Balraj Madhok’s Autobiography Raised Serious Questions About the 1968 Murder of Deendayal Upadhyaya
As the RSS-BJP marks Deendayal Upadhyaya’s 109th birth anniversary, Shamsul Islam revisits Balraj Madhok’s allegations about the conspiracy behind his 1968 murder.
RSS: Celebrating Deendayal Upadhyay’s birthday is fine but tell the Nation who murdered him!
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Newspapers in India today (September 25, 2026) are flooded with birthday celebratory advertisements for Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay issued by RSS-BJP rulers. Upadhyay was a senior ideologue of RSS who also was the president of Bharatiya Jana Sangh (the first all-India political organization created by RSS) and was in line for 3rd Supremo of RSS. His dead body was found at Mughal Sarai Junction (now Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction) on February 1, 1968. The then RSS leading leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpai and Nana Deshmukh declared that Communist got him murdered by hiring a thief for the job.
["Our guiding light": BJP leaders pay tribute to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on birth anniversary, ANI, 25-09-2026. Link: https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/our-guiding-light-bjp-leaders-pay-tribute-to-pandit-deendayal-upadhyaya-on-birth-anniversary20260925100418/]
It is fine that RSS-BJP are celebrating Upadhyay’s 109th birthday with great pomp and show. But this lot must tell the Nation who killed Upadhyay.
A senior ideologue of RSS, Balraj Madhok, RSS whole-timer (Pracharak) since 1942 who was also the in-charge of Jammu & Kashmir State in pre-Partition days, edited the English organ of the RSS, Organizer, founded student organization of the RSS, ABVP, in 1948, and teamed up with Shyama Prasad Mukherji in establishing the first all-India political wing of the RSS, Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) in 1951, was elected to the Lower House of the Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha, twice (1961 & 1967) from Delhi, shared horrendous details of an inside conspiracy in his autobiography [Zindagi Ka Safar –3: Deendayal Upadhyay Ki Hatya Se Indira Gandhi Ki Hatya Tak (Journey of Life-3: From the Murder of Deendayal Upadhyay to the Murder of Indira Gandhi), Dinman Prakashan, Delhi, 2003] behind murder of Upadhyay in which leading leaders of the then RSS were involved.
He stated: "One thing is clear. Behind the murder of Deendayal Upadhyay was neither the hand of Communists nor of any thief...He was killed by a hired assassin. But conspirators who sponsored this killing were those self-seekers and leaders with a criminal bent of mind of Sangh-Jan Sangh." (p. 22)
The autobiography went to tell of a concerted attempt by the killers to keep facts under wraps: “Though those jealous self-seekers to whom the finger of suspicion points, in conspiring the murder of Deendayal Upadhyay, are benefitting by his name, but do not want truth of his murder to come out. However, as a student of history I believe that the blood of Deendayal Upadhyay will be avenged, history will do justice to him and those who conspired to kill him will be subjected to a curse.” (p. 15)
This autobiography written by a top swayamsevak was absolutely non-hesitant in pointing fingers towards Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nana Deshmukh as main conspirators in the murder of Deendayal Upadhyay, the then president of BJS. He categorically stated: “Information gathered from difference sources points the fingers of suspicion in the murder of Deendayal Upadhyay towards them.” (p. 23)
According to the autobiography, Deendayal Upadhyay was assassinated by those who were kept out of leading positions of the BJS by Deendayal Upadhyay as president. It is to be noted here that Deendayal Upadhyay after taking over presidentship of BJS from Balraj Madhok in December 1967, had kept out both Atal Behari Vajpayee and Nana Deshmukh from important posts. According to Madhok, Upadhyay was murdered because, “he was constantly striving that ill-reputed people should get no promotion in BJS, so that reputation of the organisation is not tarnished. For this reason, some characterless self-seeking people were finding him a stumbling block in their path of self-seeking fulfillment.” (p. 14)
RSS must tell the Nation on Upadhyay’s 109th birth anniversary how he was assassinated and on whose orders?
Shamsul Islam
25-09-2026
