Deendayal Upadhyaya's Death Still A Mystery, Govt Says 'No Plan Of Reinvestigating It'

It was February 10, 1968, the then president of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, was onboard the Sealdah Express from Lucknow to Patna on February 10 and on the very next day his body was found near electric pole no. 1276.

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Mohit Pandey
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Deendayal Upadhyaya's Death Still A Mystery, Govt Says 'No Plan Of Reinvestigating It'

Deendayal Upadhyaya owes the credit of mentoring young Bharatiya Jana Sangh leaders. (PTI File Photo)

Deendayal Upadhyaya is the name that keeps echoing whenever BJP goes through either a period of trough or crest. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Home Minister Amit Shah, the projection of Upadhyaya has been done like the crusader of nationalistic cause. Upadhyaya is remembered in the first case to cherish the saffron surge and in the other, when BJP or nationalists find the get going tough, in a search of strength and confidence. It is 103rd birth anniversary of Jana Sangh leader Deendayal Upadhyaya, who was born on September 25, 1916. Today, we’ll underline the mystery and efforts by various governments in the past to unravel the death mystery.

To be precise, Deendayal Upadhyaya or Panditji has remained a man of inspiration and solace for India as a whole. Panditji, as his contemporaries called him, was a leader of pre-Independent India, and his aura continued canvassing the national politics after England decided to quit India.

It was February 10, 1968, the then president of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, was onboard the Sealdah Express from Lucknow to Patna on February 10 and on the very next day his body was found near electric pole no. 1276 at the station which today goes like Deendayal Upadhyaya Railway station. It was Mugalsarai until the Uttar Pradesh government decided to name it after Panditji last year.

At that time, it was claimed to be a politically motivated murder but the CBI went on to refute all the notions. However, after many parliamentarians demanded the government to set up a probe commission, a one-person commission of inquiry was formulated under Justice YV Chandrachud. The commission concluded that that the murder was committed by petty thieves looking to steal from the Bharatiya Jana Sangh president as the train halted at Mughalsarai station.

The findings of Chandrachud Commission revealed that Pandit Upadhyaya was pushed out of the running train from near the door by two thieves who made plans to steal from him.

Another independent inquiry into the murder by the CBI also claimed the same but only to be dismissed by the RSS that remained unconvinced and unmoved. The findings also indicated that all other organisations, including Muslim groups as well as opposition parties, were not responsible for the murder.  

Recently, Government of India made it clear that there is no proposal under consideration to constitute commission on the suspicious death of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and others. In reply to a question asked by MP Sukhdev Dhindsa, Union Minister of State (Home) G Kishan Reddy given clarifications on the issue in Parliament. Although, Ministry of Home Affairs admitted that Centre has received some requests from various quarters regarding same. 

Panditji, who died at an age of 52, owes the credit of mentoring young Bharatiya Jana Sangh leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani after the death of the BJS founding-president Syama Prasad Mukherjee on June 23, 1953.

Deendayal Upadhyaya's death in 1968 brought grief for his followers. His funeral procession in Delhi witnessed record crowds that had travelled across the country to attend it. 

Birth Anniversary Deendayal Upadhyaya