7th Nov 1966 Gopastami Hindu Massacre in Delhi.
Remembering the massive Hindu Killing by Smt. Indira Gandhi in a day of Gopastami 50 years ago in Delhi. While a report says 375, a participant says ( alleged) 5000 Hindus were brutally killed by gunfire by Delhi police and buried in unknown places.
In 1966, Hindu organizations agitated to demand a ban on the slaughter of cows in India, as enshrined in Art 48 of the Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constitution of India. Among others, the Shankaracharya fasted for the cause. The agitation culminated in a massive demonstration outside Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi on 7 November 1966. As per Hindu Panchang that day was Kartik Shukla Ashtami of Vikram Samvat, famously known as Gopashtami among Hindus.
The Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi did not accept the demand for a ban on cow slaughtering. A mass of 10,000 advocates against cow slaughter, led by Hindu holymen and thousands of anti-slaughter Hindu devotees tried to storm the parliament, but were prevented. The mob then entered the parliament campus and the capital city saw a furious agitation of Hindus for banning cow slaughter in India. It was revealed that a small number of Muslims were also participated in that Samsad Bhawan gerao rally. A 48-hour curfew was ordered, all the meetings were banned.The Mob also attacked the then congress president Kamaraj’s Delhi residence and set it on fire. Many died in police firing to control the crowd.
The then PM Indira Gandhi washed off her hands by accusing Home minister, Gulzarilal Nanda, who resigned immediately taking responsibility for the administration’s failure to maintain law and order. The Shankracharya Niranjandev Tirth, Swami Hariharananda Ji, widely known as Karpatriji Maharaj and Mahatma Ramchandra Veer went to observing fast unto die for the brutal killing of sadhus and Gau-bhakt devotees in Delhi. Mahatma Ramchandra Veer observed 166 days longtime fast at that time. The next Home Minister (from 14 November 1966 to 27 June 1970) and a puppet of Indira, Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan went to the fasting saints and promised to bring the ‘anti-slaughter bill’ in the next session of parliament and the sainsts ended their fasting. But, the anti Hindu Congress Govt never kept their promise.
The agitation Rally of 7th Nov 1966 was started from the Arya Samaj Temple at Chandni Chowk under the leadership of Swami Karpartri Ji Majaraj under the banner of “Gauraksha Mahaabhiyan Samiti”. An unified mass comprising the Sanatani, Arya Samaji, Hindu, Bauhhist, Jain, Sikh, Nath, Nirankari all started march towards Parliament of India (Samsad Bhawan) keeping prominent and most revered saints like Shankaracharyas of Jagannath Puri Govardhan Math and Dwaraka Jotishpeeth, the seven Peethadishes of Vallabh Sampradaya, Ramanuja Sampradaya Peethadhipati, Ramananda Sampradaya Peethadhipati, Mahant of Gorakhpeeth, Saints President and Secretary of Arya Samaj and Granthis of various Sikh shrines.
It is reported that approx 10 lakh people including 20 thousand women participated in that rally on 7th Nov 1966 in Delhi.
Read details: 1966 का वह गो-हत्या बंदी जिसमें हजारों साधुओं को इंदिरा सरकार ने गोलियों से भुनवा दिया था! आंखों देखा वर्णन!
The rally reached near the parliament and the parliament session was on. The Gauraksha Samiti gave memorandum and ultimatum to the Govt beforehand but Govt was not ready to hear the people striving for a ‘complete ban of cow slaughter’ in India.
At the climax when the agitating Hindu people in numbers were entering in the Parliament scaling the wall and gates, the police lobbed tear gas and started firing ruthlessly on the unarmed mass causing a massive homicide in Delhi in the hands of Indira Gandhi Govt.
From an interview with Acharya Sohanlal Ramrang, a participant in that rally (as published in Aadhi Abadi by Sandeep Dev), it is divulged that some 5000 was killed in that greatest Hindu killing by Indira Gandhi and Congress in a single day of Gopastami, 7th Nov 1966. The dead bodies were cleared from the roads and dumped or put in fire in unknown places.
