chest.<ref name=bbc-stimpson/> Gandhi fell immediately, sending the attendant crowd into a state of shock.<ref name=bbc-stimpson>{{citation|last1=Pronko|first1=N. H.|last2=Bowles|first2=J. W.|title=Empirical Foundations Of Psychology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dfaAAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA343|year=2013|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-136-32708-7|page=343}}</ref> [[Herbert Reiner Jr.]], a 32-year-old vice-consul at the new American embassy in Delhi, was the first to rush forward and grasp Godse by the shoulders, spinning him into the arms of some military personnel, who disarmed him.<ref>{{citation|date=May 26, 2000|last=Obituary, May 26|title=Herbert Reiner Jr.; Captured Gandhi's killer|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2000/may/26/local/me-34297|access-date=January 27, 2017}}</ref><ref name="bbc-stimpson"/> Reiner then held Godse by the neck and shoulders until he was taken away by the military and police.<ref>{{citation|date=21 May 2000|last=Obituary, May 21|title=Herbert Reiner Jr., Diplomat, 83; Captured Gandhi's killer in 1948|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last=Trumbull|first=Robert|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 31, 1948|title=Gandhi is killed by a Hindu; India shaken; World mourns; 15 die in rioting in Bombay|url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0130.html#article}}</ref> Reiner reported later that in the moments before he apprehended him, Godse looked a little stunned at how easily he had carried out his plan.<ref name=stratton>{{citation|last=Stratton|first=Roy Olin|title=SACO, the Rice Paddy Navy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oTFNAQAAMAAJ|year=1950|publisher=C. S. Palmer Publishing Company|pages=40–42}}</ref> Gandhi was taken back to his room in [[Birla House]], where he died soon thereafter.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEL20060206033504 |title=Controversy over "Hey Ram" |access-date=2013-10-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201073017/http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEL20060206033504 |archive-date=1 February 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>


==Trial and execution==
==Trial and execution==
Godse was put on trial at the [[Punjab High Court]], at [[Peterhoff, Shimla]]. On 8 November 1949, he was sentenced to death. Although pleas for commutation were made by Gandhi's two sons, [[Manilal Gandhi]] and [[Ramdas Gandhi]], they were turned down by India's prime minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], deputy prime minister [[Vallabhbhai Patel]] and the Governor-General [[Chakravarti Rajagopalachari]],<ref name=godse-commutation>{{citation|last=Gandhi|first=Rajmohan|title=Gandhi: The Man, His People, and the Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FauJL7LKXmkC&pg=PA660|year=2006|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-25570-8|page=660}}</ref> and Godse was hanged at Ambala Jail on 15 November 1949.<ref name="Bandyopadhyay2009">{{citation|last=Bandyopadhyay|first=Sekhar|title=Decolonization in South Asia: Meanings of Freedom in Post-independence West Bengal, 1947–52|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Qd5AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA146|year=2009|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-01824-6|page=146}}</ref>
Godse was put on trial at the [[Punjab High Court]], at [[Peterhoff, Shimla]]. On 8 November 1949, he was sentenced to death. Although pleas for commutation were made by Gandhi's two sons, [[Manilal Gandhi]] and [[Ramdas Gandhi]], they were turned down by India's prime minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], deputy prime minister [[Vallabhbhai Patel]] and the Governor-General [[Chakravarti Rajagopalachari]],<ref name=godse-commutation>{{citation|last=Gandhi|first=Rajmohan|title=Gandhi: The Man, His People, and the Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FauJL7LKXmkC&pg=PA660|year=2006|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-25570-8|page=660}}</ref> and Godse was hanged at [[Ambala Central Jail]] on 15 November 1949.<ref name="Bandyopadhyay2009">{{citation|last=Bandyopadhyay|first=Sekhar|title=Decolonization in South Asia: Meanings of Freedom in Post-independence West Bengal, 1947–52|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Qd5AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA146|year=2009|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-01824-6|page=146}}</ref>


==Aftermath==
==Aftermath==
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{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Reflist|30em}}


