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Gopal Vinayak Godse Arrested – Gandhi’s Assassination
Gopal Vinayak Godse was arrested on February 5, 1948, for plotting the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi along with his brother Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte.
The who planned the assassination that shook the nation; Source: Public Domain

Arrested on 5th Feb 1948

Gandhi’s assassination was an unfortunate end to the life of a man who had completely dedicated himself to the material emancipation, as well as the spiritual freedom of all Indians. However, unlike we remember Gandhi as the ‘Father of the Nation’, many people immediately after India’s independence harboured strong feelings of resentment and anger against him. They were mostly religious fundamentalists.

Before Nathuram Godse shot Gandhi on January 30, 1948, there had been a failed attempt at killing Gandhi in Delhi. 10 days earlier, on January 20, 1948, Madan Lal Pahwa had caused a bomb explosion at one of Gandhi’s prayer meet in Delhi. The bomb had exploded just 50m away from Gandhi, but he was safe.

This failed attempt, on the flipside, gave other miscreants encouragement to advance their plots against Gandhi. One such group of notorious people included RSS members Nathuram Godse, his brother Gopal Vinayak Godse and co-conspirator Narayan Apte. They believed that Gandhi was responsible for the Partition of India because he favoured the Muslim League and let them create a separate nation for themselves.

On January 30, 1948, Gandhi was shot at point-blank range by Nathuram Godse, after which he was arrested. Although Gopal was present at the scene with his gun, he froze and was unable to fire. Thus, Narayan Apte and Gopal Vinayak Godse were arrested as well.

Narayan Apte and Nathuram were hanged in the Ambala jail for the assassination. Gopal Vinayak Godse was arrested on February 5, 1948. He was ordered a sentence of 18 years in jail for his role in plotting Gandhi’s assassination. However, he never regretted any of his actions. Even after he was released from jail, Gopal Vinayak Godse authored books on the assassination and continued to be an active member of the Hindu Mahasabha until his death in 2005.

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Isha Dasari Author
Critical theory enthusiast with a penchant for organisational perfection.

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