Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was assassinated at the Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti) in New Delhi on January 30, 1948. Here are some rare pictures of the funeral
The funeral pyre
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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was assassinated at the Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti) in New Delhi on January 30, 1948. Gandhi was outside on the steps where a prayer meeting was going to take place, surrounded by his family and some followers, when Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist and prominent member of Hindu Mahasabha, approached him at 5.17 pm.
When Godse bowed, one of the girls flanking and supporting Gandhi, Abha Chattopadhyay, said to Godse, "Brother, Bapu is already late" and tried to put him off, but he pushed her aside and shot Gandhi in the chest three times at point-blank range.
The procession. Pic/AFP
Gandhi was then taken back inside the Birla House, where he died. Godse was arrested, convicted in court and later executed.
The funeral pyre. Pic/AFP
Gandhi's death was mourned nationwide. Over two million people joined the five-mile long funeral procession that took over five hours to reach Raj Ghat from Birla house, where he was assassinated. Gandhi's body was transported on a weapons carrier, whose chassis was dismantled overnight to allow a high-floor to be installed so that people could catch a glimpse of his body.
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