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Pr inc ipal Se cre tary wi shed t o hav e a dr a f t reply t o Shr iAshis Ra y ' s l e t t e r ab ou t Netaj i ' s as hes .
a Th e f i l e o n the sub jec t i s under submiss ion . The pointabou t the pr ies t o f th e Ren ko j L temp le, wh e r e the as hes l i epresent ly, wis h ing that th es e ashes b e brought t o India ha s be en
m ade b y ME . Pr inc ipal Secre ta ry had subsequent ly f lagged i t t o
Home Secreta ry. The note a t 1/ c f rom Hom e Secre ta ry ind ica testha t t h is aspec t i s under cons iderat i on.
A dra f t reply i s p l aced be l ow.
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Su bj ec t : Con t r over sy r e ga r d i ng Net aj i ' s dea t h a n dbr inging his as hes t o In d i a fr om Ja p a n.
A I
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Pr i n ci pa l Sec r e t a r y t o Pr i m e Mi n i s t er m a y p le ase re fe rt o hi s U.O. No. 870/ 11/P/10/ 93 -Pol . da t ed 13 t h Oc t ob e r , 1993 ont h e a bove sub j ec t .
2 . The m a t t er was exa m i n ed af t e r ob t a i n i n g cop ies of thetwo a r t i c l e s ( t h r e e i s su es) t1i L ap p ea r ed in the bi - r n on t h l ymagazine "Asia and Afr ica Toda y" , in Moscow, in Sep t emb er ,November and Decem ber , 1993. I t wa s foun d t ha t the se c onda r t i c l e by Mr . V. T our a d jev ( t wo i s s ues ) en t i t le d "WhomSubh a sh Cha ndra Bose Fough t a ga i n s t du r i n g the Secon d Wor l dWar Year s" was main ly i n t en ded t o sh ow tha t Ne t a j i coop er a t edwi t h t h e Br i t i s h Secr e t Se r v i c e MI -6 and wa s a Br i t i sh p l a n t int h e h ea r t of t h e Axis power s . Al th ough the a l lega t i ons a r eba s e d on i n d i r ec t evi den ce and a re mor e o r le ss sp e c u la t ive ,yet t h e y h a ve ser i ous po t e n t i a l of whipp ing u p pop u la rsen t i men t s in In d i a . The en t i r e f i n d i n g s a re ba sed on a l l egedSovi e t in t e l l i gen ce r e p or t s from Afgh a n i s t a n and o t he r places .T h er e i s repo r t ed ly no se pa r a t e f i le on Ne t a j i in the KGBAr chives .
3 . Views of MEA, TB and R&AW were asc e r t a ine d . MEAfe e l s t h a t the r e i s no need fo r over - r e a c t i n g t o the pub l i ca t i onof such a l l eg a t i on s , as the r e h a s been no pu b l ic i t y of thesear t i c l es ei t her in Russia or India . Mr . Tour ad jev ha s to ld ourE m ba ssy in Moscow th at he ha s no pl a n t o wr i t e a ny fur th era r t i c l e s uh l ess f i x t her a r c h i va l ma t e r i a l be c om e s ava i la b le t ohim from KGB Ar c h i ves . IB i s of t he op i n i on tha t suchpu b l i c a t i on s , a l leging l i nks of Net a j i and his as s oci a t e wit h MI-6 and KGB, wi l l evoke wi de - a pr e a d rea ct i ons a n d co u l d ca us ed i s com fi t u r e to t h e Govern men t . Peo p l e in In d i a wou l d consideri t to be a s i n i s t e r design to t a rn is h the im a ge of Ne ta j i . R&AWha s ex pr e s s e d s i m i l a r vi ews and i s of the op i n i on tha t thep o ss i b l e r e p la y of t h ese wr i t e - up s in t he In d i a n m e d i a hasex p l o s i v e po t e n t i a l .
4 . In vi ew of t h e sens i t i v i t y of t he ma t t er , we fe e l i twould be pr uden t to ta ke pr e- emp t ive a ct i on t o fo r e st a l l furt herpub l i c a t i on s of such a r t i c l e s . MEA has , the r e fo r e , be e n aske dto t a ke up t h e ma t t er wi t h t he Russi a n au tho r i t ie s a t anap pr op r i a t ely h igh l evel to pr even t pub l i ca t i on of s im i la rar t i cl es in fu t u r e .
5 . As for t h e con t r ove r s y a bou t Net a j i s dea t h a n d hismor t a l r em ai ns at Renkoji Tem pl e in Tokyo, the ma t t e r ha si n d eed assum ed con s i der a b l e ur ge nc y . I t i s bei n g p la ced befo rethe Commit tee of Se cr e t a r i e s (C or e Gr ou p) for evolv ing as t ra t egy, wh e r e a ft e r the m a t t er wou l d be p la ced befo re theCa bi n et .
1,1?
Shr i A . N/Varma ,Pr inc ip / S ec ret a r y t o P. M.
( N. N. Voh r a )Home Sec ret a r y
MHA U.O.No. 1112014 / 27/93-1S.D111 Da te d: Apr i l 20 , 199 4 .
0 .
