Mumbai, January 4

Ranjit Savarkar, grandson of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, was hospitalised on Friday night after he complained of high blood pressure, sources said on Saturday.

Sources claimed that the 55-year-old was under a lot of stress following the controversy over his grandfather.

The controversy erupted after a booklet, distributed by the Congress-affiliated Seva Dal in Madhya Pradesh, questioned Savarkar’s credentials as a patriot and his reputation for valour.

“Ranjit has been visiting television studios to defend his grandfather and it took a toll on his health. His blood pressure shot up to 220 on Friday night, following which he was admitted to Raheja Fortis Hospital at Mahim,” a source said.

Ranjit was admitted to the ICU, but his condition was stable now, he said.

Titled ‘Veer Savarkar, Kitne Veer’, the Hindi booklet had claimed that Savarkar and Nathuram Godse were in a physical relationship.

The booklet has drawn the ire of both the Shiv Sena and the BJP, with former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis saying the Congress had shown its “wicked” psyche by circulating such a booklet, which underscored its “intellectual bankruptcy”.

While Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Friday had said, “Veer Savarkar was a great man and will remain a great man. A section keeps talking against him. This shows the dirt in their minds.” PTI