Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (May 28,1883-February 26,1966) was an Indian politician and an Indian Independence Movement activist, who is credited with developing the Hindu nationalist political ideology Hindutva. He is considered to be the central icon of modern Hindu nationalist political parties. Commonly addressed as Veer Savarkar, he is considered to be the central icon of modern Hindu nationalist political parties. His last years were clouded with accusations of involve- ment in Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. Savarkar's revolutionary activities began when study- ing in India and England, where he founded student societies and publications, espousing the cause of complete Indian indepen- dence by revolutionary means. Savarkar would publish The Indian War of Independence about the Indian rebellion of 1857 that would be banned by British authorities and was arrested in 1910 for his connections with the revolutionary group India House. Following a failed attempt to escape while being transported from Marseilles, Savarkar was sentenced to 50- years imprisonment and moved to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.