13i4 . S xx.e4rFormer
M E M B E R O F PAR LI AME N T
( LO K SABH A )
Dear Pr ime Minister ,
8/2, CENTRAL PARK,CALCUTTA -700 032
PHONE : 72-160(12 May 1994
I will hearti ly congratu late you for the celebrat ion of
the Golden Jubi lee of the Format ion o f the Azad Hind Govt. and
the Azad Hind Fauj and the very bef i tt ing and inspir ing speech
you made on the occass ion. Your tribute t o Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose created a deep impress ion i n the minds o f a l l who at tended
the function.
I hope the conclud ing session of the Anniversary of the INA
and the Azad Hind Govt . on 21st Octo 1994 will also be celebrated
i n a way that may create a patriotic fervour o f national solidar ityamong tne people o f our country.
I was somewhat surpr ised why most of the Ministers and the
Members of Par l iament fai led to at tend this solemn occ assion of
paying our tr ibutes to the martyers o f the INA who gave theira l l for the l iberation of our mother land . Press also didn' t give
any cove rage of this ceremony. I t appears there had been some
lapses somewhere.
With kind regards and namaskar,
Shri P.V.Narae imhe RaoPr ime Minister o f IndiaSouth BlocNew Delhi 110011
Yours sincerely ,
( SAMAR GOMA )
/ eY
090 c a ,. 6 40'
wozrtlaAtr4
PRIME MINISTER
New D el h iMay 28, 1994
Dear Pr ofessor Guha,
Thank you for your l e t t er of 12th May, 1994.
With regards,
Professor Sam ar Guha8/2, Cen t ra l Par kCa l cu t t a - 700 032
111&
Your s i n cer e l y,
1/71 '
Na r a s i m h a Ra o]
ti- tiU1i-6
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10.1.
P. C. THOMASMember of Parliament
(Lok Sabha)MUVATTUPUZHA
160, South Avenue,New Delhi -110011Phone : 3792534
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01444 Azta
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M-20, Gandhi Nagar Housing Colony,Thodupuzha, KeralaPhone: 04862 - 3333, 2569
Mount Lourdes, Chakompathal P.O.,Kottayam Dist.,Phone : 048197 - 233
.7-1, -94
joviit.zk g(
P'AI/CIJHOD 1(-1) -v -el 611-r
Vez- T /1-77
tvi-ecc (Cei-32).
, (
NETAJI JANA PARISHAT 2f (Beg: No. I- 164/ 91)
KOLAPRA, KUDAYATHOOR P. O.IDUKKI (Dist) THODUPUZHA
Pin - 685 590
P.C.ThomPs M.P.Kerala Congresz-,
' Parliament HouseNew Delhi.
Lsteemed P.C.Thomasgi,
17. . 5 . 1 994.
am herewith forwarding two paper chi
Indian Express for favour of consideration follo
action. Since the matter id self explanatory
need not clarify it any further.
For averting national share you are humbly
raiusted to prevail on the Union Government for
bringing back the mortal remciins of Nataji at the
erliest.
Thanking You.
Yours faithfully
T v . P.T.EathcPresident.
Inunortalmil immNI Sir, - The controversy overthe death of 'Netaj i Subhash !Chandra Bose continues unabatedeven af ter f if ty years of his dis-appearance from the war front.W hat had happened to him hadbeen aptly recorded and testif iedb y I: i f : d o s e asa-a-ciates incluciirai I t doctor who had treated him in]
his last days.-Those vt
awito dispute hiaTieadi
plane accident are not.in a posi-tion to offer any other satisfactoryexplanation as to his whereaboutsand proionged absence. since DO-
thing is heard about him for thelast half a century i t shall be
. : rned that he !f
Because of the controversy overhis death, the mortal remains arebeing kept in a Buddhist shrine inTokyo awaiting clearance for a Ireturn to the motherland. If hismortal remains were to bebrought over to India the wholenation would r ise as one man in !offering homage to the departedleader.
- fa-tdisclosed by a section of the pres.sthat the monks have become res-tive about keeping up the remains Iindefinitely. is left as anunclaimed object, they may betempted to dispose it of in theirown way. To avert such a national Ishame all arc requested to wind iup their differences and prevail onthe Union Government to initiatesteps fat- theremains of Netaji to his .mother-land.
04 D I P. NN .J.MAT tik.w
T H OD UP UZ HAEXPNE.SS
-same aay reached its peak whenthe Government was hard put todefend the secret London talkswith United States. Prime Minis-ter Rao, justifying the Londontalks told the Rajya Sabha thatIndia could not refuse to talk on
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Netaji's ashes'taa tafar nvain or! g%alp%mot kg .x 11 ,_
NEW DELHI - T he Govern-ment of India is of the view thatbringing the ashes, reported to beof Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.back to India from Japan. in theabsence of a consensus on theismie might move divisive andcreate tens!aais.Minister of State for ExternalAffairs told Rajya Sabha onWednesday.
The issue of Netaji's death ischarged with emotion and opin-ions remain divided, Lthatia said.
Ile said many people includingNetaji's nephews still doubt theevent of his reported death andquestion the veracity of the ashes.
There have been rer,:xed re-quests from the Renkoji templewhere the ashes have been kept,and Japanese associates offor the ashes to return to India.
Attempts have also been madeto have the ashes brought back toIndia with all reverence and hon-our as befitting a man of thestature of Netaji. the Ministersaid.
There have been attempts toa bra. or.
the question of Netaji's death inthe air crash on August 1K. 1945after the two inquiry commissionsconcluded that the ashes kept at. " P --1-a!!
