India
oi-Deepika S
New
Delhi,
Jan
30:
On
the
night
of
January
30,
1948,
an
eminent
lawyer
and
ultra-nationalist
Nathuram
Vinayak
Godse
shot
Mohandas
Karamchand
Gandhi
dead
at
point-blank
range,
as
India’s
most
revered
leader
was
leaving
a
prayer
meeting
in
Delhi.
Gandhiji
died
instantly
after
Godse
shot
him
3
times
in
the
chest
from
a
point-blank
range.
Godse
was
arrested,
convicted
in
court
and
later
executed.
The
veteran
freedom
fighter
had
been
a
target
of
five
assassination
attempts
on
his
life
before
he
was
assassinated
on
January
30,
1948
at
the
age
of
78
in
the
compound
of
Birla
House.
In
June
25,
1934,
conspirators
bombed
a
car
in
Pune
while
Gandhiji
was
there
to
give
a
speech.
Reporetedly,
several
such
attempts
were
made
in
1944,
1946
and
1948
but
the
attempts
were
failed.
What
happened
on
January
30,
1948
Mahatma
Gandhi
was
holding
multifaith
prayer
gatherings
every
evening,
sometime
after
5
o’clock.
Nathuram
Godse
emerged
from
the
group
of
people
flanking
Gandhi’s
path
and
fired
three
bullets
at
point-blank
range
into
Gandhi’s
chest
and
belly.
Gandhi
collapsed
on
the
floor.
Mahatma
Gandhi
was
taken
back
to
his
room
at
Birla
House,
where
a
representative
later
appeared
to
make
the
announcement
of
his
demise.
Nathuram
Godse
was
apprehended
by
crowd
participants
and
turned
over
to
the
police.
On
November
8,
1949,
Nathuram
Godse
and
Narayan
Apte
received
a
death
penalty
verdict.
Is
Gandhiji
Father
of
The
Nation?
Gandhiji’s
role
in
Partition
and
the
two
titles
–
‘Mahatma’
(great
soul)
and
‘Rashtra
Pita’
(father
of
the
nation)
–
accorded
to
him
by
his
admirers
have
been
the
matter
of
intense
debate
throughout
the
country
since
Independence
while
he
is
considered
as
an
‘apostle
of
peace’ worldwide
who
has
inspired
many
great
leaders
across
the
globe.
In
fact,
Mahatma
Gandhi
was
never
accorded
the
‘Father
of
the
Nation’ title
by
Government
of
India
and
no
rule
or
ordinance
was
ever
passed
in
this
regard.
In
2012,
A
student
had
written
to
then
President
Pratibha
Patil
and
Prime
Minister
Manmohan
Singh
to
issue
a
notification
declaring
Mahatma
Gandhi
the
‘Father
of
the
Nation’.
To
which,
the
Home
ministry
had
replied
saying
Article
18
(1)
of
the
Constitution
does
not
permit
any
titles
except
education
and
military
ones.
Story first published: Monday, January 30, 2023, 11:07 [IST]