Hindu Mahasabha leader 'recreates' Mahatma Gandhi's assassination in Uttar Pradesh, garlands Nathuram Godse's statue

On Mahatama Gandhi’s death anniversary on Wednesday, Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) general secretary Puja Shakun Pandey decided to ‘celebrate’ the occasion by recreating the assassination of the father of the nation. According to a report in  India Today, the ABHM celebrated Gandhi’s death by shooting at an effigy of Gandhi from a toy gun. The right-wing group also marked the ‘martyrdom’ of his assassin Nathuram Godse on ‘Martyr’s Day’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh, according to the report. Before Pandey shot at the effigy, chants of “Mahatma Nathuram Godse amar rahe (Long live Mahatma Nathuram Godse)” were also heard at the event.

Watch: Hindu Mahasabha recreates Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination; shoots Gandhi's effigy pic.twitter.com/jhCKmvjAMe

— Afroz Alam (@AfrozJournalist) January 30, 2019

After Pandey shot at the effigy, fake blood was seen oozing out of it as per a video clip posted on Twitter. In fact, another organisation member also shot at the effigy after Pandey, as per the clip. The Times of India further reported that the ABHM leaders also garlanded Godse’s statue and distributed sweets. The newspaper also quoted Pandey as saying that she started a new tradition by recreating the entire incident on 30 January, the day Gandhi was assassinated. She also compared her shooting at the effigy to the burning of Ravana’s effigy on Dussehra. In May 2018, ANI reported that ABHM requested the central government to replace the picture of Gandhi on Indian currency with Veer Savarkar. ABHM chief Swami Chakrapani even demanded the Bharat Ratna for Savarkar. The ABHM said Savarkar played a great role in India’s freedom movement and hence, the country should respect him by featuring him instead of Gandhi on the currency. With inputs from ANI