The Week India — November 12, 2017

You will fi rst have to see what I am asking for. That is
very important.

• Expunge all remarks that refer to Marathi people in
  general and Veer Savarkar in particular that imply
  that they/he was in anyway involved in murder of
  Mahatma Gandhi.


• Appoint a new commission of inquiry to complete the
  incomplete work of Kapur Commission.
  Because Kapur Commission has done excellent
  work in terms of documenting evidence.
  So you don’t want to invalidate the fi ndings of Kapur
  Commission?
  Only parts, very specifi c parts about Maratha army
  which I take serious objection to. I am not asking for
  exoneration of Godse. Let’s be very clear. He was a
  murderer he got what he deserved. My only prayer
  is whatever happened in trial let it remain as it is. If
  there was someone else involved then please inves-
  tigate. What I am trying to understand is: Was any-
  body else—other than those 12 accused—involved in
  the conspiracy? Was there a larger conspiracy? I am
  aware that this is not going to lead to prosecution of
  anyone because all those persons are dead.

What will this

achieve?

The question is

whether the murder

motive was to cause

enmity between the

people of India and

Pakistan by sabo-

taging the Gandhi-

Jinnah reconcilia-

tion project. If this

was the motive, the

conspiracy has been

hugely successful.

I am saying there

was an organised

force, Force 136 [The

World War II agency

Special Operations

Executive]. The

court told me that

organisations can-

not be convicted.

Yes. But the motive

of the organisation

can be documented

or established. What

problem can anybody

have with this? It’s a

search for truth.

The Hindu Mahasabha says the RSS and BJP

are trying to sideline it through your case.

I am not part of the BJP or the RSS. I have been

doing my research for the last 20 years. I cat-

egorically deny that I am doing this at anybody’s

instance.

You have a special affi nity to Savarkar?

Yes. Savarkar started his Abhinav Bharat in

1906. This was the fi rst organisation to demand
      absolute political independence.
      But he closed it down.
      Correct. In 1952. Till the Malegaon case hap-
      pened, Abhinav Bharat was a very respected
      name. Even when Savarkar was accused of be-
      ing complicit in the Gandhi murder, nobody
      pointed a fi nger at Abhinav Bharat. It demand-
      ed independence in 1906. Tell me which other
      organisation did it before, even call for Swaraj?
      The Congress passed the resolution in 1930. Sa-
      varkar went to Andaman in 1910.
      Later part of Savarkar’s life is all about Hindu-
      Muslim politics.
      I am only concerned about Abhinav Bharat. I
      am not a blind follower of Savarkar. Period. Sa-

I am not part

of the BJP

or the RSS. I

categorically

deny that

I am doing

this at

anybody’s

instance.

Connecting

gaps:

Pankaj

Phadnis of

Abhinav

Bharat

Mumbai

THE WEEK Š NOVEMBER 12, 2017^35