==Further reading==
==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin|40em}}
{{Refbegin|40em}}
* [https://archive.org/details/JeevanlalKapoorCommissionReport/page/n4/mode/1up Report of Commission of Inquiry into Conspiracy to Murder Mahatma Gandhi (1969)]
* [https://archive.org/details/JeevanlalKapoorCommissionReport/page/n4/mode/1up Report of Commission of Inquiry into Conspiracy to Murder Mahatma Gandhi (1969)]
* [[Koenraad Elst|Elst, Koenraad]], ''Gandhi and Godse&nbsp;– a Review and a Critique'', Voice of India, 2001. {{ISBN|81-85990-71-9}}
* {{citation|last=Hansen|first=Thomas Blom|title=The Saffron Wave: Democracy and Hindu Nationalism in Modern India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SAqn3OIGE54C&pg=PA249|year=1999a|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=1-4008-2305-6|pages=249–}}
* Godse, Nathuram, ''Why I Assassinated Mahatma Gandhi'', Surya Bharti, Delhi, India, 2003. {{OCLC|33991989}}
* {{citation|last=Hardiman|first=David |title=Gandhi in His Time and Ours: The Global Legacy of His Ideas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XwStR-MUwPQC|year=2003|publisher=Columbia University Press|pages=174–76 |isbn=9780231131148}}
* Godse, Nathuram ''May it Please Your Honor!'', Surya Bharti, India, 2003
* Khosla, G.D., ''Murder of the Mahatma and Other Cases from a Judge's Notebook'', Jaico Publishing House, 1968. {{ISBN|0-88253-051-8}}
* Khosla, G.D., ''Murder of the Mahatma and Other Cases from a Judge's Notebook'', Jaico Publishing House, 1968. {{ISBN|0-88253-051-8}}
* {{citation|last=Mallot|first=J. Edward|title=Memory, Nationalism, and Narrative in Contemporary South Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P90F8YgSzUwC&pg=PA75|year=2012|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-137-00705-6 |pages=75–}}
* [[Manohar Malgonkar|Malgonkar, Manohar]] (2008). ''The Men Who Killed Gandhi'', New Delhi: Roli Books, {{ISBN|978-81-7436-617-7}}
* [[Manohar Malgonkar|Malgonkar, Manohar]] (2008). ''The Men Who Killed Gandhi'', New Delhi: Roli Books, {{ISBN|978-81-7436-617-7}}
* Phadke, Y.D., ''Nathuramayan''
* {{citation|last=Markovits|first=Claude|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SpDvZO8xNNgC&pg=PA57|title=The UnGandhian Gandhi: The Life and Afterlife of the Mahatma|publisher=Anthem Press|year=2004|isbn=978-1-84331-127-0}}
* Pradeep Dalvi's, "[[Me Nathuram Godse Boltoy]]" narrations by Robby Raju Pathak
* {{citation|last=Nash|first=Jay Robert|title=Almanac of World Crime|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9aQlCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA69|year=1981|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|location=New York|isbn=978-1-4617-4768-0|page=69}}
{{Refend}}
{{Refend}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/2000/0214/india.godse.html] ''Time Magazine'''s February 2000 interview of Gopal Godse
* [http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/2000/0214/india.godse.html] ''Time Magazine'''s February 2000 interview of Gopal Godse
* [http://www.imrajeev.com/why-godse-killed-gandhi] Article discussing Why Godse Killed Gandhi
* [http://www.imrajeev.com/why-godse-killed-gandhi] Article discussing Why Godse Killed Gandhi
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[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:1949 deaths]]
[[Category:1949 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Pune]]
[[Category:Executed assassins]]
[[Category:Executed Indian people]]
[[Category:Executed Indian people]]
[[Category:Hindu Mahasabha members]]
[[Category:Indian assassins]]
[[Category:Indian Hindus]]
[[Category:Indian Hindus]]
[[Category:Indian people convicted of murder]]
[[Category:Indian people convicted of murder]]
[[Category:Indian assassins]]
[[Category:Mahatma Gandhi assassination conspirators]]
[[Category:Nationalist assassins]]
[[Category:Nationalist assassins]]
[[Category:People convicted of murder by India]]
[[Category:People convicted of murder by India]]
[[Category:People executed by India by hanging]]
[[Category:People executed by India by hanging]]
[[Category:Executed assassins]]
[[Category:People from Pune]]
[[Category:Mahatma Gandhi assassination conspirators]]
[[Category:Hindu Mahasabha members]]
[[Category:Savarkarites]]
[[Category:Savarkarites]]
{{en-Wikipedia}}

