Gandhi's letters to eldest son he accused of raping his own daughter set to fetch Rs 60{£60,000} lakh at auction

The three letters Mahatma Gandhi (left) sent to his eldest son Harilal (right) in 1935 accuse him of rape, and are expected to fetch Rs 50- Rs 60 lakh

Three explosive letters that highlight Mahatma Gandhi's deep concerns over the behaviour of his eldest son, Harilal, will go under the hammer in England next week.

Mullock's Auctioneers, based in Shropshire county, are hoping to fetch between £50,000 and £60,000 (approx Rs 50 lakh - Rs 60 lakh) for a set of three letters written by the Father of the Nation in June 1935.

"You should know that your problem has become much more difficult for me even then our national freedom," says Gandhi in one of the letters in reference to allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Harilal.

"Manu is telling me number of dangerous things about you. She says that you had raped her before eight years and she was so much hurt that medical treatment had to be taken," Gandhi says in a letter referring to Harilal's daughter Manu, who had come to stay with him at Sabarmati Ashram.

"The letters are written in Gujarati and are in good condition. These have come via descent from a branch of Gandhi's family to the present vendor. As far as we are aware they have never before been seen in public and as such they provide remarkable new information on the troubled relationship Gandhi had with his son," Mullock's said in a statement. 

Harilal had wanted to go to England to study to become a barrister like his father but the Mahatma had firmly opposed this, believing a Western education would not be helpful in the struggle against British Raj. 

This led to Harilal renouncing all family ties in 1911, and his troubled relationship with his father continued throughout his life. 

"Please let me have pure truth. Please tell me if still you are interested in alcohol and debauchery. I wish that you better die rather than resort to alcohol in any manner," adds another autographed letter. 

The series of letters is part of Mullock's Historical Documents Sale at Ludlow Racecourse on May 22. It also includes another set of 27 autographed letters to Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, the sister of Jawaharlal Nehru, some written by Gandhi from prison. 

"Women have done more work than us. Even so much remains to be done. The modern world has as yet seen the like of India's woman power. I am convinced they will go much further ahead and I will be very surprised if you do not play a very big part in this," reads a letter dated November 11, 1930.

The earliest letters date back to 1920, but others are from 1930s and the majority date from the crucial period of 1938-1944 in the Indian national movement.