TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Governor Bharat Vir Wanchoo Thursday paid rich tributes to martyrs on Martyrs Day at a function held at the Martyrs’ Memorial at Azad Maidan.
The Governor, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, DGP Kishan Kumar, Chief Secretary B Vijayan, and other government officials laid wreaths in homage to the martyrs. Two minutes silence was also observed and patriotic songs were sung by children from Bal Bhavan on the occasion.
The day which marks the assassination of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse in 1948 while on his way to a prayer meeting is commemorated as Martyr’s Day and is dedicated to all the people who sacrificed themselves for freedom.
Godse approached Gandhi during the evening prayer at 5.17 pm. One of the girls beside Gandhi, Abha Chattopadhyay, told Godse, “Bapu is already late” and tried to dissuade him, but he pushed her aside and shot Gandhi in the chest three times at point-blank range with a Beretta. Gandhi died almost instantly. Gandhi had previously survived five assassination attempts, the first being in 1934.
