With India set to observe the 80th death anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on August 18, his daughter Anita Bose Pfaff has made a renewed and emotional appeal for the return of his remains from Japan. She described it as a matter of “closure and national honour” for millions of Indians who revere Bose as one of the greatest architects of India’s freedom struggle.
In her public statement, Pfaff said, “Netaji’s 80th death anniversary on August 18, 2025, marks a grim reality, a national hero remains in exile even 78 years after India became independent.”
Currently, the remains believed to be of Netaji are enshrined at the Rengeji Temple in Tokyo. Pfaff has long maintained that a DNA test of the ashes is necessary to conclusively end the decades-long controversy over whether Bose truly died in the 1945 plane crash in Taiwan or lived in secrecy thereafter.
“The time has come to put an end to this chapter of uncertainty,” she said, insisting that scientific verification will silence conspiracy theories and honour her father’s memory.
The official version of history records that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose died on August 18, 1945, in a plane crash in Taiwan. However, alternative theories, ranging from his survival in Soviet Russia to a secret life in India, have persisted for decades.
Pfaff has consistently dismissed these theories, urging people to accept the official version of his death while pressing for a dignified repatriation of his remains.
Pfaff has also expressed her wish for a public national ceremony in India, where people from all walks of life could bid farewell to the revered freedom fighter. She said that dispersing the ashes in India would allow the nation to collectively honour Netaji’s contribution to independence.
Successive governments have faced calls to resolve the matter, but the issue remains unresolved, often resurfacing around Netaji’s birth and death anniversaries.
Pfaff’s renewed request also coincides with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Japan later this month.
The question of Netaji’s remains has long been tied to India’s collective conscience. For his admirers, the return of his ashes would symbolise not just closure but also a long-overdue tribute to a leader who sacrificed everything for India’s freedom.
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