{"id":981,"date":"2025-05-08T00:50:57","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T00:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/captainnews.info\/?p=981"},"modified":"2025-05-08T00:50:57","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T00:50:57","slug":"121212-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/captainnews.info\/?p=981","title":{"rendered":"The Brutal Death Of Mahatma Gandhi, India\u2019s Voice For Unity Who Was Assassinated In Front Of Thousands"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just months after leading the independence of India from the British in 1947, Gandhi was shot three times at point-blank range by a Hindu extremist named Nathuram Godse.<\/h2>\n
\"Mahatma<\/p>\n

Universal History Archive\/UIG via Getty Images<\/span>One of the last photos taken before Mahatma Gandhi\u2019s assassination.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mahatma Gandhi\u2019s assassination on January 30, 1948, shocked the world. Just the year before, the nonviolent activist achieved his life\u2019s goal when the British withdrew from India and the country celebrated their first ever Independence Day.<\/p>\n

But that milestone achievement would lead to Gandhi\u2019s death a few short months later.<\/p>\n

Gaining independence from an imperial power left the Indian subcontinent divided, and many blamed the violence surrounding this partition on Gandhi. Although Gandhi had opposed dividing the territory along religious lines, extremists nonetheless accused him of taking sides. Gandhi listened as enemies cried out, \u201cLet Gandhi die!\u201d<\/p>\n

On his final day, Gandhi was weak with fasting and was being led across the gardens of Birla House where he was living when a Hindu fanatic named\u00a0Nathuram Godse\u00a0stepped out of the crowd. He bowed before Gandhi, then stood and shot him three times at point-blank range in the stomach and chest.<\/p>\n

This is the shocking story of Mahatma Gandhi\u2019s death at the hands of a religious zealot.<\/p>\n

Mahatma Gandhi Battles Against Partition<\/h2>\n

In 1947, British rule in India ended. But the British left behind a major question: would the territory remain united, or would it split into two states based on religious beliefs?<\/p>\n

During World War II, religious violence polarized the colony. Many advocated for a two-state solution, with East and West Pakistan governing over majority Muslim areas while India would govern a majority Hindu nation. Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah argued for a partition along religious lines, in part to protect the minority Muslim populations in the British colony.<\/p>\n

The question of partition divided Indians. Gandhi originally opposed partition as he believed that splitting the subcontinent along religious lines would create more violence. Instead, Gandhi recommended uniting across religious barriers.<\/p>\n

\"Mahatma<\/p>\n

Wikimedia Commons<\/span>A portrait of Mahatma Gandhi from 1931.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Unfortunately, Gandhi\u2019s prediction of violence proved true. When the British withdrew, they handed power to the new states of India and Pakistan \u2014 and religious violence quickly swept across the new nations. Riots broke out, especially along the borders of the new territories.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, partition\u00a0displaced\u00a015 million people, and the violence claimed one million lives.<\/p>\n

Gandhi\u2019s advocacy for nonviolence earned him enemies. To some Hindus, Gandhi\u2019s way meant leaving themselves open to attacks. Others felt that Gandhi was too soft on Muslims, unfairly siding with them against Hindus.<\/p>\n

Then, on Jan. 20, 1948, Gandhi barely escaped an assassination attempt when a radical group of Hindus set off a bomb mere yards from the 78-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I am to die by the bullet of a madman, I must do so smiling,\u201d Gandhi\u00a0said\u00a0after the fact. \u201cThere must be no anger within me. God must be in my heart and on my lips.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gandhi also had a message for the radicals who thought he favored Muslims. \u201cDon\u2019t do this,\u201d Gandhi\u00a0begged. \u201cThe Hindu religion is not going to be saved by such acts. I insist that if the Hindu religion is to be saved, it can be saved only through the kind of work I am doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than running from death, Gandhi embraced it. \u201cDeath for me would be a glorious deliverance rather than that I should be a helpless witness of the destruction of India, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Islam.\u201d He said this in the days leading up to his brutal execution.<\/p>\n