1
mr*ramr4
PRIME MINISTER
Dear Shr i Thomas,
1994.
New DelhiJun e 24, 1994
I have received your l e t t e r of 9th Jun e,
With regards,
Your s s i n cer e l y,
(P. V. Na ra si mh a Rao)
Shri P.C. Thomas, MPM-20, Gandhi Nagar Housing ColonyThodupuzhaKerala
imp)z i
----ccn
1Netaj i Subhas Chandra Bose.
Fol lowing are some o f the reports , - why i t i s fi rmly bel ieved
that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose took shelter i n Sov iet Russia aftersur render of Japan i n mid 19 45 :
(1 ) Acc ord ing to disclosure made to Sarat Chandra Bose by
Dr. Radha Vinod Pal, the Indian judge of the 'Tokyo War Cr iminals
Tr ia l ' . The American Judge of the Trial informed Dr. Pal that acc ord ing
to an inqui ry report of Mac Arthur, the war t ime Chie f of the US
Paci f ic Army 'Subhas Chandra Bose of Ind ia escapad to Russia via Dai ren
Pr- '. Ses.rx3.et.r G-13.1-ieLFormer
ME MB ER O F PA RL IA ME NT
( LOK SABHA )
Dear Pr ime Minister,
774
9,8/2, CENTRAL PARK,
CALCUTTA -700 032
PHONE : 72-160020 June/1994
SPEED POST
I, You are going t o Russia ve ry soon to meet Mr. Barr is Yel tsin,
1.12- Pres ident of Russia . This is a ve ry welcome move.cc Zrl q I would appeal to you i n the name of God, our nat ion and the; (%1 heri tage o f our freedom struggle to avail thisr oc c assion to make a_
request t o Mr. Borrt Yel tsin to reveal what they know about Netaj i___
4 g 1 i Subhes th i ihara Rase, who, ac c ord ing to so many de pe ndd) le reports,tad7W- sheIter i n the fo rme r Soviet Union after fa l l o f Japan on Aug 15,Licel ----
I.L.--" i 194OD 5 ....yi
cer-Di I Now, the Govt . o f Russia have adopted a l iberal pol icy to open -
; out a l l secret documents of KGB and the secret archives or Stalin ._ z 1
ai i, 1 *I t will be , thus, no difficult fo r Russia to reveal al l facts about- i 0 cZ 1
nr.- - under the ce mouflade of the story o f his reported air crash death onetromAw-̂0 ,c0,0A.,1 - Aug 18, 1945. '
/ -0043.0Jm-191P- -- (2 ) The Brit ish Intell igence submit ted to the Govt. of Wavel l i n
vAtA ticp._ early 19 4 6 , that Subhas Chandra Bose reached Russian terr itory.\0.401uk, Mahatma Gandhi and Pa ndit Jaw har la l Nehru received some secre t commu-
nication from Bose request ing them to arrange for his repatr iat ion to
cia Ind ia . (Shah Nawaz Committee document - No.10/Misc. / INA-pages 38-39) .
These reports says :
cLut:ittboa4 4 4 -4.
f r I J W , Ø2k 4
4.,(6)-,11142-11ii)
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b e ,
"Gandhi j i stated publ icly a t the beg inn ing o f January (1946)that he bel ieved that Bose was al ive and i s hid ing ascrib ingi t to his inner vo ice . The Congressmen believe that Gandhij i 'sinner voice i s a secre t in format ion Which he received. Thereis , howe ver, a secret report Which says Nehru rece ived a let terfrom Bose saying that he was in Russia and that he wanted toescape t o India. The in format ion al leges that Gandhi j i andSarat Chandra Bose are those who were aware of this. I t isI t i s probable that a letter arrived about the time Gandhi j i
mad= h4a m i t h l 4 r . catAat.camon47_ Tn Am ni t a r t , al cn_ cm r a + Pr i ma s i A
C A . 1 . X . 0. to K7-
-2 -
i s repor ted t o have sa id that he was conv inced tha t hisbro ther was al ive."(3) Acco rd in g t o an o th e r Bri t ish Intel l igence Report received
f rom th e Russian Ambassador i n Kabu l and Mr. Maradof f , the Russian- - - -V ice Consu l Genera l i n Teheran, that 'Bose i s i n Russia ' assu min g
the name o f 'Ghi lzai Malang ' :
"The i n format ion rece iv ed f rom the in ternal sou rce i spuzzling and same can be sa id about the external in format ion.On 7th January the Russian paper Pra vd a denied i n st rongterms tha t Bose was i n Russia . Before th is , however , Ghi lza iMalang had been coup l ing with a l ive Bose i n Russia, and i n
said- i f i a t the Governor o f Afghan Province,Khost , has been in f o rme d by the Ru ssia n Ambassador i n Kabulthat the re are many Congress re fugees i n Moscow and Bose wasi nc l uded i n thei r number. There is l i t t l e reason for su chpe rson s t o br ing Bose into fabr icated stor ies. At the samet ime, the view that the Russian Off icers are disc los ing o ral leg ing that Bose i s i n Moscow i s supplied i n a repor treceived f rom Teheran. This sta ted that Maradof f , the Russ ianVice -Consu l Genera l disc losed i n March that Bose i s i n Russ ia
Ta ih oku, Congress and Russian representat ives i n Tehe ranand Kabu l are most imp o r ta n t objec t ives i n this ca se as i ts tands now."
