Assassination Of Mahatma Gandhi

1. Amity University Uttar Pradesh Amity School Of Architecture & Planning Assassination Of M.K.Gandhi Jatin Garg B.PLAN (2011-15)

2. d isclaimer The facts and events in this presentation does not reflect any personal viewpoints. This presentation is not meant to hurt or dishonour any religion or followers of public figures mentioned in it.

3. t he v ictim Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi. In India he is generally regarded as Bapu & even “ Father of the nation ” H e was an advocate and pioneer of nonviolent social protest and direct action in the form he called Satyagraha . He was one of the Indian politicians who witnessed the struggle of India's independence from British colonial rule. ( 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948)

4. t he assassin Nathuram Vinayak Godse was a Hindu nationalist activist from Pune, and ex-member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( RSS ) He was a pre-eminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India and apostle of non-violence. He was the sole assassin of Gandhi , shooting him in the chest three times at point blank range on 30 January 1948 in New Delhi. ( 19 May 1910 – 15 November 1949)

5. p revious attempts Prior to Gandhi’s death , there had been five unsuccessful attempts to kill Gandhi, On 25 June 1934, w hen G andhi was in Pune along with his wife to deliver a speech at Corporation Auditorium , a bomb was thrown near to his car which injured Chief Officer of the Pune Municipal Corporation, two policemen and seven others. In May 1944, when Gandhi was at panchgani on a vacation, Nathuram Godse rushed towards Gandhi (in a group of 15–21 young men) with a dagger shouting anti-Gandhi slogans . Although he was unable to reach Gandhi as he was overpowered by proprietor of the lodge.

6. On 9 September 1944, when Gandhi was leaving for Mumbai from Sevagram Ashram, a group of Hindu activists stopped him . They did not want him to go to Mumbai to hold talks with Jinnah, however, these protesters were stopped by volunteers of the ashram. The leader of this group, Nathuram Godse , was again found in possession of a dagger . The policeman who found the dagger then looked up to him and joked, "Why do you want to kill Gandhi? Let's leave it to the leaders themselves... perhaps (Veer) Savarkar will finish off the job!" At which Godse retorted, " Gandhi does not require such an honor . Even the jamadar (sweeper) is enough for that” On 20 January 1948 , Nathuram Godse and Madanlal Pahwa , with 6 other member came to Birla Bhavan (aka Birla House) in Delhi to carry out another attack on Mahatma Gandhi. Except for Madanlal Pahwa and Vishnu Karkare , everyone else reached the venue through the rear entrance in a cab. Madanlal Pahwa tried to bribe Choturam , the driver at Birla Bhavan , to let him go behind the podium to take pictures of Gandhi. However, Choturam became suspicious and asked Madanlal Pahwa why he needed photographs from behind, and inquired about the absence of a camera. Madanlal Pahwa instead left, making Choturam think he was going back to the taxi; however, he placed a cotton ball enclosing a bomb on the wall behind the podium and ignited it . The bomb went off without creating any panic. The team had left after abandoning Madanlal Pahwa .

7. a ssassination Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948 at 5:17 pm. Gandhi was outside on the steps of a building where a prayer meeting was going to take place. He was surrounded by a part of his family and some followers when Godse approached him.

8. When Godse bowed, one of the girls flanking and supporting Gandhi said to Godse , "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 . Gandhi died almost immediately. Godse himself shouted "police" and surrendered himself . There has been no explanation of why he was not rushed to the hospital and was instead taken to Birla House, where he later died . The FIR against Godse shows that the last words of Gandhi were Hey Ram, although many witnesses denied it

9. r easons (stated in trial) According to Godse , Gandhi was a threat to nation. He believed that it is better to vanish him because of the following incidences:- In 1919 people of India wanted General Dyer to be hanged for the Massacre of innocent people at Jalianwalla Bagh . Gandhi refused to support this demand . Whole of India wanted Gandhi to intervene and save Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev from the gallows. Gandhi stubbornly refused on the grounds that they were misguided freedom fighters , and theirs was an act of violence . Kerala Muslim league members killed over 1500 Hindus and converted 2000 to Islam . Instead of protesting Gandhi expressed that it was a brave act of Allah’s followers & asked Hindus to sacrifice and not fight the members of Muslim League .

10. On several occasions Gandhi called Shivaji , Maha Rana pratap and Guru Govind Singh as misguided nationalists . On 15th June 1947 during congress conclave it was decided to resist the partition of India but Gandhi went to the meeting at the last minute and supported the partition . In fact it was Gandhi who had declared earlier that “partition will take place only over my dead body ”. Sardar Vallabhai Patel was elected by majority as the first Prime Minister but Gandhi insisted on Nehru . On October 1947 Pakistan attacked Kashmir, Gandhi went on a fast and forced the Indian Government to pay Pakistan a compensation of Rs.55 crore .

11. execution On November 8, 1949, Godse was sentenced to death. Jawaharlal Nehru as well as Gandhi's two sons opposed to the death penalty as they felt that executing their father's killer would dishonour his memory and legacy. Although a fter a trial that lasted over a year , Godse was sentenced to death penalty on 8 November 1949 along with Narayan Apte , a co-conspirator .

12. verdict Nathuram was very much hinduism oriented. In order to protect his religion he murdered gandhi . If he had not been so aggressive (due to sacrifice of hindus & special benefits to muslims ), gandhi could have been saved. However, many other decisions by Gandhi were also responsible for his death , like :- T he partiton E xecution of Bhagat Singh Discrimination between Hindus & Muslims E xcusing general dyer

13. t hank you…