Make Nathuram Godse's statements public: CIC to National Archives
The Central Information Commission has asked the National Archives of India to make public the statement of Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse. "One may disagree with Godse and his co-accused but we cannot refuse disclosure or circulation of his opinion," said Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu. A petitioner approached the CIC when the Archives asked him to retrieve the information for himself if needed.
Nathuram Godse was a Hindu nationalist known for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. On 30 January 1948, Godse killed Gandhi by shooting him in the the chest thrice. Eight men were convicted of murdering the 'Father of the Nation' by a special court, after a trial that lasted more than a year. Godse and co-conspirator Narayan Apte were hanged on 15 November 1949.
The Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha is a Hindu nationalist political party, founded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The organization was formed to protect the rights of the Hindu community in British India.
Members of Hindu Mahasabha commemorated November 15, the day Nathuram Godse was hanged in 1949, as 'balidan divas' (day of sacrifice). The group's Meerut divison launched a website titled 'Nathuram Godse -The Real Forgotten Hero'. Godse's death anniversary was commemorated in 86 districts across the country, according to the event's organizers, who distributed copies of the book 'Nathuram Godse, Ek Parichay' (An Introduction).
Groups like the Hindu Mahasabha mark Godse's death anniversary on 15 November, as "Shaurya Diwas" across Maharashtra every year.
Following the actions of the Hindu Mahasabha, Congress workers in Maharashtra's Thane district burnt effigy of Godse. Party workers led by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee secretary Manoj Shinde protested against Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) and those supporting Godse. The BJP distanced itself from Hindu Mahasabha's programme and attacked the Congress for linking it with Godse's death anniversary.
In Jan 2015, Hindu Mahasabha's plans to install Godse's statue in Meerut were foiled, when the Uttar Pradesh police sealed the place, where the statue was to be erected. This was done to avoid any communal incident.
BJP and its ideological mentor RSS strongly expressed their disapproval as Hindu Mahasabha commemorated the 66th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse. Senior RSS ideologue MG Vaidya said that he was opposed to honouring and showing respect to Gandhi's assassin. BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said the BJP believes in the principles and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and considers Godse as his assassin.
A PIL was filed in Bombay High Court, seeking a direction to Maharashtra government to register an offence against concerned persons, under IPC Sec 121, for allegedly launching a website "glorifying" Nathuram Godse. The petition was filed by social activist Ketan Tirodkar. The PIL stated that the act of launching the website "http://www.menathuramgodse.com" amounts to committing the offence of waging war against the nation.
