Gandhi Jayanti 2016: 10 facts to know about Mahatma Gandhi's assassination

Mahatma Gandhi breathed his last on January 30, 1948 after he was assassinated while he was on his way to a prayer meeting at the Birla House. On the eve of Gandhi Jayanti, here are 10 things to know about Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination:

1. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated at the Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti) in New Delhi on January 30, 1948. He was 79 then.

2. Reports say he was shot at 5:12 PM and died after sometime.

3. Gandhi was going for a prayer meeting when Nathuram Godse, a 36-year-old prominent member of Hindu Mahasabha, interrupted him.

4. Godse shot Mahatma Gandhi thrice in the chest at point-blank range using a Beretta M 1934 semi-automatic pistol.

5. It is said that after being shot, Gandhi was carried inside the Birla House, where he died.

6. Godse and Narayan Apte, a fellow conspirator, were awarded death in the Mahatma Gandhi assassination case, while six others, including Godse's brother, Gopal were given life imprisonment.

7. Gandhi’s last words were ‘Hey Ram’, it is widely stated.

8. Reports say there had been five prior attempts to kill Mahatma Gandhi that were unsuccessful.

9. First attempt was a bomb attack in 1934. In 1944, Godse tried twice to approach Gandhi with a dagger.

10. It is said that Gandhi made this statement two days before his assassination: "If I'm to die by the bullet of a mad man, I must do so smiling. God must be in my heart and on my lips. And if anything happens, you are not to shed a single tear."