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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