Paris: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Marseille in southern France on Wednesday on the second and final leg of his visit to the country and remembered Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar and his “courageous escape” at the port city before being captured.
“Landed in Marseille. In India’s quest for freedom, this city holds special significance. It was here that the great Veer Savarkar attempted a courageous escape,” PM Modi wrote in a post on X upon arriving in Marseille.
Landed in Marseille. In India’s quest for freedom, this city holds special significance. It was here that the great Veer Savarkar attempted a courageous escape. I also want to thank the people of Marseille and the French activists of that time who demanded that he not be handed…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 11, 2025
He also thanked the people of Marseille and the activists who had then demanded that Savarkar not be extradited to the British. “The bravery of Veer Savarkar continues to inspire generations!” he said.
In Marseille, PM Modi will inaugurate an Indian consulate along with President Emmanuel Macron besides paying homage to Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during the First and Second World Wars.
What is Savarkar’s connection with Marseille, France?
In July 1910, BJP ideologue and Indian freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was captured by French authorities after he jumped from a British ship in the port city of Marseille and tried to swim ashore. They subsequently handed him over to the British, leading to a diplomatic dispute between France and Britain.
Savarkar was being transported to India on the British ship SS Morea to face trial for his connections with India House when he attempted to escape.
He was then sentenced to life imprisonment in the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The French government demanded his return to France, but the British argued that the French authorities had a duty to prevent his escape.
The dispute was submitted to arbitration, which ruled that Britain was not required to return Savarkar to France.
