Nathuram Godse

Nathuram Vinayak Godse (19 May 1910 – 15 November 1949) was an Indian political activist associated with Hindu nationalist organisations who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi on 30 January 1948. His act, carried out during an interfaith prayer meeting at Birla House, shocked the newly independent nation and provoked widespread condemnation. Godse was linked to both the Hindu Mahasabha and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and he had been influenced by the ideas of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a principal architect of Hindutva ideology. After a lengthy trial, he was convicted and executed in November 1949. His life, motivations, and political associations continue to be debated in modern India, where attempts at rehabilitating his image have periodically resurfaced.

Early Life and Family Background

Nathuram Godse was born Ramachandra Vinayakrao Godse in a Chitpavan Brahmin family in Maharashtra. His father, Vinayak Vamanrao Godse, worked in the postal service, and his mother, Lakshmi, also known as Godavari, managed the household. The family had previously suffered the loss of three male children, which led his parents to raise him as a girl during his early years as a protective measure shaped by local superstition. He wore a nose ring, or nath, a custom from which he derived the name “Nathuram” (“Ram with a nose ring”). This practice continued until the birth of a younger brother, after which he was raised according to his male identity.
Godse attended school in Baramati until the fifth standard before moving to Pune to pursue studies at an English-medium institution. His educational path was irregular, and he eventually left school before completing his secondary education. His political awakening took place in the context of growing nationalist movements, widening communal fault lines, and the emergence of competing visions for India’s future during the late colonial period.

Political Involvement and Ideological Formation

Godse became active in Hindu nationalist circles in the early 1930s. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Sangli in 1932 as a boudhik karyawah, or intellectual worker, a position involving ideological training and dissemination. He also maintained membership in the Hindu Mahasabha, reflecting a dual affiliation common in the period among those attracted to the growing currents of cultural nationalism.
During the 1930s and 1940s he collaborated with M. S. Golwalkar, a prominent RSS leader, and both men worked together on the English translation of Babarao Savarkar’s Rashtra Mimansa, although relations later soured over claims of authorship. In 1942 Godse founded his own organisation, the Hindu Rashtra Dal, which operated alongside his existing nationalist commitments.
While Godse claimed in 1946 to have withdrawn from the RSS over disagreements regarding the impending partition of India, historical evidence, including organisational records and family testimony, has cast doubt on this assertion. His own deposition after Gandhi’s assassination indicated that he remained active within the RSS even while formally associated with the Hindu Mahasabha. His political beliefs by this stage focused on a vision of India rooted in Hindu cultural identity, combined with strong opposition to what he perceived as political concessions made to Muslim communities.

Early Attempts to Attack Mahatma Gandhi

The assassination of Gandhi in 1948 was preceded by earlier attempts. In May 1944 Godse participated in an effort to attack Gandhi with a knife during a gathering in Panchgani, although the crowd prevented the assailants from reaching him. Gandhi declined to press charges, resulting in Godse’s release. A similar episode occurred in September 1944 when Godse attempted to block Gandhi’s movement during a journey from Sevagram to Mumbai; once again he was detained but later released because Gandhi refused to pursue legal action.
These attempts reflected mounting resentment among certain nationalist groups who accused Gandhi of undue appeasement of Muslim political demands, particularly during the negotiations leading up to the partition of British India.

The Assassination at Birla House

On 30 January 1948, at approximately 5:05 p.m., Gandhi walked towards a prayer meeting in the garden of Birla House. Godse, who had blended into the crowd, approached him directly and fired three shots into his chest at point-blank range. Gandhi collapsed immediately, prompting panic and confusion among those present.
Herbert Reiner Jr, an American vice-consul attending the gathering, was the first to seize Godse, restraining him until military personnel and police arrived to take him into custody. Gandhi was carried back into the house, where he succumbed to his wounds shortly afterwards. The assassination triggered an immense wave of public grief and anger across India.

Arrest, Trial, and Execution

Following his arrest, Godse was charged alongside Narayan Apte and several other conspirators. The trial took place at the Punjab High Court, then seated at the historic Peterhoff building in Shimla. Over the course of the proceedings, Godse defended his actions as politically motivated rather than personal, arguing that Gandhi’s decisions during the period of partition weakened India and encouraged communal concessions.
On 8 November 1949 he was sentenced to death. Although Gandhi’s sons, Manilal Gandhi and Ramdas Gandhi, appealed for clemency, political leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, and Governor-General C. Rajagopalachari rejected the request. Godse was executed by hanging at Ambala Central Jail on 15 November 1949.

Aftermath and Organisational Repercussions

Gandhi’s assassination provoked widespread mourning and a national crisis. Public anger was directed primarily at the Hindu Mahasabha, which became heavily stigmatised, and at the RSS, which was temporarily banned by the government. The RSS consistently denied organisational involvement and asserted that Godse had severed ties with it long before 1948. However, testimonies from his brother Gopal Godse and other family members maintained that Nathuram had remained affiliated with the organisation until his death.
These disputes over affiliation have remained a significant aspect of scholarly and political debate, reflecting broader controversies surrounding nationalism, communalism, and the ideological legacy of the period.

Attempts at Legacy Reinterpretation

Interest in reshaping public interpretations of Godse’s actions has emerged periodically. The Marathi play Me Nathuram Godse Boltoy dramatised his courtroom defence, drawing on the book May It Please Your Honour written by Gopal Godse. The play, which presents his rationale from his own perspective, has generated substantial debate regarding artistic representation and historical responsibility.
Following political changes in India in the 2010s, the Hindu Mahasabha undertook renewed efforts to portray Godse as a patriot. These included proposals for memorials, attempts to release the documentary Desh Bhakt Nathuram Godse, and campaigns to observe 30 January as Shaurya Diwas. Several of these initiatives faced legal challenges and public backlash.
Controversies also arose when political figures made remarks describing Godse as a patriot, prompting apologies and parliamentary censure. Additional proposals, such as renaming public places after him, further illustrated the continuing divisiveness of his historical legacy.

Historical Significance

Nathuram Godse occupies a contentious position in modern Indian history. His assassination of Mahatma Gandhi altered the political climate of early independent India, provoking the suppression of certain nationalist organisations and contributing to broader debates about communal identity, political dissent, and the boundaries of ideological activism. While his motivations remain the subject of analysis, the act remains widely condemned, and Gandhi’s death is viewed as a profound national tragedy. Godse’s life and actions continue to provoke discussion about extremism, nationalism, and the moral obligations of political leadership in a pluralistic society.