A private school in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, has apologised for a play staged by its students depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse in a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh uniform, The Indian Express reported on Friday. An RSS worker had filed a police complaint, claiming that the school had defamed the organisation.

On October 2, students of Small Wonders Senior Secondary School had staged a short play on the occasion of Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. The play showed a boy dressed in an RSS uniform pointing a pistol at another boy dressed as Mahatma Gandhi.

The complainant, Yatindra Upadhyay, claimed that Nathuram Godse was neither associated with the RSS nor did the organisation have anything to do with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Jabalpur Superintendent of Police Deepak Mishra said a non-cognisable report had been filed under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which provides the penalty for defamation. Mishra said that such complaints do not require police investigation and that Upadhyay will have to approach the court over his complaint.

The school issued an apology on Facebook on Friday. “It was a silent play staged by junior students,” the school said. “It was a mistake to show Nathuram Godse in RSS uniform. It was a mistake and there was no malice or political ideology behind it. Godse had nothing to do with RSS. We are sorry for the mistake committed inadvertently.”

Taking note of the apology, Upadhyay said the RSS had not yet decided whether to approach the court against the school.

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