Mahatma Gandhi — 80th Death Anniversary (Martyrs' Day)

What this countdown tracks

The 80th anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi — Sunday, January 30, 2028. Observed in India as Martyrs' Day (Shaheed Diwas) with two minutes of national silence at 11:00 IST and tribute at Raj Ghat in Delhi, the riverside cremation site and memorial of the leader of the Indian independence movement.

About this anniversary

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869–1948) was assassinated at 17:17 IST on January 30, 1948, in the garden of Birla House (now the Gandhi Smriti) on Albuquerque Road (now Tees January Marg), New Delhi. The assassin, Nathuram Godse, a Hindu Mahasabha activist, fired three shots from a Beretta pistol at Gandhi as he walked from the house to the evening prayer ground; Gandhi died within minutes. He was 78. He had spent the preceding months in Delhi, fasting and walking through riot-torn neighbourhoods, in an effort to halt the Hindu–Muslim violence that accompanied India's partition. The funeral procession on January 31 — a 5-mile route from Birla House to Raj Ghat on the Yamuna — drew between 1 and 2 million mourners, the largest funeral procession in Indian history.

January 30 has been observed as Martyrs' Day since 1949. The day's principal observance is the silent two-minute tribute at 11:00 IST nationwide — observed in offices, schools, government buildings, and at Raj Ghat itself. The President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and senior cabinet members lay wreaths at the Raj Ghat samadhi (memorial). The cremation ash, kept in 11 vessels and immersed in 11 sacred rivers across India in February 1948, is commemorated at the Gandhi Smriti and at Birla House.

The 80th anniversary in 2028 is significant because it is the last major round-number anniversary likely to be observed during the active lifetime of any Indians who personally remember the assassination. Anyone aged 5 in 1948 turns 85 in 2028; the small remaining cohort of personal eyewitnesses is now advanced in age. The 80th is expected to be substantially larger than the 75th in 2023, with national educational programming, archive releases, and possibly a state-funded film commemorating the events of January 30, 1948.

What to expect

The principal commemoration is at Raj Ghat in New Delhi — the open-air black marble memorial inscribed with Gandhi's last words ("Hē Rām!") set on the spot of his cremation. The President, Prime Minister, leaders of opposition parties, foreign ambassadors, and the Gandhi family — including the great-grandchildren of Gandhi who continue active public roles — gather for the wreath-laying. Two minutes of silence are observed nationwide at 11:00 IST. Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka observe the day with smaller ceremonies; Jamaica, Trinidad, Mauritius, Fiji, and the Indian diaspora hold observances at their respective Gandhi memorials.

In Porbandar, Gujarat — Gandhi's birthplace — the Gandhi Birthplace Memorial holds extended programmes. In Sabarmati Ashram (Ahmedabad), the Aga Khan Palace (Pune, where Gandhi was imprisoned 1942–1944 and where his wife Kasturba died), and the Sevagram Ashram (Wardha), parallel commemorations are held. The Gandhi Smriti at Birla House — the actual location of the assassination — is the focus of the Delhi-only programme, with the bullet-marked wall of the prayer ground and the room of Gandhi's last 144 days preserved as exhibition space.

The All India Radio and Doordarshan broadcast extended Gandhi-themed programming through the week. International observance includes the Gandhi statues in Washington DC (in front of the Indian Embassy on Massachusetts Avenue), London (Tavistock Square and Parliament Square), Geneva, Pretoria (where Gandhi practiced law from 1893 to 1914), Durban, and Johannesburg. The UN observes the International Day of Non-Violence on Gandhi's birth anniversary (October 2) rather than the death anniversary.

Past anniversaries

• January 30, 2023 — 75th-death anniversary; major Republic Day–Martyrs' Day combined commemoration
• January 30, 2018 — 70th anniversary
• January 30, 2008 — 60th anniversary; the film Gandhi My Father released same year
• January 30, 1998 — 50th anniversary; major Hindu–Muslim reconciliation programme
• January 30, 1988 — 40th anniversary
• January 30, 1978 — 30th anniversary, after the Indian Emergency

How to follow

The Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, the Gandhi Memorial Museum, the Sabarmati Ashram, and the Government of India publish full anniversary programmes. Doordarshan, All India Radio, and major Indian newspapers (Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Times of India) cover the day extensively. The Gandhi Heritage Sites portal (gandhiheritagesites.org) coordinates international observance. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations runs Gandhi-week programmes at India's overseas cultural centres.

Related countdowns

The Gandhi 80th-death anniversary aligns with the broader assassination anniversary cycle including MLK 60th assassination anniversary 2028 — Gandhi's most influential international protégé. See also Mao Zedong 50th-death anniversary 2026 on the broader 20th-century leader cycle.

FAQ

When is the Gandhi 80th-death anniversary? Sunday, January 30, 2028 — Martyrs' Day. Where was he assassinated? In the garden of Birla House (now the Gandhi Smriti) on Tees January Marg, New Delhi, at 17:17 IST on January 30, 1948. What's observed at 11:00 IST? Two minutes of national silence — observed in government offices, schools, and at major cities across India. Where is the Gandhi memorial? Raj Ghat in New Delhi — the open-air black marble memorial set on the site of his cremation, inscribed with his last words.