Petition to declassify Government documents on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s disappearance

With supreme respect towards you and your esteemed office, I on behalf of signatories of this petition would like to raise my concern on the long silence from the part of the Prime Minister’s Office and Union Government of India and their inaction in declassifying of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s disappearance. With reference of facts as surfaced by Anuj Dhar in his book “Back from Death” and “India’s Biggest Cover-up” which he wrote on the basis of his continuous and comprehensive research, the identity and the facts on Netaji’s disappearance was revealed. But, today the whole nation await eagerly for the Government and PMO reports which till now never had the privilege to come to the public domain.
As per reports on Times of India dated January 9, 2015 04.51 A.M., Government has refused to declassify at least 87 top secret files containing information about Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose essentially on grounds that they are of “sensitive nature” claiming that could be a threat for “India’s relations with other countries”. This came up in a written reply from Minister of State for Home Sri Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary. The minister was replying to questions from Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Sri Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who asked how many files relating to Bose are lying with the Government whether the Government is considering declassifying any of them. In his reply honorable minister said while there are 60 top secret files on Netaji Bose with the Prime Minister’s office, of which only two have been declassified and sent to the National Archives. There are 29 files with the Ministry of External Affairs, which the government is “not considering to declassify”.
The Union Government has so far set up two commissions – Justice Khosla Commission and Justice M.K. Mukherjee Commission to inquire into the “disappearance of Netaji Bose” on September 11, 1970and May 14, 1999. The Khosla Commission submitted its report on June 30, 1974 and the Mukherjee Commission submitted its report on November 8, 2005. The Minster informed the House that “files relating to both the commissions have been sent by the Ministry of Home Affairs to the National Archives of India on 1st October 2012 for permanent retention.
We remember the assurance made by the honorable Minister for Home Affairs Sri Rajnath Singh had made in Odisha during a public speech saying “If Bharatiya Janata Party comes in power; we will definitely take steps to unravel the mystery behind Netajis disappearance”. Four years after the UPA Government trashed the Mukherjee Commission report, the issue has been racked up in a documentary on Bose. Justice Manoj Mukherjee, in his inquiry report on the bravest son of the soil’s disappearance, had said Bose did not die in the 1945 plane crash, as is popularly claimed. Justice Mukherjee has told film-maker Amlankushum Ghosh that he “strongly believes” Gumnami Baba, the mysterious monk who lived in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, was Bose in disguise. The former Supreme Court Judge, while talking about his scrutiny of Gumnami Baba’s documents after the monk died on 1985, said “It is my personal feeling. Don’t quote me but I am 100% sure that he (the monk) is Netaji.” Ghosh defended his decision to use Justice Mukherjee’s statement. “What Justice Mukherjee told me was of national importance. It can’t be considered mere private chat. I think what I did was unethical?”.“A person of Justice Mukherjee’s stature could not gather the courage to go public about something as important as this. People have the right to know the truth about Netaji”, he added.
It is believed that Netaji was disguised Gumnami Bhagwanji Baba. There were several facts which proved the fact that Netaji looked like him. A handwriting expert and former additional director of the National Institute of Criminalogy and Forensic Science, Dr. B. Lal who said the handwriting of the monk and Netaji “matched perfectly”. When process of cataloguing Bhagwangi’s belongings started, Lalita Bose and her cousin Jitendra Nath Roy were present. The first glimpse of Bhagwanji’s room convinced her that he was a Bengali. Pictures of Goddess Kali, Ramkrishna Parmahansa, Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda lay among innumerable books in English and Bangla. There were familiar handwritings. Lalita Bose had a closer look; it was her uncle’s. In one of the trunks, photographs were discovered which Bhagwanji did not show to anyone. Lalita Bose saw faces of her grandparents (parents of Netaji). One accompanying note had said that they were of “revered father mother”. In 1980s, in the isolation of his room, an old man in Faizabad beheld the pictures of Janaki Nath and Prabhabati Bose and their family as if they were his own. Someone had sent an old fashioned umbrella with a note that it was Netaji’s father Janaki Nath Bose. Bhagwanji had been keeping this memento reverentially. There were photos showing Netaji with his near and dear ones: Dilip Kumar Roy, Bose’s close friend and Suresh Bose whose picture Bhagwanji kept safely wrapped in silk cloth. Lalita Bose also came across some letters written by her father Suresh Bose on certain papers concerning Khosla Commission. It is believed that Bhagwanji came to India from China via Nepalgunj. There were facts that Netaji came to Calcutta to meet his ailing brother Sarat Bose whom Netaji call as “Mejda”. Bhagwanji used to meet with several members of Anushilan Samiti and other revolutionaries from Bengal. Netaji did not come forward because he believed in working in his unaccomplished mission rather than enjoying political fame. The fact surfaced that Netaji’s name was listed in Universal War Criminals. Numerous requests were sent to United Nations Kofi Annan but Kofi Annan replied that he does not have the power to remove it.
This mystery has always attracted political gimmicks. The people of India lost every little hope for the declassification of Netaji’s disappearance from the then UPA Government. These starts from the baseless assumptions brought up by the Khosla Commission. But till now the mystery remains unsolved. Several letters to Bhagwanji were found where request was made to appear in front of the nation and take the leadership of this nation. Numerous people considered to him to be the God incarnate as human after they came to know that he was Netaji himself. But today people say that Bhagwanji is no more alive. On 17 August 1945, when Netaji went to Saigaon aerodrome, he saw Chandra Mal, the IIL transport secretary. Since he suspected him to be ‘a spy’, Japan agreed to take Netaji from Bangkok to somewhere in Bengal. And agreed to take the responsibility as per as the necessary transport is concerned. The plane that took off from Taihoku was a “dummy” flight. This proves the air crash assumption was absolutely wrong.
Netaji Shubhash Chandra Bose is a national asset. The declassification of the Netaji’s disappearance is for national interest and the whole nation stands for it. Today the Ministry of External Affairs takes the stand that they don’t want to declassify of Netaji’s documents fearing foreign ties. In a nation where the Government decides “MAKE IN INDIA” to promote self-sustainability in India and if India cannot raise her voice so that her most valiant son who sacrificed everything for her motherland; can get justice. What can we expect from those nations who still consider Netaji as a Universal War Criminal at the United Nations Organization? How can any foreign relation be at stake just for the declassification of Government documents on Mother India’s valiant son? Won’t this small compromise (like what other nation will think) for a greater cause (like bringing the reality on the disappearance of Netaji) which is a national issue now, will depreciate the image of the Government among the common masses who consider Netaji as their real life hero and inspiration? The Government too is concerned about the sensitivity of those classified documents. We respect it and promise that w, the people of India will no longer allow any political propaganda of opposition parties against any declassification of Government documents on Netaji’s disappearance.
We all the people of India has solemnly resolved to fight for the declassification of Government documents on Netaji’s disappearance thus requesting the Union Government of India to open up all the 87 documents relating to Netaji’s disappearance in the public domain so that the people of India can know the factual reality and the conspiracy which made their beloved National Leader lost in the clusters of files. We would also be happy if 23rd January i.e. Netaji’s birthday can be regarded as a NATIONAL HOLIDAY and terming it as “DESH PREM DIWAS”. We will be obliged.