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Mahatma Gandhi’s Assassination: What Happened on 30 January 1948

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Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, shortly before his assassination

Image: Mahatma Gandhi, historical photograph.

On 30 January 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi while walking to an evening prayer meeting at Birla House, now known as Gandhi Smriti.

Gandhi’s final months

In the months before his death, Gandhi had focused heavily on communal peace following the violence surrounding Partition and independence.

The Delhi peace effort

Gandhi undertook a fast in Delhi in January 1948 amid communal tensions. He appealed for protection of minorities and an end to retaliatory violence.

The assassination

On the evening of 30 January, Gandhi was walking toward a prayer meeting when Nathuram Godse approached him and shot him at close range.

National mourning

Gandhi’s death triggered widespread mourning in India and around the world. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru announced the death to the nation in a broadcast that same evening.

The historical legacy

The assassination did not end interest in Gandhi’s ideas. His writings on nonviolence, religious harmony, social reform and political ethics continued to influence movements and scholars internationally.

Read NewsNationOnline’s Gandhi’s final years feature and explore the Gandhi Heritage Portal.


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Imran Siddiqui
Imran Siddiqui is a journalist based in Jalna, Maharashtra, and district representative for Navbharat (previously with Lokmat Samachar). He edits NewsNation Online, covering Jalna, Marathwada, Maharashtra and India, and ImranJalna, covering Islamic knowledge and Muslim-world news in English, Hindi and Urdu.

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