PM Modi Pays Tribute To Veer Savarkar In France's Marseille, Recalls The Freedom Fighter's "Courageous Escape" Attempt — All About It

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Marseille, a city in southern France, on Tuesday (11 February) and paid homage to memory of freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who made a daring escape attempt at the port city.

PM Modi said Marseille holds "special significance" in India's quest for freedom.

“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,” Modi said in a post on X after arriving at Marseille on Tuesday night.

He added, “I also want to thank the people of Marseille and the French activists of that time who demanded that he not be handed over to British custody. The bravery of Veer Savarkar continues to inspire generations!”

Upon reaching Marseille, Modi was greeted enthusiastically by members of the Indian diaspora.

In another late night post on X, PM Modi said, “President Macron and I reached Marseille a short while ago. This visit will witness important programmes aimed at further connecting India and France. The Indian consulate which is being inaugurated will deepen people-to-people linkages. I will also pay homage to the Indian soldiers martyred in First and Second World Wars.”

On 8 July 1910, during British colonial rule in India, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar made a dramatic escape attempt while being transported on the British ship Morea to India for trial, Indian Express reported.

Savarkar reportedly slipped through the ship’s porthole, swam to shore, but was soon captured by French authorities and later handed back into the custody of British authorities.

The incident led to a major diplomatic row as Savarkar went on to be sentenced to life imprisonment at Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

PM Modi’s visit to Marseille includes the inauguration of the new Consulate General of India with French President Emmanuel Macron.

On Wednesday, Modi and Macron are scheduled to visit the Mazargues War Cemetery to pay tribute to Indian soldiers who lost their lives in the World Wars.

Their agenda also includes a tour of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, a global collaboration focused on nuclear fusion research.

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