The graphic poster of Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Shraddanada regarding Abdul is a hoax
Claim
“Mahatma Gandhi’s opinion on Abdul Rashid, who killed Swami Shraddhanand. He was assassinated(murdered) on December 23, 1926, in Delhi. “Just because Muslims convert Hindus to Islam does not mean that Swami Shraddhanand should get those Muslims repatriated to Hinduism. Abdul Rashid had to kill Swami to protect Islam. Abdul did nothing wrong. I consider Abdul Bhai as my brother. I will advocate on behalf of Abdul Bhai. It is wrong to mourn Swamy’s murder.”
Rating
Explanation
In the above graphic poster, we can see the information printed in Hindi. The Hindi message is roughly translated as “Mahatma Gandhi’s opinion on Abdul Rashid, who killed Swami Shraddhanand. He was assassinated(murdered) on December 23, 1926, in Delhi. Just because Muslims convert Hindus to Islam does not mean that Swami Shraddhanand should get those Muslims repatriated to Hinduism. Abdul Rashid had to kill Swami to protect Islam. Abdul did nothing wrong. I consider Abdul Bhai as my brother. I will advocate on behalf of Abdul Bhai. It is wrong to mourn Swamy’s murder.”
Earlier many users have circulated this same graphic poster on social media can also be seen here,here, here, and here. Come, let’s check the authenticity of this claim.
What’s the truth?
When we started our research using the simple Google reverse image process, we found out that the graphic poster has been doing rounds on the internet since 2021. So, this is an old infographic poster that again found its way to the top of the domain on social media.
According to the website Jivani.org, the biography of Swami Shraddanad Saraswati says that Swami was an Indian educationist, freedom fighter, and sannyasi of Arya Samaj, who spread the teachings of Swami Dayanand.
When we searched for the killer of Swami Shraddanad, we found an article published by Indiaspeaks.news, with a title, “Opinion- The first terrorist of modern India is not Godse but Abdul Rashid.”
The viral post claimed that Gandhi had defended his assassin, Abdul Rashid. To check its authenticity we resorted to Gandhi Sahitya, which is available on the Gandhi Heritage Portal.
Available on the portal (The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi), it contains everything written and spoken by Gandhiji. On pages 473, 474 and 475 of its 32nd volume is the complete statement of Gandhiji which he gave after the assassination of Swamiji. This statement of his was also published in Young India on December 30, 1926.
In it, Gandhi mentions his meeting with Swami Shraddhanand six months ago, describing him as a reformer and a hero and referring to the incident of his assassination. Paying tribute to him, Gandhi wrote, “What was feared happened there. About six months ago, Swami Shraddhanand ji came to the Satyagraha Ashram and stayed for two days.
In the conversation he told me that he used to receive letters threatening to kill him from time to time. Where is the reformer, who has not put a price upon his head? There was, therefore nothing untoward in his getting the letters. And there is nothing untoward in the assasination having taken place.
Swamiji was reformer, he was man of action, not of words. He was a living belief. He had suffered for it. He was bravery personified. He was a warrior.
God had willed him a martyr’s death and so, though he was still on his sick bed, he died at the hands of assassin who had asked to be admitted to the Swamiji’s presence for the purpose of holding a religious discourse on Islam, who was admitted at the Swamiji’s instance, and who, under pretence of wanting water to quench his thirst, had Swamiji’s faithful servant Dahram Singh, sent out to fetch water, and who, in the absence of the servant, deposited two death wounds in the patient’s breast, as he was lying in the bed.”
These were writings by Gandhiji from his works and in the whole writings, he didn’t mention the assassin as his brother or he will advocate him. This proves that the writings were taken out of context and circulated with false and misleading claims on social media.
Conclusion:
Therefore, through our research, we conclude that the above graphic poster message is twisted and manipulated as Gandhi calls the killer Abdul a brother and he will advocate on behalf of him.
In reality, we were not able to see any such writings from the works of Gandhi. Moreover, he praised Swami’s bravery and his action of words.