Then, ten days later, an assassin reached Gandhi and killed him.<\/p>\n

On The Day Of Gandhi\u2019s Assassination<\/h2>\n

On Jan. 30, 1948, Mahatma Gandhi walked out of Birla House in Delhi around 5 p.m. Weak from completing his last fast, Gandhi was led by his grandnieces to a prayer meeting where thousands of his supporters were awaiting him.<\/p>\n

Then, a Hindu zealot named Nathuram Vinayak Godse.<\/p>\n

Godse believed Gandhi had betrayed his fellow Hindus by taking pro-Muslim stances. So he\u00a0brought\u00a0a Beretta automatic pistol to Delhi and planned to kill him.<\/p>\n

But before doing so, Godse bowed to Gandhi in a mock show of greeting. When he stood, he fired three shots \u2014 they hit Gandhi in the chest and stomach.<\/p>\n

\"Nathuram<\/p>\n

Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images<\/span>Nathuram Vinayak Godse, the zealot who killed Gandhi.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

At the moment before his assassination, Gandhi raised his hands in a Hindu greeting gesture. Then, when the shots hit, he fell to the ground, his grandnieces at his sides.<\/p>\n

In the chaos after Gandhi\u2019s death, Godse tried to shoot himself. But as a mob of enraged Gandhi supporters yelled \u201cKill him, kill him,\u201d authorities seized Godse and placed him under arrest.<\/p>\n

One year later, a court sentenced Gandhi\u2019s assassin to death. Godse was hanged in November 1949.<\/p>\n

The Icon\u2019s Funeral And Legacy<\/h2>\n

News of the peaceful leader\u2019s death reached the media within the hour.<\/p>\n

That night, India\u2019s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the nation. He announced Gandhi\u2019s death and his funeral the next day.<\/p>\n

\u201cGandhi has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere,\u201d Nehru\u00a0announced. \u201cThe father of our nation is no more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Gandhi's<\/p>\n

Wikimedia Commons<\/span>A crowd of nearly one million people lined the procession for the fallen icon\u2019s funeral.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cNow that the light has gone out of our lives I do not quite know what to tell you and how to say it,\u201d Nehru added. \u201cOur beloved leader is no more.\u201d<\/p>\n

One paper reported, \u201cThe crowds insisted they wished to see Gandhi\u2019s face once more \u2026 All roads to Birla House were jammed.\u201d<\/p>\n

A crowd of nearly one million lined up for the funeral procession that crossed Delhi to the Jumna River.<\/p>\n

The five-mile procession took five hours. Planes dropped flowers on the crowd. At the end of the procession, Gandhi\u2019s body was burned on a sandalwood funeral pyre.<\/p>\n

In spite of his message of nonviolence, riots and arson broke out in the wake of Gandhi\u2019s death. Rioters targeted members of extremist groups. In Bombay, police even fired into crowds. It was a terrible legacy for a man devoted to peace.<\/p>\n

In the decades after Gandhi\u2019s death, his reputation for political activism and his efforts to gain independence for India influenced generations. But his warning about partition also proved true.<\/p>\n

He would have gladly given his life for peace. Unfortunately, even his death could not heal the divide between India and Pakistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just months after leading the independence of India from the British in 1947, Gandhi was shot three times at point-blank range by a Hindu extremist named Nathuram Godse. Universal History Archive\/UIG via Getty ImagesOne of the last photos taken before Mahatma Gandhi\u2019s assassination. Mahatma Gandhi\u2019s assassination on January 30, 1948, shocked the world. Just the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-true-crime"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Brutal Death Of Mahatma Gandhi, India\u2019s Voice For Unity Who Was Assassinated In Front Of Thousands - CAPTAINNEWS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/captainnews.info\/?p=981\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Brutal Death Of Mahatma Gandhi, India\u2019s Voice For Unity Who Was Assassinated In Front Of Thousands - CAPTAINNEWS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Just months after leading the independence of India from the British in 1947, Gandhi was shot three times at point-blank range by a Hindu extremist named Nathuram Godse. 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