Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi

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Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 at the age of 78 in the compound of The Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti), a large mansion in central New Delhi. His assassin was Nathuram Godse, from Pune, Maharastra a right-wing Hindu nationalist, with a history of association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu paramilitary organization, and with membership in the Hindu Mahasabha. Sometime after 5 PM, according to witnesses, Gandhi had reached the top of the stairs leading to the raised lawn behind Birla House where he had been conducting multi-faith prayer meetings every evening. As Gandhi began to walk toward the dais, Godse stepped out of the crowd flanking Gandhi's path, and fired three bullets into Gandhi's chest and stomach at point-blank range. Gandhi fell to the ground. He was carried back to his room in Birla House from which a representative emerged sometime later to announce his death. Godse was captured by members of the crowd—the most widely reported...

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