Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi

30 January 1948, New Delhi, India

Mahatma Gandhi was shot by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu fanatic. Gandhi had pushed for Indian independence and used fasting and non-violent methods as a means through which to evoke change. Despite attempts to keep peace by Gandhi’s successor Jawaharlal Nehru, violence erupted in Bombay and throughout India. Nehru oversaw the transition of postcolonial India in the following years.