The haunting mystery of Netaji By Chitta Priya Mitra <b

Research on Netaji'sdisappearance
The haunting mystery of Netaji
By Chitta Priya Mitra

As a student of history, ever since my student life until now (aged 87) I have been searching into the news of Netaji and his mysterious disappearance. I have come across some secret and startling truths about Netaji.

Rabindra Nath Tagore, though against violent movements, in his ripe age became very sympathetic to Subash Chandra Bose. He wrote to Gandhiji to support Subash Chandra Bose'scandidature in the Presidential election of the All India Congress. Getting no reply, Subash Bose wired to Gandhiji for his blessings. When Subash Bose was elected as President of the All India Congress, Gandhiji said ?Sitaram's(his candidate) defeat is my defeat?.

While opening the Mahajati Sadan Tagore addressed Subash as Desha Nayak which was later termed as Netaji.

I had read a journal Azad Hind Force published in Germany in the rare section of the National Library, Calcutta, in which there were several speeches broadcast by Subash Bose from Azad Hind Radio installed in Berlin. It was mentioned there that Subash Chandra Bose took the decision to leave the country not on his own contemplation but had consulted some eminent people.

In the August 1942, Gandhiji wanted a non-violent movement. But the followers of Subash Chandra Bose turned it into a violent movement throughout India as instructed by Netaji from Azad Hind Radio, Berlin.

Refer to feature ?Was Stalin responsible for Netaji'sdeath? by Dipak Bose, Professor International Economics, Nagashaki, University of Japan, published in Organiser on June 19, 2005. Professor Bose named Prafulla Chakrovorty, Professor of Calcutta University who was commissioned by Nehru to submit a report about Netaji.

Here are some secret facts.

I met Atul Gupta, a professor of Calcutta University who was commissioned by Nehru to submit a subjective report about the Indian National Army without any of his objective remark. He was given the facility to search the papers from the military archives in Shimla. He submitted the report but the government did not publish it.

I understand from Shri Gupta, that General Cariappa did not like the idea of a civilian being allowed by the government to look into the military archives. He preferred that a scholarly military person should have been commissioned.

Netaji'sdeath was declared from Tokyo Radio, Japan. Habibur Rehman accompanied Netaji from Singapore. He carried the ashes of Netaji for preservation in a Buddhist temple in Japan. Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee, while he was the Prime Minister of India, paid a respectful visit to the temple where Netaji'sashes were preserved. Certainly, he believed that the ashes were that of Netaji otherwise why would he have visited the temple? I have gone through the report of Shah Nawaj Khan Commission which confirmed the death of Netaji in a plane crash at Tihaku. The elder brother of Netaji was one of the members of the Commission. He remarked that Habibur Rehman, the most trusted Pathan soldier was tutored by Netaji to declare his death after his safe arrival at Manchuria, a place in China then occupied by the communist while Cheng-ka-sheik an ally of America, was the President of the Republic of China.

Soon after the news of Netaji'sdeath the intelligence branch of the Bengal government sent a team of four I.B. officers led by one Shri Bose to enquire and report after going to the spot where the plane had crashed. The report submitted by them confirmed that Netaji had died in a plane crash. But the director of the intelligence branch, Mr. Hardwick, an English officer of I.P. rank disbelieved the report and remarked ?absurd? on the margin of the report.

The American intelligence report remarked that ?if it is not a well planned trap then he died?.

I, along with a retired IPS officer who was in the IB department during the war met Haridas Mitra, to query about Netaji'sdeath. Haridas Mitra was sentenced to death for his collaboration with the INA. His wireless radio centre was installed in some place in Behala, Calcutta, which was detected and demolished by the British. On Gandhiji'srequest, Lord Wavell, the Governor General of India, condoned his death sentence. For more than an hour we questioned him about the whereabouts of Netaji. He said that Habibur Rehman after his release was a guest of Sarat Chandra Bose. Inspite of being questioned by the Bose family, individually and at different times. Habibur Rehman stuck to his reply about the fact of Netaji'sdeath in a plane crash without any hesitation and faltering. Habibur Rehman claimed that because he was in military dress, he was less affected by the fire whereas Netaji'scivilian clothes caught fire swiftly during the plane crash.

