The world marks the 78th anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, who was killed by Hindutva terrorists on January 30, 1948. The RSS—the most prominent flag-bearer of Hindutva politics, whose cadres occupy positions of power in India today—reacts angrily whenever the historical truth is stated: that those who assassinated Gandhiji shared the ideological worldview of the Hindu Mahasabha (led by V.D. Savarkar) and the RSS brand of Hindu nationalism, and were also connected with these organisations. Instead of expressing remorse for this heinous crime, the RSS resorts to denial and distortion—aptly captured by the proverb, the pot calling the kettle black.
Let us juxtapose the RSS’s repeated claims of innocence with the views of India’s first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on the perpetrators of this crime. This is especially relevant since Sardar Patel remains a favourite icon of the RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who commissioned the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, the tallest statue in the world. Notably, no such monument was ever envisioned for Gandhiji. Ironically, the Prime Minister—celebrated as the prophet of an “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and slogans like Make in India—had this statue moulded in a Chinese iron foundry.
Presented below is a chronological compilation of communications from Sardar Patel’s Home Ministry, along with his letters to Jawaharlal Nehru, Syama Prasad Mookerjee (then president of the Hindu Mahasabha), and M.S. Golwalkar (then RSS Supremo), concerning Gandhiji’s assassination. This chronology clearly demonstrates how Sardar Patel’s understanding—based on official reports and evidence supplied to him—evolved regarding the role of organisations involved in the murder of Mahatma Gandhi.
1. Government Communiqué Banning the RSS, February 4, 1948
The ban order issued by Sardar Patel’s ministry was unequivocal in holding the RSS responsible for terror-related activities. It stated:
“Undesirable and even dangerous activities have been carried on by members of the Sangh. It has been found that in several parts of the country individual members of the RSS have indulged in acts of violence involving arson, robbery, dacoity, and murder and have collected illicit arms and ammunition. They have been found circulating leaflets exhorting people to resort to terrorist methods, to collect firearms, to create disaffection against the government and suborn the police and the military.”
[Cited in Justice on Trial, RSS, Bangalore, 1962, pp. 65–66.]
2. Sardar Patel’s Letter to Jawaharlal Nehru, February 27, 1948
In the early stages of the investigation, when all facts had not yet emerged, Sardar Patel wrote to Nehru:
“All the main accused have given long and detailed statements of their activities. In one case, the statement extends to ninety typed pages. From their statements, it is quite clear that no part of the conspiracy took place in Delhi... It also clearly emerges from these statements that the RSS was not involved at all. It was a fanatical wing of the Hindu Mahasabha directly under Savarkar that (hatched) the conspiracy and saw it through. It also appears that the conspiracy was limited to some ten men, of whom all except two have been got hold of.”
The RSS and its supporters routinely quote only the line stating that “the RSS was not involved at all,” while suppressing the crucial clarification that follows in the same letter:
“In the case of secret organization like the RSS which has no records, registers, etc. securing of authentic information whether a particular individual is active worker or not is rendered a very difficult task.”
[Shankar, V., Sardar Patel: Select Correspondence 1945–50, Navjivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, 1977, pp. 283–85.]
This raises a fundamental question: how does one identify an RSS member? Whenever links between criminal or terrorist acts and RSS workers surface, the organisation responds with a standard denial that the individual concerned was “not an RSS member.” In the absence of membership registers or verifiable records, how is such a claim established? In such cases, it is the RSS that should be required—by police and judiciary alike—to prove that the accused was not part of its organisation.
3. Sardar Patel’s Letter to Syama Prasad Mookerjee, July 18, 1948
As investigations progressed, Sardar Patel’s assessment became more definitive. Writing to Syama Prasad Mookerjee, a senior leader of the Hindu Mahasabha, he observed:
“As regards the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha, the case relating to Gandhiji’s murder is sub judice and I should not like to say anything about the participation of the two organizations, but our reports do confirm that, as a result of the activities of these two bodies, particularly the former, an atmosphere was created in the country in which such a ghastly tragedy became possible. There is no doubt in my mind that the extreme section of the Hindu Mahasabha was involved in the conspiracy. The activities of the RSS constituted a clear threat to the existence of Government and the State… Indeed, as time has marched on, the RSS circles are becoming more defiant and are indulging in their subversive activities in an increasing measure.”