Revision as of 10:37, 10 January 2022

Nathuram Vinayak Godse
Nathuram Godse
Godse at his trial for the murder of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948
Born
Ramachandra Vinayak Godse

(1910-05-19)19 May 1910
Baramati, Bombay Presidency, British India
Died15 November 1949(1949-11-15) (aged 39)
Ambala Central Jail, Ambala, East Punjab, Dominion of India
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
OrganizationRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Hindu Mahasabha
Known forAssassination of Mahatma Gandhi
Criminal chargeMurder
PenaltyDeath
Details
VictimsMahatma Gandhi
Date30 January 1948
WeaponBeretta M 1934 semi-automatic pistol
Writing career
Notable worksWhy I killed Gandhi

Nathuram Vinayak Godse (Marathi pronunciation: [nət̪ʰuɾaːm ɡoːɖse]; 19 May 1910 – 15 November 1949) was the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. He shot Gandhi in the chest three times at point blank range in New Delhi on 30 January 1948.[1] Godse was a Hindu nationalist from Pune, Maharashtra,[2] a member of the political party, the Hindu Mahasabha,[3] as well as a former member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu paramilitary volunteer organization.[4] He believed Gandhi to have favoured the political demands of British India's Muslims during the partition of India of 1947.[5][6][7] He plotted the assassination with Narayan Apte and six others.

After a trial that lasted over a year, Godse was sentenced to death on 8 November 1949. Although pleas for clemency were made by Gandhi's two sons, Manilal Gandhi and Ramdas Gandhi, they were turned down by India's prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, deputy prime minister Vallabhbhai Patel, and the Governor-General C. Rajagopalachari,[8] and Godse was executed at the Ambala Central Jail on 15 November 1949.[9]

Early life

Nathuram Vinayakrao Godse was born into a Maharashtrian Chitpavan Brahmin family.[10] His father, Vinayak Vamanrao Godse, was a postal employee; his mother was Lakshmi (née Godavari). At birth, he was named Ramachandra.[11] Nathuram was given his name because of an unfortunate incident. Before he was born, his parents had three sons and a daughter, with all three boys dying in their infancy. Fearing a curse that targeted male children, young Ramachandra was brought up as a girl for the first few years of his life, including having his nose pierced and being made to wear a nose-ring (nath in Marathi). It was then that he earned the nickname "Nathuram" (literally "Ram with a nose-ring"). After his younger brother was born, they switched to treating him as a boy.[12]

Godse attended the local school at Baramati through the fifth standard, after which he was sent to live with an aunt in Pune so that he could study at an English-language school.[citation needed]

Political career and beliefs

Group photo of people accused in the murder of Mahatma Gandhi. Standing (L to R): Shankar Kistaiya, Gopal Godse, Madan Lal Pahwa, Digambar Ramchandra Badge. Seated (L to R): Narayan Apte, Vinayak D. Savarkar, Nathuram Godse, Vishnu Karkare

Godse dropped out of high school and became an activist with Hindu nationalist organisations Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS; National Volunteer Organisation) and Hindu Mahasabha, although the exact dates of his membership are uncertain.[13][14]

RSS membership

Godse joined RSS in Sangli (Maharashtra) in 1932 as a boudhik karyawah (ground worker), and simultaneously remained a member of the Hindu Mahasabha, both right-wing organisations. He often wrote articles in newspapers to publicise his thoughts. During this time, Godse and M. S. Golwalkar, later RSS chief, often worked together, and they translated Babarao Savarkar's book "Rashtra Mimansa" into English. They had a falling out when Golwalkar took the entire credit for this translation.[citation needed] In the early 1940s, Godse formed his own organisation, "Hindu Rashtra Dal"[15] on the Vijayadashami day of 1942, though he continued to remain a member of the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha.[16]

In 1946, Godse claimed to have left the RSS and moved to the Hindu Mahasabha over the issue of the partition of India. However, historical sources do not corroborate this claim; an investigation published by The Caravan in January 2020 revealed that up until his final days, Godse was listed as a member in records kept by the RSS of meetings that took place long after he was supposed to have left the organisation.[17] His family has also said that he had never left the RSS, highlighting that he held membership at the RSS as well as the Hindu Mahasabha.[18] Godse's 1946 claim is also refuted by his first deposition in Marathi after he assassinated Gandhi, where he says that while he did join the Hindu Mahasabha, "I remained active in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh."

Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi

Main article: Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi

At 17:17 on 30 January 1948, as Gandhi made his way to a prayer meeting on a raised lawn behind Birla House, a mansion in New Delhi, where he was staying, Godse stepped out of the crowd flanking his path to the dais. He fired three bullets into Gandhi's chest.[19] Gandhi fell immediately, sending the attendant crowd into a state of shock.[19] Herbert Reiner Jr., a 32-year-old vice-consul at the new American embassy in Delhi, was the first to rush forward and grasp Godse by the shoulders, spinning him into the arms of some military personnel, who disarmed him.[20][19] Reiner then held Godse by the neck and shoulders until he was taken away by the military and police.[21][22] Reiner reported later that in the moments before he apprehended him, Godse looked a little stunned at how easily he had carried out his plan.[23] Gandhi was taken back to his room in Birla House, where he died soon thereafter.[24]

Trial and execution

Godse was put on trial at the Punjab High Court, at Peterhoff, Shimla. On 8 November 1949, he was sentenced to death. Although pleas for commutation were made by Gandhi's two sons, Manilal Gandhi and Ramdas Gandhi, they were turned down by India's prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, deputy prime minister Vallabhbhai Patel and the Governor-General Chakravarti Rajagopalachari,[8] and Godse was hanged at Ambala Central Jail on 15 November 1949.[9]

Aftermath

Millions of Indians mourned Gandhi's assassination; the Hindu Mahasabha was vilified and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was temporarily banned.

The RSS has consistently denied any connection with Godse. It has maintained that Godse "left RSS in the mid-1930s".[14] However, Nathuram Godse's brother Gopal Godse stated that all the Godse brothers were members of the RSS at the time of the assassination and blamed the RSS for disowning them.[25] The other members of the Godse's family too have denied that he ever left the RSS. "He remained a boudhik karyawah till his death."[16]

Attempts at image rehabilitation

In 2014, following the Bharatiya Janata Party's rise to power, the Hindu Mahasabha began attempts to rehabilitate Godse and portray him as a patriot. It requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to install the bust of Godse. It created a documentary film Desh Bhakt Nathuram Godse (Patriot Nathuram Godse) for release on the death anniversary of Gandhi on 30 January 2015.[26] There were attempts to build a temple for Godse and to celebrate 30 January as a Shaurya Diwas ("Bravery Day").[27] A civil suit was filed in Pune Court asking for a ban on the documentary film.[28]

In May 2019, in the lead up to the final phase of Indian elections, BJP's candidate from Bhopal, Pragya Thakur, called Godse a "patriot".[29] Facing intense backlash, she apologised later.[30]

As Hindu nationalism becomes more widespread in India, statues and temples are being raised in Godse's honour. The city of Meerut was proposed to be renamed after him but the possibility of such a name change was ruled out by the District Magistrate.[31][32]

