Mahatma Gandhi assassination will be commemorated in Surrey

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      Today is the 67th anniversary of the murder of one of the leading anticolonialist voices of the 20th century.

      Mahatma Gandhi was shot three times by a Hindu fanatic, Nathuram Godse, while surrounded by his family after a prayer meeting in New Delhi.

      After an eight-month trial, eight men were convicted in the conspiracy, with Godse and Narayan Apte sentenced to death. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a militant Hindu philosopher and activist, was acquitted of the crime.

      To reflect on the assassination of Gandhi and the rise of religious fanaticism in India, Radical Desi magazine will host a dialogue from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday (January 31) at Whalleywood Friendship Centre (13565 King George Boulevard) in Surrey.

      The keynote speaker will be former B.C. premier Ujjal Dosanjh. He recently cited Gandhi as one of his heroes when he was awarded the Wallenberg-Sugihara Civil Courage Award in Vancouver.

      Dosanjh has expressed alarm over the rise of Hindu fundamentalism in India since last year's election of Narendra Modi as prime minister.

      Modi has often paid tributes to Savarkar (also known as Veer Savarkar), who was a frequent critic of Gandhi's efforts to unite Hindus and Muslims.

      Indian prime minister Narendra Modi pays his respects to Veer Savarkar.
      Narendra Modi / Wikipedia

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