[Letter 64 in Sardar Patel: Select Correspondence 1945–1950, Vol. 2, Navjivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, 1977, pp. 276–77.]
4. Sardar Patel’s Letter to M.S. Golwalkar, September 19, 1948
By September 1948—214 days after Gandhi’s assassination—Sardar Patel wrote bluntly to Golwalkar:
“Organizing the Hindus and helping them is one thing but going in for revenge for its sufferings on innocent and helpless men, women and children is quite another… All their speeches were full of communal poison… As a final result of the poison, the country had to suffer the sacrifice of the invaluable life of Gandhiji… Opposition turned more severe, when the RSS men expressed joy and distributed sweets after Gandhiji’s death… Under these conditions it became inevitable for the Government to take action against the RSS.”
[Cited in Justice on Trial, RSS, Bangalore, 1962, pp. 26–28.]
Do we need more evidence to understand the RSS’s role in creating the conditions that led to Gandhiji’s murder?
This view was corroborated by another contemporary witness, Rajeshwar Dayal, a senior ICS officer and the first Home Secretary of Uttar Pradesh:
“Came January 30, 1948 when the Mahatma, that supreme apostle of peace, fell to a bullet fired by an RSS fanatic. The tragic episode left me sick at heart.”
[Rajeshwar Dayal, A Life of Our Times, Orient Longman, p. 94.]
Hatred for Gandhiji as a Core Element of Hindutva-RSS Discourse
The RSS’s hostility towards Gandhi predates independence. Its founder, Dr. K.B. Hedgewar, broke with the Congress in 1925 after engaging with V.D. Savarkar, concluding that Gandhi’s commitment to Hindu–Muslim unity was an obstacle to the Hindutva project. As one RSS publication notes:
“Doctorji sensed danger in that move. In fact, he did not even relish the new-fangled slogan of ‘Hindu-Muslim unity’.”
Another RSS publication confirms that Hedgewar’s departure from the Congress was rooted in the latter’s commitment to communal harmony.
[Seshadri, H.V. (ed.), Dr Hedgewar, the Epoch-Maker: A Biography, p. 61; Pingle, H.V. (ed.), Smritikan: Parm Pujiye Dr Hedgewar ke Jeevan kee Vibhinn Ghatnaon kaa Sankalan, p. 93.]
From its launch in July 1947 until Gandhi’s assassination, the RSS organ Organiser carried a steady stream of articles and caricatures attacking Gandhiji, often rivaling the vitriol of Savarkar’s writings and the Muslim League’s Dawn.
Celebrating Gandhi’s Killing in Contemporary Hindutva Politics
As Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi sent a congratulatory message to the “All India Hindu Convention for Establishment of Hindu Nation” organised by the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti in Goa in June 2013. The convention openly celebrated Gandhi’s killing. Modi’s message praised the effort to establish a Hindu nation:
“It is our tradition to remain alert and raise a voice against persecution… Only by protecting our culture, can the flag of 'dharma' and unity be kept intact. Organizations inspired by nationalism, patriotism and devotion for the Nation are true manifestations of people's power.”
From the same podium, RSS functionary K.V. Sitaramiah glorified Gandhi’s murder, describing Nathuram Godse as a divine instrument who “ended the life of Gandhi” on January 30, 1948.
Sitaramiah has authored books portraying Gandhi as a traitor to religion and nation, invoking scriptural justification for killing those deemed “Dharma Drohis.”
It is a death knell for democratic and secular India—envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi—that the country is today governed by forces born of hatred for him, implicated in the circumstances of his assassination, and still celebrating his vadh as a righteous act. On this 78th martyrdom anniversary of Gandhiji, let us pledge to rise collectively to challenge the Hindutva juggernaut.
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*Veteran academic. Link to selected writings and interviews:
http://du-in.academia.edu/ShamsulIslam
Facebook: https://facebook.com/shamsul.islam.332.
Twitter: @shamsforjustice.
http://shamsforpeace.blogspot.com/
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