Pooja Pandey, Hindu Mahasabha Leader Who Shot Mahatma Gandhi’s Effigy, Distributes Knives to Toppers

Mangalore Today News Network

Lucknow, May 29: Pooja Shakun Pandey, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) leader, who shockingly enacted the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh by shooting at his effigy in January 2019, sparked another controversy on Tuesday. According to reports, Pandey was seen distributed knives and swords as a gift to students who topped their examinations in different schools across the state. The students reportedly belong from 6 to 10 students.

According to reports, Pandey along with several ABHM leaders distributed knives among young students to commemorate the birth anniversary of Hindu Mahasabha leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on Tuesday. Reports quote Pandey saying that this was a step to motivate Hindus and empower them, especially younger generation with knives to protect themselves.

When asked, the Mahasabha’s national secretary said she had distributed knives, along with a copy of Bhagwat Gita, to minor children, who passed their examination with good results. She said she wants them to know when and why the weapon should be used.

The leader further added saying that she gifted the students with knives as she wanted them to feel strong and independent, and to protect to their sisters and family members. Adding further she said, there are a number of cases of crime against women and girls and they should also be trained to use knives for their protection.

On January 30 this year, as the country marked the 71st death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, social media was on fire over the video of Pooja Shakun Pandey, wearing saffron, shooting an effigy of Gandhi with an air pistol and garlanding his assassin Nathuram Godse. Pandey also went to say that her organisation had started a new tradition by "recreating" the assassination, and it would be an annual event "just like the burning of Raavan on Dussehra". Pandey, who was at the centre of a controversy, was arrested by Aligarh Police on Wednesday along with her husband Ashok Pandey.