(4) A note found i n Moun tba t ten 's Diary (P laced before the Shah
Nawzz Committee and Khosla Commission) hin ted that Netaj i Bose didn' tmove beyond Tourane i n Nor th Vietnam. Fromt there Netaj i Bose and
Genl . Shede i se pa ra te d themselves f r om the other passengers o f theplane bound for Taihoku. From there Nata j i went back t o Dala t , theHq. o f the Japanese S.E.Army and f rom*Aere he and Genl . She de i
moved t o Da iren by a se p a ra te plane. Gen l . Sh e d e i was deputed t o takech arge o f the Japanese Kwantung Army th e n facing Russ ian incurs ionin to Manchur ia .
(5) The di sc l osure made i n 1975 i n the Bri t i sh Documents o f
'Transfer o f Power - 19 4 2 -4 7 ' i n Volume V I a few 'Top Secret ' le t tershave been pub l ished about ' t reatment of Bose ' a f te r f a l l o f Japan .
The 'Top Secret ' let ter No.57 in f ormed regard ing the decision of the
U.K Govt . ab o u t Subhas Chandra Bose i n wh ich i t has been stated :
"In many ways th e eas ies t course wou ld be t o leav e h im(Bose) he re 1T rs i no t t o ask fo r his re lease. He might,OT course, i n cer ta ih darcumstances be - welcomed by t hse -
'Russ ians . fh i s course woad rai se fewest immeaf i t t- Obl i t i ca ldi f f i cu l t ies . "(6) A German Glo b e l Intel l igence Agency, INTERPRESS, publ ished
an article i n 1949. In which i t c la imed tha t Bose had gone t o Russia
and was wai t i ng fo r a revo lu t i onary move towards India wi th the he lp
o f Russia .
-3-
(7 ) S.A.Ayer i n his tes t imony before Khosla Co mmiss ion , the fo rmer
Information Minister o f Azad Hind Gov t . disclosed tha t he was secre t lysent by Pandi t Nehru t o Japan i n 1951 t o ascertain fac ts about Netaji 'splan after f a l l o f Japan. I n his report t o Pan: l i t Nehru, Ayer i n formed
that :
Col . Tada who was an arcni tec t o f Netaj i 's Plan o f Disappea-rance alongwi th Genl . Isoda to ld h im that as advi sed by F.M.Tarauchi the Chie f o f the Japa ne se 5.E.As i - WrmyCff i l ig i iCi I I i i i iCi- B6 g-0 1- mi i i - askyd t o reach Russ ian t i l f -t i to ry along-wi th Gen1. - Shedel who -Was -goin t o Dai ren. " I t was arranged thatCi dra Bos-d7T,i3DErf ly e -p lane i n wh ich Shede i was going.Genl . Shede i wi l l look af ter Chandra Bose upto Dairen, andthereaf ter , he wo u ld f a l l back on his own resources t o contac tRuss ian. Japanese wo uld announce t o the wor l d that Bose haddisappeared. That wo uld absol ve them (Japanese) o f a l l responsi -b i l i t y i n the eyes o f the Al l ies."(8) The Br i t i sh Communist leader Mr. Gal lasher, who was then a
member o f the Parl iament , sa id i n a sta tement i n 1 949 that , "Bose has
gone t o Ir ish Free State on a secret Mission. "(9) Deben Sen, then an M.P made a press statement i n Delhi i n 1969
before his death that he and Mr. Joglaker , a founder -member of the
Communist Party, accident ly met Subhas Chandra Bose a t Marssel l i es a i r -port i n France whi le they were goint t o Amsterdam_ to at tend an Inter-nat ional Trade Un ion Conference. Deben Sen, who was close ly known to
Subhas Chandra Bose i n thirt ies when tr ied- to approach Netaj i at t he
airport , he was signal led by Netaji not t o approach him and keep si lentas he was then found surrounded by a few Russian guards. Deben Sen on
return f rom Amsterdam to ld th is story t o Sarat Chandra Bose and latert o me pr iva tely. But he was aske d by Sa ra t Babu not t o say anything
abou t i t publ ic ly. But ## ### ##### in 1969, when he fe l t that he was
abou t t o die be ca u se o f ser ious heart trouble, Deben Seri made a publ icstatement i n Delh i giv ing abou t the inc ident o f his meet ing Netaj iSubhas Chandra Bose i n the Frendh airport . Interestingly, the t ime o f
th is inc ident ta l l i ed with the t ime o f Gallashar's sta tement about
Netaji 's visit to Ire land t o meet Be Valera .(10) Unfortunately, no body inqu ired f rom Be Valera i f Subhas
Chandra Bose visi ted Ireland dur ing the days o f 1949. When Be Valera
la ter v is i ted Ind ia , he told press people that " I expec ted Bose t o see
i n India."(11) Al l the Japanese Diplomats , who were in ter - l inked wi th Netaji
Bose dur ing the days o f Azad Hind st ruggle and a l l the INA Ge ne ra ls and
the Azad Hind Gov t . Minis ters told Shah Nawaz Commit tee and Khosla
Commiss ion that Netaj i 's dest inat ion af ter his f l i gh t f rom Saigon on
-4 -
Aug 17, 1945 was Russ ia . Only excep t ion was Col. Habibu r Rahman, who was a
part o f Neta j i 's escape -plan .
