As Gandhiji passed along the cordoned lane through the prayer congregation, he took his hand off the shoulders of the two girls (Abha and Manu), to acknowledge the namaskars of the prayer congregation. All of a sudden someone from the crowd roughly elbowed his way towards them. Manu Gandhi, thinking that he was coming forward to touch Gandhiji’s feet, remonstrated saying something about it being already late for the prayer and tried to stop the intruder by thrusting back his hand. He violently pushed her away, causing the notebook, the spittoon and the mala, which she was carrying in her hands, to fall down. As she stooped down to pick up the scattered things, he planted himself in front of Gandhiji and fired in quick succession three shots at point blank range.

The last words Gandhiji uttered were “Hey Ram.” A spreading crimson spot appeared on the white clothes, the hands which had been raised in namaskar to the gathering slowly came down. The limp body softly sank to ground. Gandhiji breathed his last at 5:17 PM.

From the collected works of Mahatma Gandhi

[My note: the painting is titled “The Fate of Three Great Men”
(Gandhi, Buddha, Christ),
by artist Upendra Maharathi]