In art

Notes

  1. ↑ Noorani, A.G. (8 February 2013). "The BJP and Nathuram Godse". Frontline. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  2. ↑ Hardiman 2003, pp. 174–176.
  3. ↑ Nash 1981, p. 69.
  4. ↑ Hansen 1999a, p. 249.
  5. ↑ Cush, Denise; Robinson, Catherine; York, Michael (2008). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Taylor & Francis. p. 544. ISBN 978-0-7007-1267-0. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013. Quote: "The apotheosis of this contrast is the assassination of Gandhi in 1948 by a militant Nathuram Godse, on the basis of his 'weak' accommodationist approach towards the new state of Pakistan." (p. 544)
  6. ↑ Markovits 2004, p. 57.
  7. ↑ Mallot 2012, pp. 75–76.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Gandhi, Rajmohan (2006), Gandhi: The Man, His People, and the Empire, University of California Press, p. 660, ISBN 978-0-520-25570-8
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Bandyopadhyay, Sekhar (2009), Decolonization in South Asia: Meanings of Freedom in Post-independence West Bengal, 1947–52, Routledge, p. 146, ISBN 978-1-134-01824-6
  10. ↑ Devare, Aparna (3 April 2013). History and the Making of a Modern Hindu Self. ISBN 9781136197086. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  11. ↑ "Early life | Nathuram Godse". Nathuram.com. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  12. ↑ Jeffrey, Robin (1990). India, Rebellion to Republic: Selected Writings, 1857–1990. Sterling Publishers. p. 105.
  13. ↑ The Hindu (18 August 2004). [1] "RSS releases 'proof' of its innocence". Retrieved 26 June 2007
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 IANS, RSS denies Godse was its member, rebuts Cong claim, Zee News, 30 December 2010
  15. ↑ Hansen, Thomas Blom (1999). The Saffron Wave: Democracy and Hindu Nationalism in Modern India. Princeton University Press. p. 249. ISBN 1-4008-2305-6.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Venugopal, Vasudha (8 September 2016). "Nathuram Godse never left RSS, says his family". Economic times. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  17. ↑ Jha, Dhirendra K. "The Apostle of Hate". The Caravan. Delhi Press. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  18. ↑ Venugopal, Vasudha (8 September 2016). "Nathuram Godse never left RSS, says his family". The Economic Times.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Pronko, N. H.; Bowles, J. W. (2013), Empirical Foundations Of Psychology, Taylor & Francis, p. 343, ISBN 978-1-136-32708-7
  20. ↑ Obituary, May 26 (26 May 2000), "Herbert Reiner Jr.; Captured Gandhi's killer", Los Angeles Times, retrieved 27 January 2017
  21. ↑ Obituary, May 21 (21 May 2000), "Herbert Reiner Jr., Diplomat, 83; Captured Gandhi's killer in 1948", The Boston Globe
  22. ↑ Trumbull, Robert (31 January 1948), "Gandhi is killed by a Hindu; India shaken; World mourns; 15 die in rioting in Bombay", The New York Times
  23. ↑ Stratton, Roy Olin (1950), SACO, the Rice Paddy Navy, C. S. Palmer Publishing Company, pp. 40–42
  24. ↑ "Controversy over "Hey Ram"". Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  25. ↑ A.G. Noorani. "The BJP and Nathuram Godse". Frontline.
  26. ↑ Ghose, Debobrat (21 December 2014). "Hindu Mahasabha head speaks to FP: Godse was a 'martyr' and 'patriot'". Firstpost. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  27. ↑ "Hindu Mahasabha announces Godse temple". Deccan Chronicle. 24 December 2014.
  28. ↑ PTI (25 December 2014). "Pune court to hear suit against Godse film". The Hindu.
  29. ↑ "'Nathuram Godse was a patriot,' says BJP's Pragya Thakur; sparks outrage". www.hindustantimes.com. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  30. ↑ "Under fire, BJP's Pragya Thakur apologises for calling Godse a 'deshbhakt'". The Indian Express. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  31. ↑ Yasir, Sameer (4 February 2020). "Gandhi's Killer Evokes Admiration as Never Before". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  32. ↑ Mamtany, Sidhant (24 December 2019). "'Meerut will not become Pandit Nathuram Godse Nagar', DM rules out possibility of name change". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  33. ↑ Long, Roger D. (2004). Charisma and Commitment in South Asian History: Essays Presented to Stanley ... - Google Books. ISBN 9788125026419. Retrieved 30 January 2014.

Bibliography

External links

  • [2] Time Magazine's February 2000 interview of Gopal Godse
  • [3] Article discussing Why Godse Killed Gandhi
  • [4] Rediff's January 1998 interview of Gopal Godse
  • [5] Article discussing a pro-Godse play
  • [6] Eyewitness to Gandhi assassination
  • Eyewitness: Mahatma Gandhi Assassination at YouTube
  • [7] First Information Report (FIR) by police
  • [8] "An Assassin Speaks" written by Gopal Godse, narrated by Navneet Singh
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