(12) Shri Shyamlal Ja in , a steno o f Mr. Asaf Al l , who was theSec reta ry o f the INA Defence Co u n c i l i n 19 45 , to ld Kh o s la Commiss ion
that on Dec 26/ 27, 1945 he was asked by Pandi t Nehru t o prepare copies
o f a 'note ' a t the res idence o f Asaf Al i . The note i n fo rmed :
" . . .Bose arr ived today Aug 24, 1945 a t Dai ren a t 1.30 af ter-noon alongwi th Gen l . Shede i , p roceeded towards Russ ian t e r r i -tory, the jeep returned af ter th ree hours. "(13) Dr . Sarvapal l i kiahakr ishnan conf ided his close f r iend
_ -Dr. Saro j Roy, the th en Head of the Dept t . o f Phi losophy, Calcut taUniversi ty that he came t o know that 'Bose i s i n capt iv i ty i n Stal in 'sRussia '. This i n fo rmat i on was communicated t o Shri Morarj i De sa i by thegreat histor ian R.C.Majumdar an int imate fr iend o f Dr. Saroj Roy.
(14) Many other i n format ions were given t o the press by Mr. P.B.Se a l ( in London) and la ter by S.N.S in ha , a fo rmer Indian Ambassador i n
East Germany, tha t Neta j i was i n capt iv i ty i n Sov ie t Russia.
(15) In 1990 a document was found i n the archives o f US Pr incetonUnivers i ty that Khurshed Nauraj i - a grand daughter of Dada bhai Nauraj i ,a very t rus ted disaiple of Mahatma Gandhi wrote a let ter t o the Amer ican
journalist , Mr. Lou is Fischer , who was known t o maintain l ia ison be twe e n
Mahatma Gandhi and Pres iden t Roosev el t , - giv ing a deta i led descr ipt iono f the pol i t i ca l si tuat i on i n Ind ia i n 1946 . I n this l e t t e r Kh u rsh e d
Ba h ia wro te to fii# Fische r :
"At hear t the Ind ian Army i s sympathet ic with the IndianNationa l Army (INA of Bo se ) . I f Bose comes with the help o fRussia , neither Gandhi j i nor Congress will be able t o reasonwi th the coun t ry . Also i f Russia for propa ganda purposes declare
I l i t sel f an Asia t i c coun t ry , then there is no hope o f an Europeani fa l l iance acce p ta b le t o India. "
This let ter was wri t ten on inst ruct ion of Mahatma Ga nd hi wh ich
showed that Gand#i j i was def ini te t i l l 22nd July 1946 that Netaji5,y0Ag_LhAp4ga_Bose was i n Ru ss ia .
(14) An Ind ian Engineer o f Calcut ta , Mr. A.Sarkar , who i s s t i l lal ive and i n Calcut ta , made a sta tement to Calcut ta Sta te sman say ing
that he met a German Jew, - Mr. B.A.Zerobin , Deputy Chief o f the Plant ,Machinostt roi te l inizevod o f Sov ie t Un ion . Mr. Sa rka r was work ing i n theMachine Bui lding Plant a t Gor lovska near the ci ty of Donies t . He was
wo rk in g the re being deputed by the Govt . o f India.I also met Shr i Sarkar i n Calcut ta and got the informat ion that he
rece i ved f rom erobin . I asked him why he didn't go t o the press after
-5-
return ing t o India. He to ld me tha t on rece iv ing informat ion abou t
Netaj i Subhas Chandra Bose f rom Zerobin, he ap p ro a ch e d Ind ian Embassy i n
Moscow, but was warned by the Third Secre ta ry o f the Miss ion no t t o ut tera word abou t i t t o anybody.
I/ "Zerobin af ter be ing cap tu red i n Berl in, was taken i n aIit t ra in t o an unknown place# i n Siberian region, f rom where he
was sent t o a Re -orientat ion Camp somewhere i n Siberia. I n
Ithat Camp one day he suddenly found Subhas Chandra Bose comingout o f a Car, f lanked by two Mongol ian guards. Seeing Bo se ,Zerobin exc itedly rushed towards h im and said: 'S i r , I havemet you i n Ber l in ' . Bose rep l ied i n his character is t ic s tyle :
1
i 'quite l i k e l y ' . Bose then asked Zerobin: 'W hat are you do inghere 7 ' Zerob in repl ied: ' I don ' t know what f o r . ' Zerob inaga in asked Bose: 'W hat i s your prog ramme, Sir ? Are you
! go ing ba ck t o Ind ia ? I Bose: ' I expec t i t t o te soon."11
W hi le Bose and Zerob in were ta lking i n German, (Bo se knewGerman wel l) the Mongol ian guards inte rvened: 'No t al lowed'.
Thereaf ter , Zerob in had no opportun ity t o meet Bose i n theSiber ian Re_or ientat i on Camp.
iZerob in warned Mr. A.K.Sarkar that i f he disc losed ## the report o f
Zerobin 's meet i ng wi th Subhas Chandra Bose i n the Re -or ienta t ion Camp
i n Siber ia , the l ives o f both , Zerobin and Sarkar , wi l l be ser ious lyendangered .
