Nathuram Godse shot Gandhi from close range on January 30, 1948 and right after that Gandhi passed away. Godse was punished by the Indian state and hanged for murdering a Mahatma who had advocated for nonviolence throughout his life. But before Godse could be hanged, the vengeful Congress supporters had decided to use Gandhi’s assassination as justification for the Chitpavan Brahmin massacre in Maharashtra. A wave of violence swept across Maharashtra just hours after Gandhi was assassinated. Chitpavan Brahmins, the class of Brahmins to which Nathuram Godse belonged, were the primary targets of mob. Chitpavan Brahmins were subjected to murder, rapes, and lootings by Congress supporters in collusion with anti-Brahmin groups for the next 4 to 5 days.

The killings began as soon as news of Gandhi’s assassination reached Maharashtra. According to official accounts, at least 15 people were killed in Mumbai the day after Gandhi died.

 

Chitpavan Brahmins’ homes were systematically identified, their women raped, men killed, and their homes burned. Mobs were armed with Kerosene canisters, rods, and machetes wherever they went. Cotton balls and kerosene-soaked paper were used to attack buildings, which were then burned. The fact that even children were butchered like animals by these Congress-backed goons demonstrates the anarchy.

 

 

Congress joined forces with other groups such as Marathas, Jains, and Lingayats and set out on a mission to destroy everything that bore even the faintest resemblance to the Chitpavan mark. Rioters did not only burn down houses, but also factories and offices that provided jobs.

 

The massacre was meticulously planned, as mobs possessed everything necessary to destroy anyone who stood in their way. Even those whose families had spent their entire lives serving the nations were not spared. The mob pelted Veer Savarkar’s brother Veer Narayan Savarkar to death and destroyed his properties.

 

“He who relentlessly served the nation, He who relentlessly worked for the people, He who stood firm against the Brits, He who fought for liberating Maa Bharati, Today was stoned to death by his own brothers for whom he fought,” Savarkar wrote of his brother’s death.

 

The violence has spread to 300 districts.

The activities did not stop with a few districts. Due to the well-organized nature of the killings, Chitpavans living in 300 districts of 13 talukas were forced to either die or flee the state, and Kolhapur, Solapur, Satara, Sangli, and Pune became the main centres of Chitpavan genocide.

 

According to official reports, over 1000 houses were set on fire in Satara alone. Selected killings were so heinous that the mob murdered three members of one family simply because their surname was Godse. It is estimated that Congress goons and their allies murdered between 5000 and 8000 people.

The systematic discrimination of Brahmins in the media is not a new phenomenon. No major Indian media outlet covered the systematic murders of Chitpavans.

 

A few survivors have bravely come forward to tell their stories in public. Arvind Kolhatkar is one of them. His home was in Satara, 110 kilometres from Pune. His family was a minority in a neighbourhood dominated by non-Brahmins. The mob first systematically destroyed the furniture, and then they took on the printing press and typewriter to ensure that if his family survives, they will not be able to read or write.

 

The Chitpavans were one of the most vocal opponents of British rule in India. Some prominent leaders in the independence movement who belonged to the Chitpavan family of Brahmins included Mahadev Ranade, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Lokmanya Tilak, Veer Savarkar, and others.

 

Furthermore, the Peshwas, the backbone of the Maratha Empire, were Chitpavans. Various groups within Maharashtra had developed enmity with them due to their prominence in every area. These organisations were looking for a way to remove Chitpavan Brahmin’s influence from Maharashtra. Gandhi’s death acted as a catalyst for them to carry out their vengeful plans.

Godse, who committed murder, is labelled a terrorist by the liberals. What Congressi Goons did in the aftermath instilled fear in the minds of survivors. If this is not terrorism, then the term must be redefined.

 

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