The woman, who is the leader of a right-wing Hindu group, had earlier shot the effigy of Gandhi on his death anniversary.
A leader of the far-right Hindu group Mahasabha in India has been arrested after a video of her shooting the effigy of Mahatma Gandhi went viral on social media.
Mrs. Panday is the national secretary of same Mahasabha group as Nathuram Godse, the man who killed Gandhi inside his home on 30 January 1948.
In an event which was organized by the fringe group to “celebrate” the 71st anniversary of India’s great leader, Pooja Panday was seen garlanding the photo of the man who had shot Gandhi, before using the air pistol herself to shoot the effigy.
The incident was held in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh and was followed up by the members of the group garlanding a portrait of Godse to “commemorate” his “achievement”.
After her video went viral on social media, a large number of Indians called for the woman to be arrested, with some questioning as to why the woman wasn’t being charged with sedition by the Government.
Although Gandhi is celebrated worldwide for his tolerant views and his doctrine of non-violence, he isn’t in the good books of some right-wing Hindu groups who blame him for India’s partition in 1947.
Not the first time
As shocking at it may sound, this isn’t the first time when the fringe group has tried to celebrate Godse for assassinating Gandhi.
In 2015, the group unveiled its plan to install statues of Godse in six districts across the South-Indian state of Karnataka. That plan was later shelved after protests across India forced the organizers not to go ahead with their motives.
Similarly, on 26 January this year, the Mahasabha refused to celebrate India’s Republic Day, instead choosing to call it a ‘Black Day’ unless India changes from a secular to a Hindu state.