”इतना सुनना था कि नौजवान संसद भवन की दीवार फांद-फांद कर अंदर घुसने लगे। लोगों ने संसद भवन को घेर लिया और दरवाजा तोड़ने के लिए आगे बढ़े। पुलिसकर्मी पहले से ही लाठी-बंदूक के साथ तैनात थे। पुलिस ने लाठी और अश्रुगैस चलाना शुरू कर दिया। भीड़ और आक्रामक हो गई। इतने में अंदर से गोली चलाने का आदेश हुआ और पुलिस ने भीड़ पर अंधाधुंध फायरिंग शुरू कर दी। संसद के सामने की पूरी सड़क खून से लाल हो गई। लोग मर रहे थे, एक-दूसरे के शरीर पर गिर रहे थे और पुलिस की गोलीबारी जारी थी। नहीं भी तो कम से कम, पांच हजार लोग उस गोलीबारी में मारे गए थे।
बड़ी त्रासदी हो गई थी और सरकार के लिए इसे दबाना जरूरी था। ट्रक बुलाकर मृत, घायल, जिंदा-सभी को उसमें ठूंसा जाने लगा। जिन घायलों के बचने की संभावना थी, उनकी भी ट्रक में लाशों के नीचे दबकर मौत हो गई। हमें आखिरी समय तक पता ही नहीं चला कि सरकार ने उन लाशों को कहां ले जाकर फूंक डाला या जमीन में दबा डाला। पूरे शहर में कफ्र्यू लागू कर दिया गया और संतों को तिहाड़ जेल में ठूंस दिया गया। केवल शंकराचार्य को छोड़ कर अन्य सभी संतों को तिहाड़ जेल में डाल दिया गया। करपात्री जी महाराज ने जेल से ही सत्याग्रह शुरू कर दिया। जेल उनके ओजस्वी भाषणों से गूंजने लगा। उस समय जेल में करीब 50 हजार लोगों को ठूंसा गया था।”
But, in a report in Organiser (Nov 25, 2007), the english mouthpiece of RSS, it figured the martyrs as only 375 so far. In an article entitled, “A tribute to martyrs of November 1966 firing on protest against cow slaughter“, the writer Promod Kumar conveyed, “Organised under the banner of Rashtriya Godhan Mahasangh the agitators paid rich tribute to the 375 gobhaktas including saints who were killed in police firing on November 7, 1966 while demonstrating at the Parliament for cow protection”.
It may differ the numbers of the martyrs from the highest of 5000 to to lowest of 375, but it was the largest Hindu killing by Indira Gandhi and Congress in a single day and the martyrs left their lives for a genuine cause of cow protection.
The sacrifice of the huge numbers of Gaubhakts on 7th Nov 1966 in Delhi is still not succeeded for an overarching legislation to ban cow slaughter in India.
We can’t betray our martyred Hindu saints and devotees laid their lives on 7th Nov 1966 in Delhi. Hindus of India must prepare for a repetition of the 1966 agitation to bring a National Cow Slaughter Ban Law in the land of Gopal, Lord Kirshna for the virtual protection of this holy land under the blessings of Gau Mata.
Postscript: I have heard from a nonagenarian saint who participated in 1966 Save Cow Movement in Delhi, now living in Haridwar that Srimad Hariharananda Swami, widely known as Karapatriji Maharaj cursed Indira Gandhi for getting a same fate for a massive Hindu killing by brutal firing.
Indira was killed by brutal firing by her bodyguards in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi was killed by LTTE suicide squad in 1991.
Interestingly, the day Indira was killed; it was also a day of Gopalshtami on 31-Oct-1984.
I think the curse of Karpatri Ji maharaj is still in force.
Upananda Brahmachari
Source Struggle for Hindu Existence
