>"A mob of 100 to 150 people in a frenzy was coming towards us [Vasant Rao Hegishte and Rajab Ali]. They were armed with weapons like knives, sickles and pipes. We raised our hands and indicated to them that we had no weapons. We tried to pacify them. The mob stopped at a distance of 20 to 25 feet from us. Some of them even said, ‘Ok, you can go’ and allowed us to go further. Vasant as well as all of us were trying to pacify them and moved forward. Some fundamentalists among them shouted, ‘We will not allow you to go. We will kill you.’ Vasant replied in a loud voice, ‘We have come for peace. If by killing us, your purpose is served we are ready to be killed. You kill us. We will not try to save ourselves’.”
------------------------------- By: Prakash N. Shah [*Prakash N. Shah is a veteran editor and Gandhian activist based in Ahmedabad.]* Published in: *The Wire* Date:July 8, 2025 Source: https://thewire.in/history/before-gandhi-in-noakhali-there-were-vasant-rajab-in-ahmedaba *Excerpted from an introductory booklet first published in Gujarati in 2006 by the Parichay Trust, Mumbai, and translated into English by the Movement for Secular Democracy in 202*5. "In 1946, the 1st of July, Ahmedabad did witness rain. But rather than cooling down by rain, when Independence was only one year away, the land of Gujarat became so hot that showers seemed to be the tears of Bharat Mata. On that evening, Vasant Rao Hegishte, 40, and Rajab Ali, 27, laid down their lives in their attempt to stop communal riots. Heaven was crying. Bhanubhai Shukla, a friend of Rajab, recollected that day: “Mobs were looting, burning and killing on all sides. I was walking near the Khadiya crossroads and I ran into Rajab Ali and Vasant Dada. A washing-company shop was being looted near Bala Hanuman. Rajab and Dada immediately rushed there. They tried to talk sense into rioters, urging them not to indulge in violence and also not to provoke the other community. They were already very agitated and said, ‘Go and see what is happening at other places. If any Muslim comes here, we will not spare him.’ Rajab came forward and said, ‘I am a Muslim, kill me.’ The mob felt ashamed. They could stop one mob. . . . . A mob of 100 to 150 people in a frenzy was coming towards us. They were armed with weapons like knives, sickles and pipes. We raised our hands and indicated to them that we had no weapons. We tried to pacify them. The mob stopped at a distance of 20 to 25 feet from us. Some of them even said, ‘Ok, you can go’ and allowed us to go further. Vasant as well as all of us were trying to pacify them and moved forward. Some fundamentalists among them shouted, ‘We will not allow you to go. We will kill you.’ Vasant replied in a loud voice, ‘We have come for peace. If by killing us, your purpose is served we are ready to be killed. You kill us. We will not try to save ourselves’.” Saying this, Vasant and Rajab lied down on the road. Popatlal and I were still trying to persuade the mob. On seeing Vasant and Rajab lie down on the road, Popatlal also lied down beside them. At that time somebody attacked me from behind. My clothes got torn and I got injured also. But when I looked back, I saw my comrades lying on the road in the open. There was blood on their bodies. Seeing them, I also lied down next to them. We were in the high spirit of sacrifice, so we never thought of attempting to save ourselves when we were attacked. All four of us were lying down and calmly waiting for martyrdom. We all became unconscious due to injuries. It started raining then, as we came to know later. The mob had left, thinking we had died. After half an hour, a police van came there. It was followed by a truck which had collected the bodies of the victims from nearby areas. Thinking that we too were dead, they put us in the truck and sent us to the hospital…” When he came to senses, he realised what had happened. Dwarkadas adds, 'Out of the four of us, two comrades became immortal by laying down their lives.' And then he repents like a true freedom fighter: 'Alas! We remained just a little distance away from martyrdom.'"
