Abstract
The following paper will closely analyze the matter of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s assassination. It will examine the conditions prior to and after the incident. The characteristics of Godse, the motive (mens rea), and his actions (actus reus) will be looked at to establish the conditions of the case. Also, the paper will offer another approach to the case, which will provide for a clearer understanding of the nuances in the case. Most importantly, it will determine if there was a possibility to prevent the assassination from happening, and a conclusive report will be given after the fact.
Introduction
Human society has been a product of both kindness and hate, and those who fight for justice and equality are seen as honorable and deserving of praised individuals. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a fighter for his people and nation. Even though there were several attempts of assassination, he refused to get protection, as he believed that if it is meant to happen, then it must be (Deats, R. (2005). His teachings and beliefs are still a great part of the lives of many people, and it can be said that Gandhi is still alive through the memories and beliefs of others. Among other things, Mahatma Gandhi was the organizer of the social movement and the leader of people who wanted fairness. His involvement in politics and the general belief in non-violence and freedom of the nation’s people brought about the anger of many people (Hatt, 2002). This led to several attempts being made to stop him, but the assassinations failed. Overall, there were five prior attempts, in 1934, 1944, 1946, and the 20th of January 1948. On the 30th of January, 1948, Gandhi began his day with regular duties. He was projecting the constitution, as he was largely involved in politics and was able to conduct matters in the most efficient and fair manner (Kamath, 2007).
Main body
On that day, Gandhi was getting prepared to unveil his plans to the congress, and so, almost the whole day was spent discussing the future laws of the country. When the time for the night prayer came, he was exiting his house and onto the porch. As usual, there was a large gathering of people because, by that time, Mahatma Gandhi was already thought of as the “father” of the nation. In the crowd was a man named Godse, who had participated in the attack ten days before. He approached Gandhi as if to touch him but instead took out a gun and shot him three times in the chest. Two of the bullets went through Gandhi, and one got stuck in his lung in the area of the heart. According to some sources, Gandhi was held by his nieces on both sides and died instantly (Gandhiji shot dead – The Hindu, 2013). Other sources say that he was taken to Birla’s house and lived for another 30 minutes (Assassination of Mr. Gandhi, 1948). In case he was taken to the Birla house, it is unclear why he was not taken to the hospital because there is always a chance to save a person. People on-site saw that the inflicted damage was very serious and could have assumed that Gandhi could not be saved, but they were not professional doctors, so it is strange how this happened.
Godse was apprehended on the spot, as he was not trying to leave, but in any case, the crowd took hold of the assassin. There were some rumors that Godse wanted to commit suicide, but this is not true. The crowd was angry enough to give Godse a beating. His injuries were minor. In his assassination, he used a six-chamber revolver,.38 caliber Beretta. Godse’s “origin is still obscure, but he is said to be a Brahmin, and according to one report, comes from Poona” (Assassination of Mr. Gandhi, 1948). The motive of the murderer was that Gandhi was at fault before the people, as he wanted to separate Muslims. The result of his actions divided the country into two, India and Pakistan. Also, Godse explained his actions by blaming appeasement, which was Gandhi’s policy and supposedly led to problems with the Muslims (Gandhi…Godse Assassination, 2013).
Conducting the investigation today, there would be several things that could have been done differently. After the assassination attempt on the 20th of January, Godse could be followed by the use of tracers or police surveillance. Interrogating his accomplices would provide information about another future attempt and alert the authorities. As Godse used an Italian-made Beretta, the source could have been traced in order to determine the party who supplied the guns. His DNA and fingerprints would then be inputted into the database and traced to make sure that there was no other criminal involvement. Eyewitnesses would have to be cross-examined to establish why Gandhi was not taken to the hospital and how decided or ordered to take him to a Shrine. That person could be connected to the side that was opposite of Gandhi’s policies.
Conclusion
Even though today’s technology would allow a closer look at the case and look into a possibility of a conspiracy, the fact that he was shot at close range and the killer was apprehended would not majorly differentiate the investigation. The end result would also be unchanged, as the nation and whole of humanity lost one of the greatest fighters for justice.
References
Chunibhai Vaidya, C. (2013). Gandhi…Godse Assassination.
Deats, R. (2005). Mahatma Gandhi, Nonviolent Liberator: A Biography. Hyde Park, NY: New City Press.
Hatt, C. (2002). Mahatma Gandhi. London, England: Evans Brothers.
Kamath, M. (2007). Gandhi, a Spiritual Journey. Mumbai, India: Indus Source.
The Guardian. (1948). Assassination of Mr Gandhi.
The Hindu. (2013). Gandhiji shot dead – The Hindu.