On the morning of July 8, 1910, Vinayak Damodar (Veer) Savarkar managed to escape from his British guards aboard the steamer S.S. Morea, anchored in the French harbor of Marseille. After a brief swim from the docked ship to the quay, he set foot on French soil.
Savarkar’s Plan Behind the Escape
By reaching the quay, Savarkar was technically outside British jurisdiction and within French legal authority. His plan was to move quickly inland, hoping to find sympathetic locals or revolutionary allies who could protect him. He also intended to contact the French authorities and surrender as a “political prisoner” in order to claim political asylum in a sovereign country. If he had to face legal consequences for his revolutionary activities, he wanted to be tried under French rather than British law. His experience at Bow Street Court in London had already convinced him that he could not expect a fair trial under colonial administration.
The Capture and Misunderstanding by the French Police
As a prisoner, Savarkar had no money with him, forcing him to continue his escape on foot. But he was only able to run a short distance (about 200 yards) before being apprehended once again. The French port police — the Gendarmerie Maritime and most likely the newly founded Brigade des Quais — had already been alerted in advance. Because the Morea was scheduled to dock at Marseille, the British government had sent warnings to the French authorities. On June 29, 1910, London’s Metropolitan Police wrote to Paris, stressing that a dangerous political prisoner was on board and that “no incident” should occur. The French Ministry of the Interior relayed the message to the Prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône, ordering strict vigilance. French police were therefore on high alert, ready for any eventuality.
The commotion raised by the British guards aboard the Morea further caught the attention of the Gendarmerie Maritime. According to Vikram Sampath, British officers — as well as some crew members — chased Savarkar with loud shouts of “Thief! Thief! Catch him! Catch him!”
This created a confusing situation that turned out to be a major disadvantage for Savarkar. As he turned toward the French police, who were in the process of seizing him, he attempted to make his request: “Take me into your custody, assist me; take me before a magistrate” (Sampath). However, the French gendarmes — lacking sufficient English language skills and unfamiliar with Savarkar’s case — interpreted the situation as an ordinary prisoner escape rather than a political one. Acting under their general instructions to cooperate with the British, the French police handed Savarkar back to his guards on the spot, without taking him before a French magistrate or registering a formal arrest.
Final Thoughts
For a very brief moment, Savarkar slipped from the grasp of the British Empire and stood on French soil — a territory where he believed he could invoke international law and claim political asylum. To many Indian and European revolutionaries, this moment symbolized a legal and moral victory for Savarkar and for the cause of the Indian freedom struggle.
💭 What do you think? Was Savarkar’s plan realistic, or doomed from the start given the advance warnings to French authorities? How might history have changed if the French police had formally taken him into custody? Does Savarkar’s failed escape make him more heroic than a successful flight would have? Do you think today’s readers should focus more on the facts of the escape or the symbolism it came to represent?
👉 Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Sources:
KEER, Dhananjay. 1988. Veer Savarkar. Third Edition. (Second Edition: 1966). Popular Prakashan: Bombay (Mumbai).
SAMPATH, Vikram. 2019. Savarkar (Part 1). Echoes from a forgotten past. 1883-1924.Penguin Random House India: Gurgaon.
SAVARKAR, Vinayak Damodar. 1965. Last Press Interview, conducted by Shridhar Telkar. [originally published by the weekly ORGANISER and appeared in the Diwali number 1965]; reprinted in Savarkar. Commemoration Volume. Savarkar Darshan Pratishthan (Trust), edited by Sudhir Phadke, B.M. Purandare, Bindumadhav Joshi. February 26, 1989.
Leave a Reply