New Delhi, January 30: On Martyrs' Day, when the nation mourns the demise of 'Father of the Nation' Mahatma Gandhi, a Hindu Mahasabha leader in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh burnt his effigy. She not only disrespected Gandhi, but also honoured his assassin, Nathuram Godse, by garlanding his bust.

The Mahasabha leader, identified as Shakun Pandey, enacted the assassination of Gandhi to pay her reverence to Godse. She used a pistol and fired into the effigy. Martyrs' Day Observed as Nation Recalls The Infamous Assassination by Nathuram Godse.

The shameful incident was caught on camera. Watch below:

The Hindu Mahasabha's deplorable act comes on a day when the nation observed the 71st death anniversary of Gandhi. On this day in 1948, 'baapu' -- as he was lovingly called -- was shot to death by Godse, a staunch Hindu nationalist. The assassination was carried out immediately after Gandhi addressed a prayer meeting at the Birla House in Delhi.

Leaders cutting across party lines paid homage to Gandhi at the Rajghat, where a memorial was enacted after cremating him. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ramnath Kovind and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, among others, offered floral tributes.

While the ruling BJP has reiterated its reverence to Gandhi -- whose legacy has been claimed by the Congress -- a section of the saffron party have also publicly paid their reverence to Gandhi. The most prominent among them is UP lawmaker Sakshi Maharaj, who had described Godse as a "patriot".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2019 07:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).