On February 11, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron stood at the historic port of Marseilles, paying homage to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. This was no ordinary tribute—over a century ago, at this very port, Savarkar made a desperate leap for freedom, setting off a diplomatic storm that put British colonial rule under the international spotlight.
What made Savarkar’s escape attempt so significant? To understand, we must delve into the events that led to his fateful plunge into the Mediterranean and the high-stakes legal battle that followed.
A Revolutionary Targeted: Savarkar’s Growing Threat to the British
By the early 1900s, Savarkar had become one of the most feared names in the British administration. Based in London’s India House, he was more than just a political thinker—he was a strategist, a writer, and an organizer of India’s armed resistance.
- His book The First War of Indian Independence challenged British narratives on the 1857 revolt, inspiring revolutionaries across India.
- He played a role in arms smuggling, which the British traced back to London.
- His connection to the assassination of A.M.T. Jackson in Nasik cemented his status as a prime target.
Arrested in London in 1910, Savarkar was bound for Bombay aboard the SS Morea. But he had no intention of waiting for his colonial trial.
The Great Escape: A Leap for Freedom at Marseilles
On July 8, 1910, as the ship docked at Marseilles for refueling, Savarkar seized his moment. Under the pretext of using the lavatory, he:
- Slipped out of the cabin and locked the door from inside.
- Squeezed through a tiny porthole—an almost impossible feat.
- Plunged into the Mediterranean and swam to the quay.
Dripping wet and breathless, he reached French soil—a nation where, by law, he should have been safe. But fate had other plans.
A lone French policeman stood nearby. Savarkar ran toward him, desperately seeking political asylum. However, before he could explain his case, British officers arrived. In an act that would later be contested internationally, they seized him and dragged him back onto the ship.
The International Showdown: Britain vs. France at The Hague
France was furious. The British had just violated its sovereignty by abducting a political prisoner from its soil. This was no longer just about Savarkar—it was about international law and diplomatic ethics.
The incident escalated to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague in 1911. The key legal questions were:
- Did Britain have the right to recapture Savarkar after he had reached French soil?
- Did France have an obligation to prevent his abduction?
- Could Britain be forced to return him?
Despite widespread outrage, the court ruled in Britain’s favor, arguing that the French authorities had already handed Savarkar over, even if the process was improper. The verdict was legally sound but morally hollow.
From Captivity to Legend: The Legacy of Marseilles
The British authorities sent Savarkar to the notorious Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where he endured years of brutal punishment. But the Marseilles incident had already made him a legend.
His daring escape marked a new phase in India’s freedom struggle—one that extended beyond India and onto the global stage. His writings and resilience inspired revolutionaries, proving that no force could chain unleashed ideas.
A Full Circle Moment: India and France Remember
Over a hundred years later, as PM Modi and President Macron stood in Marseilles, the moment carried deep historical weight. The very port where Savarkar’s freedom was stolen now bore witness to an India that had reclaimed its sovereignty.
Savarkar’s leap at Marseilles was not just an escape attempt—it was an assertion of India’s right to be free. It was a moment of defiance that resonated far beyond its time, reminding the world that no empire, no matter how powerful, could extinguish the fire of a nation’s will to be free.