BHU Student's Monologue Features Nathuram Godse, Complaint Filed

Banaras:  A group of students from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) have objected to the staging of a play on Nathuram Godse at the university and written to the police seeking action against its organisers. The monologue, which "celebrates" Godse as a "hero", was part of Sanskriti 2018, a three-day cultural festival organised by the Faculty of Arts. A video clip of the performance has gone viral.

In their complaint on Wednesday, the students alleged that the Marathi play, "Me Nathuram Godse Boltoy (I, Nathuram Godse Speaking)", showed Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, in "poor light, and justified his assassination", besides glorifying Nathuram Godse, who was sentenced to death for assassinating Gandhi.

The complaint, signed by research scholar Vikas Singh and submitted at the Lanka Police Station in Varanasi, alleges that participants at the event had mocked the principles of truth and non-violence and held Gandhi responsible for the country's problems, including the Partition in 1947.

NDTV can't verify the authenticity of the video in which students can be heard cheering the performer in a packed auditorium.

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BHU's public relations officer Rajesh Singh said that the university administration will inquire into the incident and take necessary action. The police have already begun investigating the allegations.

The controversial two-act play play, written by Pradeep Dalvi, is based on the book "May It Please Your Honour" by Nathuram Godse. The book is an excerpt of Godse's statement in court in which he sought to explain why he had killed Gandhi.