The haunting mystery of Netaji

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's candidature 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's death' 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's death 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's ashes 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's death 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's death.

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's request, 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's death 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's civilian 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's aim 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's marriage.

 

Netaji's whereabouts 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's death, 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's death.

 

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's death 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.)