West Bengal: Fresh controversy erupts over date of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s death

Kolkata: After a fresh controversy erupted when Booksellers and Publishers Guild published Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s death anniversary on a poster at International Kolkata Book Fair, a section of Bose family still believes that there are several arguments to the Justice Mukherjee Commission report, 2005 including the fact that Netaji had died in a plane crash on August 18, 1945.

In a press statement by Chandra Kumar Bose, grand nephew of Netaji along with two other members of Bose family including Madhuri Bose and Surya Kumar Bose stated that ‘Netaji’s death is still shrouded in mystery primarily rely on the 2005 Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry (JMCI) Report which categorically states: He did not die in the plane crash, as alleged (JMCI Report, page 125).’

“From our own close examination of the JMCI Report and its arguments, supporting evidence and conclusions, in too many instances the Report is based on false, distorted and misquoted evidence. Some of the more prominent of these are summarised as follows, and negate the very basis of Justice M.K. Mukherjee’s primary conclusion that Netaji did not die in the plane crash on 18 August 1945,” read a part of the letter.

It can be noted that though researchers and followers of Netaji raise doubts over his death, the official records still claim that he died in a plane crash on August 14, 1945.

According to Chandra Bose, subsequent governments have nullified the reports of Mukherjee Commission and also that the reports of this Commission stand invalid.

The family press statement further argued that, “The JMCI misrepresents recorded evidence from a first-hand witness Netaji aide and fellow traveller Habibur Rahman. According to the JMCI Report, Habibur Rahman is said to have testified to the earlier 1956 Shah Nawaz Committee (witness SW4) that the aircraft “nose -dived from 12-14,000 feet”. Habibur Rahman said no such thing! Nor is it true that the then Government of Taiwan informed the JMCI that there was no air crash. The contention in the Report that local newspapers did not carry news of the air crash, is also simply not true”.

However, the Booksellers and Publishers Guild has removed the poster from the International Book Fair premises.

Published on: Friday, March 04, 2022, 11:03 PM IST