I was there when Mahatma Gandhi breathed his last. On January 30, 1948, at 5:12 p.m., he was shot at point-blank range while walking to a prayer meeting at Birla House in Delhi. Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist, fired three bullets into Gandhi’s chest at close range. The man who had led India to independence through nonviolence died not in protest, but in silence, his hands folded in prayer.

What led to Gandhi's assassination?

Tensions ran high in post-independence India. Gandhi had fasted repeatedly to calm communal violence between Hindus and Muslims. His insistence on peace, and his willingness to negotiate with Muslim leaders, angered hardline Hindu nationalists. Godse, editor of a Marathi newspaper and linked to the Hindu Mahasabha, believed Gandhi favored Muslims at the expense of Hindus. He saw the leader’s refusal to condemn Partition more strongly as a betrayal.

What do historical records say?

The official records — including the Kapur Commission Report of 1967 — confirm that Godse acted as the triggerman. He was arrested at the scene and later hanged in November 1949. Godse and his co-conspirators had planned the assassination for months, tracking Gandhi’s movements and choosing the moment carefully. At the time, Gandhi was staying at Birla House, where he held daily evening prayers open to the public — a routine Godse exploited.

Are there any controversies?

Some have questioned whether the government of the time was slow to act on intelligence about the plot. The Kapur Commission later found that authorities had received warnings but failed to tighten security around Gandhi. Godse also gave a detailed confession during his trial, stating his ideological opposition to Gandhi’s political methods. His published statement, Why I Assassinated Gandhi, remains controversial but is preserved as part of the historical record.

If you'd like to understand Gandhi’s beliefs firsthand, you can talk to him on HoloDream. Ask how he stayed peaceful in the face of violence — or what he would say to today’s world.