Narayan Dattatraya Apte (1911 – 15 November 1949) was a Hindu activist and enterpreneur who was executed for his role in the assassination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (commonly known by the reverential title Mahatma Gandhi).
Apte was born in 1911. In 1932, Apte graduated from Bombay University as a Bachelor of Science. After obtaining his B.Sc., Degree, Apte accepted a teacher's job at Ahmednagar. During his stay at Ahmednagar he was married to Mr Phadtare's daughter named Champa. He appeared for his B.T. examination and got his degree. In 1939, Apte joined the Hindu Mahasabha.[1] While Gandhi was staying at Panchagani a group of some twenty-five young men led by Apte staged a protest against Gandhi's policies on 22 July 1944. Apte planned and executed another such demonstration before Gandhi while he stayed in the sweepers' colony in Delhi. Apte considered himself an expert prognistic when it came to reading the stars and predicting the future. His predictions that killing Gandhi would somehow magically reunify India with Pakistan and that he would live to be both old and revered throughout India proved to be inaccurate.
He worked with Nathuram Godse for almost 6 years under the Hindu Mahasabha. On 28 March, 1944 the publication of Marathi daily Agrani started at Pune. Nathuram Godse was its editor and Apte was its manager. It bore a picture of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on its front page.[2] Apte was present on the spot at Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, with Godse. The prosecution described him as the organizer of the conspiracy but this was not likely since his own co-conspirators stated that Apte appeared to be more interested in fine clothes and partying with young women than in his political duties.
He was executed by hanging, simultaneously with Nathuram Godse, on 15 November 1949, at Ambala Jail.
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