After re t i r i ng f r om the Gov t . j ob, Shri Sarkar took courage t o
disc lose the report about Bose and that too many years l a te r .I have sen t a l e t t e r t o the then Pres ident o f Sov ie t Un ion,
Mr. Gorbachev . My. l e t t e r was separate ly fo rwarded t o the Rwe a i lT_ I I ! s ident_ - -_b y our M a i former President, Shri N.Sanj_iva_Reddy and a former President
o f the Congre ss, Shr i S.Ni j i l ingappa. But none of the se letters was
r_spj_i_ed by Mr. rbaohev .After Mr. Borris Yel ts in came in to power, I addressed a f resh let ter
t o h im enclos ing also the co p y o f the l e t te r that I had writ ten t o
Mr. Gorbachev .
Earl ier on Nov 29, 1973 I had addressed a die t te r t o the then
President o f Soviet Union , Mr. Bre zhn e v request ing h im t o disc lose what
Russ ia knew abou t Netaj i 's entry in to Sov iet Russ ia i n the month o f
Aug 1945 . The l e t te r was acknowledged , but not repl ied. I had theopportun ity t o meet Mr. Brezhnev as a Le a d e r of the Socia l is t Group i n
the Par l iament when he vis i ted Delhi i n 1973.
Re acted Prime Minis ter Naras imha Raoj i t You wi l l be vis i t ingRusg_ik_Ja_md so on meet the present President o f Russia , Mr. Borr is Yelts in .
I would earnest l r e uest you t o take up th is so lemn pat r io t ic issue
abo.t.A_Ah_g_fata a f the greatest revo lu t io r4 f Ind ia , Netaj i Subhas Chandra
-6 -
Bose who reportedly entered in to Soviet Russia after f a l l of Japan._I do hope that you will take up the mission, as a sacred national task,to f ind out from Mr. Barr is Yeltain what real ly happened t o Netajiof h i s en try Russ ia .
knew that th is i s a very int r icate issue . But i t i s expected
of the Prime Minister of India to take up the issue w i th the Pres ident
of Russia to f inal ly re solve the poignant quest ion - what real lyhappened to Netaj i Subhas Chandra Bose, - the Mahe Kshatr iya of Ind ian
freedom.
With be st regards and namaskar,
Shri P.V.Narasimhe Rao'Prime Ministe r of IndiaSouth BlocNew Delhi 110011
Yours sincerely ,
( SAMAR GUHA )
1,1\
Prof. A m m a rFormer
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
( LOK SABHA
Respec ted Ras t rap a t i j i ,
'2, ('!N1 it AL PAI h,
CALCI .TTA-700
PHONE :
29 Ju n e 1994
Tw o - t h ree mon ths before Pandit Nehru pa ssed away, he categor ica l l y wrote t o Sures h Chandra Bo se , an elder bro ther o f Neta j i su b h a s
Chandra Bo se , that %th ere i s n o di rec t ano preci se proof of Neta j iSu b h a s Chandra Bose 's death ."
The B r i t i s h docum ent - 'Transfer o f Po we r 1942-47 ' i n i t sVo l um e V I pos i t i ve l y hinted that Neta j i took asy lu m i n Russia.
A l e t t e r found i n US Pr inceton Univers i ty wr i t ten b y Khu rsh ed
Be h an , a gra n d daughter o f Dadabhai Naura j i 001* * * * * t o US jou rnal i s tLouis Fischer under i ns t ruc t i on f rom Mah at ma Gandh i, - revealedthat t i l l 22 nd July 1946 , Gandhij i f i rm ly bel i eved t ha t Ne ta j i Subhas
Chanc r e , Bo s e was al ive i n Russia._
Th ere are many other dependab le reports ab ou t Neta j i ' s entryin to Russ ia af te r f a l l o f Jap an i n the les t wor ld war.
I hav e wri t ten a l e t t e r t o our Pr i m e Min is te r , Shr i P.V.Naras imha
Raoji on the eve o f his v i s i t t o Russ ia t o take up the issue with the
Russian President , Bor i s Yel ts in %w hat exact l y hap p ened t o Neta j iSu b ha s Chandra Bose a f te r h i s entry in to Russ ia.
This i s a ve ry sens it ive pa t r i o t i c issue. Bu t unfor tunate ly, t t -e
Govt . o f Ind ia didn ' t m ake any m ov e a t any t ime t o f i nd ou t factsabou t Neta j i f rom known in te rna t iona l sources . I t i s a mat ter of
ex t reme regret that our Govt . remained so vn g ra te f i . 1 1 t o the
Mahaksha t r i ya o f our nat ional f reedom.
I wou ld earnest l y reques t you t o go through the enclosed l e t t e rand take appropr iate steps a s you think appropria te .
W ith warm regards and namaskar,
Dr. S. D. Sharm aPresident o f IndiaRast rapat i Bh a v a nNew Delh i 110004
Yours sincere ly,
( SAMCNR GUHA )
\
,cfrj. Sa . . .m.mx G-12.11.e.Foriner
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
(1 0K SABHA )
I UIRY AziOUT NETAJI RUSSIA
CENTRAL PARK,
CALCUTTA -70r) 03:
PHONE : 7:-1tshf
I t i s the ge n e ra l l y a cce p te d v iew that af ter f a l l o f Japan
on Au gu s t 15 , 194 5, Netaj i .5ubhas Ch an dra nose 's des t inat ion .was
Russia . Shah Nawaz Com m i t tee and Kh o s l a Com m iss i on ha v e also
conf irmed th is v ie w.
