Sri Aurobindo
Karmayogin
Political Writings and Speeches — 1909-1910 — No.26
Karmayogin: A Weekly Review
Saturday 1stJanuary 1910 — No.26
Facts and Opinions
The Nasik Murder
The tale of assassinations is evidently not at an end; and it is difficult to believe that it1 will be until a more normal condition of things has been restored.
The sporadic and occasional character of these regrettable incidents is sufficient to prove that they are not the work of a widespread Terrorist organisation, but of individuals or small groups raw in organisation 
and irresolute in action.
The Anglo-Indian superstition of a great Revolutionary organisation like the Russian Revolutionary Committee is a romantic delusion.
The facts are entirely inconsistent with it.
What we see is that, where there is sporadic repression of a severe kind on the part of the authorities, there is sporadic retaliation on the part of a few youthful conspirators, perfectly random in its aim and objective.
The Nasik murder is an act of terrorist reprisal for the dangerously severe sentence passed on the revolutionary versifier Savarkar.
It is natural that there should have been many meetings in Maharashtra to denounce the assassination, but such denunciations do not carry us very far.
They have no effect whatever on the minds of the men who are convinced that to slay and be slain is their duty to their country.
The disease is one that can only be dealt with by removing its roots, not by denouncing its symptoms.
The Anglo-Indian papers find the root in our criticism of Government action and policy and suggest the silencing of the Press as the best means of removing the root.
If the Government believe in this antiquated diagnosis, they may certainly try the expedient suggested.
Our idea is that it will only drive the roots deeper.
We have ourselves, while strongly opposing and criticising the actions and policy of the bureaucracy, abstained from commenting on specific acts of repression, as we had no wish to inflame public feeling; but to silence Nationalism means to help Terrorism.
Our view is that the only way to get rid of the disease is to disprove Mr. Gokhale's baneful teaching that violence is the only means of securing independence, to give the people hope in a peaceful and effective means of progress towards that ideal, which is now the openly or secretly cherished ideal of every Indian, and to that end to organise peaceful opposition and progress within the law.
If the Government can retrace their steps and remove the ban from lawful passive resistance and self-help and the Nationalist party, while holding its ultimate political aim, will define its immediate objective within limits which a Radical Government can hereafter consider, we believe politics in India will assume a normal course under normal conditions.
We propose to do our part; we will see whether the Government think it worth their while to respond.
They ought to be able to understand by this time that Nationalism and not Moderatism is the effective political force in India.