India: Far Right Hindu Mahasabha performs ‘Bhumi pujan’ ritauls at foundation laying for temple in Meerut for worship of Godse, the assassin of Gandhi

The Hindu

Meerut, December 25, 2014

Hindu Mahasabha performs ‘Bhumi pujan’ for Godse temple in Meerut

Mohammad Ali

Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha activists are all set to build the country's first temple for Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse in Meerut. As a first step for building the temple, the Hindutva activists performed 'bhumi pujan' on Wednesday in their local office here in Meerut.

Initially unaware of the bhumi pujan, the State administration has swung into action with the Meerut DM ordering a probe into the entire matter. The acting DM of Meerut, Navneet Singh Chahal, told The Hindu that the administration has taken a "very serious" view of the incident.

"The police officer in charge of the area has been asked to probe this and file an FIR against all those responsible for this kind of mischief which can disturb the law and order situation," Chahal told the media.

The SSP, Onkar Singh, said the Local Intelligence Unit has also been asked to probe the issue on a priority basis and submit its report.

The bhumi pujan in Meerut comes two days after the outfit bought land at Sidhauli Para village in Sitapur district to build another temple for Nathuram Godse on January 30, the day Godse shot the Mahatma to death.

White stone bust

According to a member of the central working committee of the Hindu Mahasbha Pandit, Ashok Kumar Sharma, who declared Godse a 'martyr', the temple will have a bust of Godse in white stone.

" After the bhumi pujan, we decided the details of the statue of the martyr of this nation Nathuram Godse. It would be our privilege to build the temple and honour the patriot who has popularly been witch-hunted and misunderstood by a large section of this country." Sharma told The Hindu.

Building the temple for Godse would be the first step in countering the propaganda against Nathuram Godse, he added.

The statue is expected to be completed by January 30.

Asked why the Hindu Mahasabha is building the temple for Godse, Sharma said: "Godse was a patriot and was once associated with the Hindu Mahasabha as well."