Darkness Everywhere


Book Description

On January 30, 1948, Mohandas Gandhi, the world's most revered champion of nonviolent civil disobedience, was murdered in cold blood by a man he'd never met. Gandhi was legendary?in his native India and around the globe?as the Mahatma, a "great soul." So why did Nathuram Godse, an ardent Hindu nationalist, murder him? Darkness Everywhere traces the remarkable journey of one of the twentieth century's most unconventional warriors?and his assassins?to their fateful encounter in Delhi. This is a story of Gandhi's great achievements, the enemies who brought him down, and the legacy that continues to inspire the fight for freedom and justice around the world.




The Murderer, The Monarch and The Fakir


Book Description

The Murderer, the Monarch and the Fakir is a fresh account of one of the most controversial political assassinations in contemporary history-that of Mahatma Gandhi. Based on previously unseen intelligence reports and police records, this book recreates the circumstances of his murder, the events leading up to it and the investigation afterwards. In doing so, it unearths a conspiracy that runs far deeper than a hate crime and challenges the popular narrative about the assassination that has persisted for the past seventy years. The Murderer, the Monarch and the Fakir examines the potential role of princely states, hypermasculinity and a militant right-wing in the context of a nation that had just won her independence. It relies on investigative journalism and new evidence set in a strong academic framework to unpack the significance of this tumultuous event.




Gandhi's Assassin


Book Description

The life of Nathuram Godse, the man who shot Gandhi Dhirendra Jha's deeply researched history places Nathuram Godse's life as the juncture of the dangerous fault lines in contemporary India: the quest for independence and the rise of Hindu nationalism. On a wintry Delhi evening on 30 January 1948, Nathuram Godse shot Gandhi at point-blank range, forever silencing the man who had delivered independence to his nation. Godse’s journey to this moment of international notoriety from small towns in western India is, by turns, both riveting and wrenching. Drawing from previously unpublished archival material, Jha challenges the standard account of Gandhi’s assassination, and offers a stunning view on the making of independent India. Born to Brahmin parents, Godse started off as a child mystic. However, success eluded him. The caste system placed him at the top of society but the turbulent times meant that he soon became a disaffected youth, desperately seeking a position in the infant nation. In such confusing times, Godse was one of hundreds, and later thousands, of young Indian men to be steered into the sheltering fold of early Hindutva, Indian nationalism. His association with early formations of the RSS and far-right thinkers such as Sarvakar proves that he was not working alone. Today he is considered to be a patriotic hero by many for his act of bravery, despite being found guilty in court and executed in 1949.







The Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi


Book Description




The Death and Afterlife of Mahatma Gandhi


Book Description

"The Death and Afterlife of Mahatma Gandhi is an explosive and original analysis of the assassination of the ‘Father of the Nation’. Who is responsible for the Mahatma’s death? Just one determined zealot, the larger ideology that supported him, the Congress-led Government that failed to protect him, or a vast majority of Indians and their descendants who considered Gandhi irrelevant, and endorsed violence instead? Paranjape’s meticulous study culminates in his reading of Gandhi’s last six months in Delhi where, from the very edge of the grave, he wrought what was perhaps his greatest miracle – the saving of Delhi and thus of India itself from the internecine bloodshed of Partition. Paranjape, taking a cue from the Mahatma himself, also shows us a way to expiate our guilt and to heal the wounds of an ancient civilization torn into two. This is a brilliant, far-reaching and profound exploration of the meaning of the Mahatma’s death."




Mahatma Gandhi Assassination: J.L. Kapur Commission Report - Part - 1


Book Description

Kapur Commission Report deals with the Conspiracy to Murder of Mahatma Gandhi who was shot dead point-blank range by Nathuram Vinayak Godse in Birla House Prayer Gardens on 30th January 1948. Three among the eight accused i.e. Madanlal, Karkare, and Gopal Godse were released on12th October 1964 after completion of their life-sentence and honoured on November 12, 1964 in Pune at a private function presided by Dr. G.V. Ketkar. In that function, Delhi and Bombay Civil and Police administration were strongly condemned for their laxity and dereliction of duty which ultimately resulted in the murder of Mahatma Gandhi. The Indian Express dated November 14, 1964 commented adversely about this function. There was a furore in Bombay Legislative Assembly and Indian Parliament which led the instituion of Kapur Inquiry Commission. The Commission’s report was made public in 1970s. This digitised Report in two parts is an indispensable one for Judicial Officers & Police Officials, Lawyers & Students of Legal Studies, Historians & Human Right Activists, and above all for Indian Politicians & Bureaucrats in discharging their official duties without any commission or omission and comprehending the social responsibility that is to be shouldered as and when required in times of crisis. By S. PADMAVATHI and D.G. HARIPRASATH.




Weighing the Evidence: Who Killed Gandhi?


Book Description

This volume brings to light the report of the Kapur Commission, which was appointed by the government of India in 1965 to examine the depth and scope of the conspiracy that lay behind the killing of Gandhi. This three-volume report has been absent from the public domain though it contains invaluable evidence of the extent of complicity.




Assassination of Mahatma – Indira – Rajiv Gandhis'


Book Description

30th January 1948; 31st October 1984; 21st May 1991. These three days bear significant importance in the history of independent India. The nation witnessed the assassination of the Father of the Nation, the Prime Minister of India and an ex-Prime Minister of India respectively. It is even more startling because it was the first instance where a mother and her son were robbed of their lives because of political and religious reasons. Assassination of Mahatma – Indira – Rajiv Gandhis' by K. Ragothaman is an attempt to shed light on these occurrences and what led to their gruesome deaths. It is also a commentary on the functioning of the law enforcement agencies and the Executive. As the Chief Investigating Officer in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Mr Ragothaman is in a unique position to discuss the intricacies of three of the most significant occurrences in the history of 20th century India. The events leading up to these dates have been reconstructed to give the reader a holistic picture and how these three seemingly individual tragedies are connected.




Why I Killed Gandhi


Book Description

While the nation was celebrating Independence from British Rule and singing all praises for the ‘Father of The Nation’ – Mahatma Gandhi, the news of his assassination came as a shock. He was shot in the chest three times while he was walking towards the prayer grounds at the Birla House, New Delhi. The man behind the assassination – Nathuram Godse was a well known nationalist. He was arrested at the crime scene and sentenced to death after a year long trial. The book contains the final speech given by Godse in the court, mentioning the reason behind the drastic step he took.