I saw a copy of an award registered in 1953, showing the property of Janaki Nath Bose, father of Netaji. Therein a portion of landed property was allotted in the name of Sri Subash Chandra Bose, near Garia, suburb of Kolkata.

Mr. Radha Binod Pal, one of the judges of the trial of Tojo, Prime Minister of Japan, soon after his return to India confidently declared that Netaji was alive. But showed no supportive evidence. Being a judge he entered politics. Professor Samar Guha, also became popular by announcing that Netaji was alive and became a member of the parliament several times.

I know one police officer of DIG rank, while he was S.P., he sent a message through an eminent Congressman to Nehru stating that Netaji was found somewhere in the Himalayas in the garb of a sadhu. Nehru turned down the proposal for investigation by a police officer as it would be undignified.

I, along with a retired IPS officer who was in the IB department during the war met the widow of an Anglo Indian somewhere in a lane by the side of Lindsay Street whose husband was in a top post in the INA. On being asked she told me that Netaji might have been killed by gangsters for the casket full of jewels carried by Netaji.

I met a person in the National Library, Calcutta said to be a guard of Netaji in Rangoon. He told me that Netaji visited Ramkrishana Mission at Rangoon off and on wearing an Indian dress. Netaji used to read a portion of the Bhagawat Gita every morning on the rooftop of his residence even when the allied force bombed Rangoon. Netaji feared not death as death would come once in a life.

Only the Centre can help resolve it.

There was a memorial of INA in Singapore installed by Bose. The same was demolished by Admiral Mountbatten while Nehru was present in Singapore to meet the Admiral. I fail to understand how it could be called a memorial when the INA was alive. It might be a heroic monument in honour of INA. There was a revolt by Sikh Regiment in Singapore during World War-I. They all were court martialled and sentenced to death. Netaji must have known the fact and might have installed an epitaph in memory of those who revolted at the insistence of the Indian revolutionaries spread over South East Asia.

Solmari Sadhu at Falakata in the district of Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, was a hoax. It was rumoured that the Sadhu at Falakata was actually Subash Chandra Bose in disguise. Many eminent persons even Dr. Sisir Bose, nephew of Subash chandra Bose went there out of curiosity. I believe the Falakata Survey Camp was set up there. Naxal Bari was very close to Falakata and it was a strategic place in between Nepal, Bhutan and East Pakistan, and the Naxalites choose it as their headquarters, which was sponsored by China.

China'saim was to segregate Assam and North Eastern provinces of India to grab the hilly portions and to deliver the plains to East Pakistan.

I have read a report by a secret analytical bureau of America preserved in the rare section of National Library, Calcutta. There I found many news items about the INA including Netaji'smarriage.

Netaji'swhereabouts after his departure from India were not known. Reuter once before played a trick by announcing that Netaji died in an air crash. Gandhiji sent a message of condolence after hearing the news of Netaji'sdeath, which was published in almost all the papers. The Calcutta Municipal Corporation held a condolence meeting. The nominated Anglo-Indian members of the corporation did not stand up at that meeting to pay homage. When asked, they replied that they did not believe in the news of Netaji'sdeath.

Netaji did not like to remain dead while he was alive. Immediately, he announced through the Azad Hind Radio, Berlin with the words Ami Subash bolchi. He gave several lectures. We heard his voice though it was jammed by the British. Because of the above hoax earlier people at large tended not to believe in Netaji'sdeath in the plane crash.

In conclusion I find that so many individuals and organisations kept Netaji alive for several years without following his spirit and ideal and were chasing a wild goose.

(The writer can be contacted at 301, Jockful Park, Kolkata-700 068.)