Gandhi Hatya and the forgotten Bhramin Genocide
30th January is marked as a sad day in India owing to the death of the 'Mahatma' M.G. Gandhi. We are told, he led our country to a 'non-violent' freedom movement. Ironically though, his own life was claimed by an act of volience committed by Nathuram Godse. Godse was awarded capital punishment and rightly so for his heinous crime. Gandhi preached non violence his entire life. TURN THE OTHER CHEEK if someone hits you was his message. He faced criticism for this approach from all quarters and specially so after partion but Gandhi stuck his neck out. People claim he even sacrificed his life for that. So was the 'MAHATMA' able to pass on his life lessons to his disciples?.
The Aftermarth:
Congress attacks Savarkar: We all know Veer Savarkar was implicated only to be acquitted in Gandhis murder. Savarkar was lucky to have survived to face the trial. Congress had criticized Savarkar and his organization Hindu Mahasabha for taking an 'extremists' position in freedom movement. They boasted of Gandhis' non violent approach, but soon after Gandhis' death they forgot their leader's message. Mob of around 500 to 1000 gathered around Savarkar's house and pelted stones. The mob also angrily tried to break into his house. Savarkar was lucky that police came around on time and was able to take him out of his house. If not, he would have never survived to go through the trial and be acquitted by the courts. Even as luck favored Vinayak his bother was not so lucky.
Narayan was younger bother of Vinayak Savarkar and had also participated in freedom movement. As the mob could not catch hold of Vinayak, they rushed to his brothers home, dragged him out on the streets, and stoned him. He was also beaten severely. Till the time authorities arrived, Narayan was lying on the ground unconscious. He was later taken to hospital were he was diagnosed with sever head injuries. Narayan never recovered from this incident and he lost his life to brain hemorrhage.
The Genocide and Mayhem:
It just did not stop at Nathuram, Apte 2 convicts of the Gandhi case or Savarkar. The price of Gandhi murder had to be paid by many Maharashtraians Brahmins.
Adv. P.L. Inamdar notes: 'There came the news of manhunt of the Maharashtrian Brahmin community. Few of my relatives were hunted to be lynched by the mobs, but the escaped narrowly. Maharashtrians were hunted down in neighboring provinces in gowliar, bhopal etc. Houses were burnt, properties destroyed. Even people at the Bar (court) room looked at us with suspicion.'
L.P. Patterson who was researching on the subject writes in 1950's that, she was refused access to the relevant police files and archival material and state has made every effort to hide facts and that definitive material does not come out. She estimated the loss of property to be around 6 to 10 cr, a huge some in those times. People from chittapavan samaj and with surname Godse were specially hunted down in all parts of Maharashtra.
Caste politics:
Dwarka Nath Mishra a senior congress leader who was the home minister of Central provinces writes in his memoirs:
'Although only half a dozen Maharashtraian brahmins were involved in Gandhi's assassination a large number of people had to pay the price for it. The murder presented the non Bhraman community with an opportunity to went their wrath on the Bhramin community. Though only 4% of population, they had prominent position in every sphere of public life. He further notes that not only were the houses burnt and people killed, their education institutions were also not spared. Many of the troublemakers were congressmen from the non bhramin community, some of them being even the office bearers of congress committees.
The then collector of Pune wrote as follows:
Godse's act which 1st set of the anger against RSS and Hindu Mahasabha became the opportunity the non- Bhramins had been waiting for a long time to retaliate against Chiptapavans for long years of real or imagined domination. Crowds in lorries reportedly owned by leading Maratha politicians on foot surged through the Bhraman wards bent on revenge. In 1948 one thousand of their houses were officially reported as having burnt down and unspecified number were killed.
Justice Coyajee brought out a deatlied 95 page report report dwelling in depth about intense anti Bhramin feeling that existed. He writes: The anti Brahmin feeling that existed in the state for long years was brought to head by speeches of Madhavrao Bagal and activities of his immediate followers. That this opportunity was taken by the mobs for a concentrated and general attack on Bhramin community as a whole and the object was in fact attack the Bhramin community residing in the state of Kolahpur.
The congress in Maharashtra were so harsh to the bhramins that they tried to purge all the Bhramin men from congress committee and then went on to make an issue of purity and getting rid of their baggage.
There are numerous personal accounts of the people who have shared their personal stories how their families, businesses, personal properties were vandalized and destroyed by the congress in the aftermath of the Gandhi murder. Personal tales that are so tragic and heartwrenching.
Author Vikram Sampath has done a fabulous job of bringing this personal anecdotes of several such people and families as part of his volume II on Savarkar. The community was so petrified that most of them chose to stay silent. The people who had committed the crimes were still large and many of them enjoyed the backing of the party in power both at center and the state in 1950's. Many congress men were promoted for these acts or never faced any consequences. The establishment ensured that the truth never came out.
The bhramin commnutiy who had made such stellar contribution in various fields and produced leaders like Ranade, Tilak and Savarkar and led the political, social and revlutionary movement in India was sidelined in the post independence period, often deliberately. The Maharashtrian Bhramin community has moved on from the incident and dedicated themselves to the restoring their personal lives. The communtiy has prospered and have forgotton the ghost of this genocide, but have largely stayed away from the political landscape.
Clearly the followers of the Mahatma were the 1st ones to forget his lessons on Ahimsa. Till date the bhramin genocide remains the forgotten chapter of India's history. Let the death anniversary of the MAHATMA be the occasion to remember several innocent patriotic Indian who had to loose their lives for no fault of theirs. The Mahtma surely would have not liked what his followers did!
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