Acco rd in g t o l arge num ber o f depen dab le reports , Neta j i e n terec
in to Russ ian ter ra it o ry acc ro ss the Manchur ian border .
Indian Pr im e Minister, Shr i P.V .Na ra s imh a Rao i s t l o i ng t o
Ru ssia t o me et th e Ru ss ia n Presiden t , Mr. Boris Yeltsin. : Jut Prime
Minis ter shou l d make a reques t t o Mr . Bori s Yelts in t o reveal w'n at
Ru ssia knows ab ou t Ne-t a j i . Now that Russ ia has ope ned up KGB f i l e s ,secre t f i l es o f Stal in and othe r to p secre t repor ts o f t :-.e war days,i t i s expe cted that i f our Pr im e Min i ste r ma kes a f r iendly .* yetf i rm req s es t t o th e Ru s s i a n Pres iden t , the sens it ive is sue o f Ne t a j i ' sd isa p p ea ra n ce may be f ina l ly reso lved .
I n the enc losed l e t te r a l re a d y sent t o our Pr i r re MinistI hav e given repor ts ab o u t Netaj i ' s entry km in to Russ ia . Indianpe o p le hope that our Pr im e Minister wi l l not hesi ta te t o discharge
our national du ty t o -,,he Mana- Ksha t ri iya o f nat iona l f reedom.
( SA AR GUHA )
0 1 3 . , = . 1 3 . ZFormer
- tEMPIER OF PARLIAMENT
( LOK SABI-IA
Dear Prime Minister,
$0, CENTRAL PARK,
CALCUTTA -700032
PHO NE : 72-10C
20 June/1994
SPEED POST
You are going to Russia very soon to meet Mr. Barris Yeltsin,
President of Russia. This is a very welcome move.
I would appeal to you in the name of God, our nation and the
heritage of our freedom struggle to avail this accession to make a
request to Mx. Barri) Yeltsin to revea l what they know about Metaji
Subhas Chandra Bose, who, according to so many dependable reports,
took shelter in the former Soviet Union after fall of Japan on Aug 15,
1945.
Now, the Govt. of Russia have adopted a liberal policy to open
out all secret documents of KGB and the secret archives of Stalin.
It will be, thus, no difficult for Russia to reveal all facts about
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
Following are some of the reports, - thy it is firIlly believed
that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose took shelter in Soviet Russia after
surrender of Japan in mid 1945.
(1) According to disclosure made to Serat Chandra Bose by
Dr. Radha Vinod Pal, the Indian judge of the *Tokyo War Criminals
Trial*. The American Judge øf the Trial informed Dr. Pal that according
to an inquiry report of Mac Arthur, the war time Chief of the US
Pacific Army *Subhas Chandra Bose cf India escaped to Russia via Dairen
under the camouflage of the story of ,hisreported air crash death on
Aug 18, 1945.*
(2) The British Intelligence submitted to the Govt. of Wavell in
early 1946. that Subhas Chandra Bose reached Russian territory.
Mahatna Gandhi and Pandit Jawharlal Nehru received some secret commu-
nication from Bose requesting them to arrange for his repatriation to
India. (Shah Nawaz Committee document No.10/Misc./INA-pages 38-39).
These reports says t
°Gandhiji stated publicly at thm beginning of January (1946)that Xhe bel ieved that 6 0 6 1 6 was alive and is hiding ascribing .it to his inner voice. The Congressmen believe that Sandhiji'sinner voice is a secret information Which he received. Thereis, however, a secret report which says Nehru received a letterfrom Bose saying that he was in Russia and that he wanted toescape to India. The information alleges that Gandhiji andSarat Chandra Bose are those who were aware of this. titielPIt is probable that a letter arrived about the time Gandhijimade his public statement. In January also, Serat Bose is
i s reported to have said that he was convinced that hisbrother was al ive."(3 ) According to another Bri t ish Intel l igence Report received
from the Russian Ambassador in Kabul and Mr. Maradoff , the Russian
Vice Consul General i n Teheran, that 'Boss i s i n Russia' assuming
the name of 'Ghilza i Malang. .s
"The information received from the in ternal source i spuzz l ing and same can be said about the external information.On 7th January the Russian paper Pravda denied i n st rongterms that Boss was in Russia. Before this, however, GhilzeiMalang had been coupling with a l ive Bose in Rueeia, and i nDecember, a report said that the Governor of Afghan Province,Khost, has been informed by the Russian Ambassador i n Kabulthat there are many Congress refugees i n Meadow and Bose wasincluded in thei r number. There is l i t t l e reason for suchpersons to bring Boss into fabricated stories. At the samet ime, the view that the Russian Off icers are disclosing oral leging that Bose i s in Moscow is supplied in a reportreceived from Teheran. This stated that Maradof f , the RussianVice -Consul General disclosed in March that Bose i s i n Russia
Taihoku, Congress and Rucmian representat ives i n Teheranand Kabul are most important object ives i n this case as i tstands now."
(4 ) A note found in Mountbatten's Diary (placed before the Shah
Natter Committee end Khosla Commission) hinted that Netaji Bose didn' tmove beyond Tourane in North Viotnam. From there Nateji Bose and
Genl. Shedei separated themselves from the other paosengers of theplane bound for Taihoku. From there Netaj i went back to Dalat, theHq. of the Japanese S.C.Army and from there he end Genie Shedei
moved to Dairen by a separate plane. Gen]. Shedei was deputed to take
charge of the Japanese Kwantung Army than fac ing Russian incursion
into Manchuria.
