Syed Ali Mujtaba | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – The dignity of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi was once again lowered when hoardings depicting his martyrdom were pulled down in Maharashtra’s Nagpur city on January 30, his 77th death anniversary.
Nagpur city houses the headquarters of the Hindu right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) group.
“Hum Bharat Ke Log” (HBKL), a platform for citizens’ action on human rights issues, had organised the event marking the martyrdom of Gandhiji, who was murdered on the evening of 30 January 1948 at his home in the national capital.
The HBKL had put up six hoardings at six locations across Nagpur city. The billboards were put up a day earlier but were removed between, said Prajwala Tatte of the HBKL’s Nagpur unit.
“The company that was given the contract to put up the hoarding began to call us that they would have to remove the hoardings as it portrayed a violent scene of Gandhiji’s murder but despite our objection, the billboards were removed from public view.”
“We, Hum Bharat Ke Log, condemn this vile act, where now even the public portrayal of the murder of Mahatma Gandhi is forbidden. It clearly shows that the organisations, the conspirators that planned and executed the murder of Mahatma Gandhi are still active. The hoarding was put up to expose the fascist forces and its removal shows that some elements live amongst us,” said HBKL in a press statement.
“Shamefully, temples are being made in honour of Nathuram Godse, the murderer of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of our Nation,” the press statement said condemning the Nagpur incident.
A few years back, a purported video of Puja Shakun Pandey (Hindu Mahasabha National Secretary), shooting at an effigy of Gandhiji had surfaced in the Uttar Pradesh city of Aligarh, but no action was taken against her for promoting hate and violence.
Interestingly, the so-called violent portrayal of Gandhiji’s death that formed the image of the Nagpur hoardings was taken from the cover page of Tushar Gandhi’s book “Let’s Kill Gandhi.”
The HBKL press statement is signed by Dr GG Parikh, Tushar Gandhi, Feroze Mithiborwala, Guddi SL, Sharad Kadam, Dhananjay Shinde, Santosh Ambekar, Ali Bhojani, Siddesh Kadam, Vanita Tondwalkar, Yashodhan Paranjpe & Archana Tajane etc.
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Syed Ali Mujtaba can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com
