Gopal Vinayak Godse (d. 26 November 2005) was a

Hindutva Hindutva () is the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India. The term was formulated as a political ideology by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923. It is used by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the ...

activist convicted of conspiring to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi in 1948.

Biography

A 2021 book about Gandhi's assassination stated that Gopal Godse worked at the time at a transportation company, and had previously served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during the Anglo-Iraqi War. Godse's brother Nathuram fatally shot Gandhi on 30 January 1948. Gopal Godse was among those arrested soon after for conspiring to commit the assassination. The Godse's and their co-consipirators had previously attempted to kill Gandhi ten days earlier, an abortive attempt for which conspirator Madanlal Pahwa was arrested and imprisoned. Godse was convicted, and served 16 years in prison. His brother Nathuram and another man were sentenced to death and hanged for their role in the assassination. Godse was released in 1964. He did not repent of his role in the assassination, saying in a 2003 interview that he did not regret it. Godse lived in

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

after his release, subsisting on royalties from books he wrote about the assassination. In 1993 he released ''Why I Assassinated Mahatma Gandhi'', a book written by his brother Nathuram. In an interview shortly afterward, he stated that Nathuram, himself, and their two brothers had all been long-time members of the

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ; , , ) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family" ...

(RSS), and had never left the organisation. The RSS had previously distanced itself from Gandhi's assassins. According to political commentator

A. G. Noorani Abdul Ghafoor Majeed Noorani, known popularly as A. G. Noorani (born 16 September 1930), is a lawyer in India and political commentator. He has practised as an advocate in the Supreme Court of India and in the Bombay High Court. Early life and ...

, two of his books, including one about the assassination, were promoted by the '' Organiser'', the magazine of the RSS, in 1997. He died in his home on 26 November 2005, as the last surviving member of the conspiracy. He was married to Sindhu Godse, and had two daughters and a son. The

Marathi language Marathi (; ''Marāṭhī'', ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the official language of Maharashtra, and additional official language in the state o ...

play ''

Me Nathuram Godse Boltoy ''Me Nathuram Godse Boltoy'' is a two-act play written in the Marathi language. It has been written by Pradeep Dalvi (Mauli productions). It is based on the book ''May It Please You Honour'' written by Gopal Godse. According to Karline McLain ...

'' (This is Nathuram Godse Speaking), written by Pradeep Dalvi and first performed in 1997, was based on Gopal Godse's book ''May It Please You Honour''. According to Karline McLain the play "enacts Godse's defense plea" and thus "explores the assassination of Gandhi and the trial of Godse from Godse's point of view.

References

External links

2000 interview of Godse in '' Time (magazine), Time'' magazine. {{Authority control 2005 deaths 1919 births Indian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of India Mahatma Gandhi assassination conspirators