Godse temple set up in MP’s Gwalior

The Hindu Mahasabha on Wednesday set up a shrine for Mahatma Gandhi killer Nathuram Godse on the premises of its property in Gwalior on his death anniversary. Godse’s bust was unveiled amid Vedic chants and was worshipped with cow urine, curd, milk, honey and water from the Ganges.

Hindu Mahasabha Gwalior leader Dr Jaiveer Bhardwaj told HT on phone that they set up the Godse temple inside their building as the district authorities didn’t give them land or permission. “We applied for permission on November 9, but the district authorities told us that they don’t give such permissions. So we decided to set up the temple in our property in the Daulatganj area of Gwalior city,” he said.

Dr Bhardwaj said the objective was to make the younger generation understand about the life of Godse, which is often distorted, and the role of Mahatma Gandhi in Partition. He said Godse spent time in Gwalior before travelling to Delhi to kill Mahatma Gandhi.

“Every Tuesday, we will perform ‘akhand Bharat aarti’ (worshipping undivided India) in the temple and apprise the youth about his life and vision. Before his martyrdom, Godse had wished that his ashes be immersed in the Sindhu river when his dream of ‘Akhand Bharat’ (undivided India) is fulfilled,” he said.

Bhardwaj said nobody contributed funds for the temple and they had to pool money from within the organisation to commission the bust, which was sculpted by Gwalior-based sculptor Dinesh Prajapati.

Nathuram Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948. Later he was hanged in Ambala jail on November 15, 1949. Godse, along with Narayan Apte, were reported to have travelled from Delhi to Gwalior by train on January 28, 1948, to get a pistol which was used to shoot Mahatma Gandhi. Godse and Apte left for Delhi on January 29.

Gwalior mayor Vivek Shejwalkar said he was not aware of the Hindu Mahasabha seeking permission for the temple. “If anybody wants to set up a shrine or a temple within their property, I don’t think they need any permission for it,” he said.

State Congress chief spokesperson KK Mishra said: “How can state government allow a temple where killer of Mahatma Gandhi will be worshipped? We are planning to file a petition in the court to press for lodging a case of sedition against those involved in setting up the temple ”.

State BJP chief spokesperson Deepak Vijayvargiya said: “Whether such a shrine can be allowed, will be looked into by the local administration.”

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