Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948. This day is now observed as Martyrs’ Day, also known as ‘Shaheed Diwas’ or ‘Sarvodaya Day,’ to honour him and those who sacrificed their lives for India. The death came around five months after he led a long struggle for independence. Gandhi was revered in India and around the world. His death saw hundreds and thousands mourn.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with several political leaders, paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary on Thursday, remembering his contributions to the nation and his unwavering commitment to truth and non-violence.
Why Was Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in Delhi
It seemed like a regular evening at New Delhi’s Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti). Mahatma Gandhi was walking to the luxurious lawn, where his evening prayer meetings were usually held. Frail and dressed in his homespun dhoti, he was leaning on the shoulder of his grandnieces.
From the crowd emerged a man dressed in a khaki jacket and blue trousers. We would later know him as Nathuram Godse.
The assassin was within five feet of Gandhi. After a namaste, he took out his pistol and fired three times. The bullets lodged in Gandhi’s chest, stomach and groin. He slumped to the ground. He was carried to Birla House and died half an hour later about 5.40 pm. Many say his last words were, “He Ram, He Ram.”
After shooting Gandhi, Godse fired a fourth shot, apparently to kill himself. However, the pistol was snatched by a Royal Indian Air Force sergeant standing nearby. He wanted to shoot Godse but the police stopped him. An angry crowd beat the assassin with sticks before the police whisked him away to the police station.
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