Why Godse and Apte’s bodies were not given to their families

Nov 15, 2024 | 11:07 IST

L to R: Nathuram Godse, Narayan D Apte and Vishnu Karkare during trial (TOI Archives)

Seven decades after the execution of Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte, The Times of India archives reveal how the government’s controlled response was aimed at preventing the duo from gaining martyrdom and safeguard Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy

On November 15, 1949, Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte were hanged for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. It’s been 75 years since that day, but the legacy of their crime, and the ideology that motivated it, still looms large over India’s political landscape.

Godse assassinated Gandhi because he saw the Mahatma’s principles of non-violence and Hindu-Muslim unity as harmful to India, especially to Hindu society. In the chaotic aftermath of Partition, marked by widespread communal violence, Godse believed Gandhi’s tolerance amounted to betrayal. As historian Ramachandra Guha points out, Godse felt Gandhi’s support for Pakistan’s financial rights and his peace efforts with Muslims endangered Hindu interests.

TOI

TOI

Why Godse and Apte’s bodies were not given to their families

Seven decades after the execution of Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte, The Times of India archives reveal how the government’s controlled response was aimed at preventing the duo from gaining martyrdom and safeguard Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy

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TOI

Why Godse and Apte’s bodies were not given to their families

Seven decades after the execution of Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte, The Times of India archives reveal how the government’s controlled response was aimed at preventing the duo from gaining martyrdom and safeguard Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy

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