(5 ) The d i :losure made i n 1975 in the Bri tish Documents o f
'T ransfer of Power 1942.47 1 i n Volume VI few 'Top Secret ' lettershave been published about 'treatment of Does' after fal l of Japan.
The 'Top Secret ' letter No.57 informed regarding the decision of the
U.K Govt. about Subhas Chandra Bose in which i t has been stated s
"In many ways the easiest course would be to leave him(Bone) where he is. And not to ask for his re lease. He might,of course, i n certa in circumstances be welcomed by theRussians. This course would ra ise fewest immediate poli ticaldifficult ies."(6) A German Global Inte l l igence Agency, INTIRPRE55, pub lished
an art icle in 1949. In which it c laimed that Bose had gone to Russia
and was wait ing for a revolutionary move towards India wi th the help
of Russia.
(7) 5.A.4yer fn his tost imony before Khoslo Comnie sion , tho forme r
In formation Minister o f Azad Hind Govt . diac losed that ho woo secret ly
sent by Pandit Nehru t o Japan i n 1951 t o ascertain facts about retaji toplan after f a l l o f Japan . I n his report t o Pandit Nehru, Ayer in fo rmed
that s
Col. Toth) oho was an architect o f Notajl 'e Plan o f Disoppea-rano° alongwi th Genl . Isoda told him that as advised by U.N.Tareuchi , the Chief o f the J Ape nese S.L.Aoian Arry 'Koko -Loco'(His Excel lency Cope) wee aekod t o roach Rusaion terri tory along-with onl. hedei who was going t o Doircn. I t woo orrongod thatChandra Dose will f ly i n tho piano i n which bhedei wos going.Genl . 5hode1 w i l l look after Chandra i!oso upto Dairen, andthereafter, ho would fa l l bock on h o oon resources to contactf iusoion . Japanese would announce t o tho w orld that :ipso haddisappeared. That would aboo/vo thom (boll -loose) a f e l l responsi -bi l i ty i n the eyes o f the All ioo."
(8 ) The britioh Communist loader r r . Gal lnohor , who W 19 then a
member o f the Parl inment, said i n a sto toment i n 1 949 that, "base has
gone t o I r i th Free Stoto on o nocrot Nionion."
(9 ) Deben Son, then en V.P mode a press statement i n Dolhi i n 1969before his death that he and Mr. Jogloker, n founder -member el the
Communist Party, accident ly met. Subhos Ch.3ndro !Jost) a t Narssol l ies ai r -port i n France uhi lo they were goinp t i Postemdon to attend on Inter-notional Trade Union Conference . Dobon Son, v,ho was olosoly known t o
oubhos Lhnndro Lana i n thirt ios 'hen tr ied t o opproach Notn jA a t t hoai rpo r t , h a vns cf .pr r i l led by Netoji not t o opprooch h.im end kscp si lcnta s he W a s then fou, : -! oorroundod by a few nuss inn guards . Dollen Sen on
return from Amsterdom told this story to Sor t Chandra Bose and latert o me privately. a t he was ar l :ed b y S,: rnt 117, bu not t o coy anything
about i t pub l i c l y . u t 66 46,45 e#PPO i n 1969, when he felt that he was
about t o die becauoo o f serious he,Trt t roubloo iJ i fl Ssn mode a publ ic
statemont i n Delhi giving about the inciOent of his r3eting Netaj iSubhas Chandra Lose i n the Frconh nirpoot . Intcreotio; ly, the t ins o f
this incident ta l l ied with tho t imo o f E l l : I chLar ts sts to7ont abou t
Noto j i ts v i s i t t o Ire land t o me e t 11. 3 Volero .
(10) Unfertooatoly, no boOy in:tuioed fro" De Velcro i f Oubhao
Chandra Bose visited Ire land dur ing tho dsys of 1949. When Do Valera
la ter visited Indio, he to ld prass psople t h t " I ex pe cted Dose t o ace
i n India,"(11) All the Jr, pon soo pip it :mat :2 r who t o 5nter- l inked with Netej i
l i oso dur ing the doya uf :Azad Hind struegin nn: o i l the INA Gerwrs is end
the Azad Hind Govt . Minioteru told Shch /awriz Coomittoo and KhosYn
Cormicsion that hotojiis destination after his fl ight from Soigon on
-4 -
Aug 17, 1945 was Russia . Only excep t ion was Col . Hnbibur Rehmon, who was : :
part o f Netaj i 'n escape -p la n .
(12) Shr i Shynelal Jain, e steno o f Mr. Asof A l i , who was theSecre ta ry o f the INA Defe nce Counc i l i n 1945 , told Khosla Co mmiss io n
that on Dec 26/27 , 1945 he was asked by Pandi t Neh ru t o prepare copieso f a 'note' a t the residence o f Asnf Al l . . The note in formed :
arr i ved tod ay Aug 24, 1945 a t Dai ren a t 1.30 af ter -noon elongwith Ge n/ . Sh e de i , p ro cee ded townrde Rues ian t e r r i -tory, the jeep re turned after three heues."(13) Dr. Servapal l i Radhekr inhnen conf ided hie clone f r iend
6-44Dr. Sarn i Roy, the then head of -did p t : . o f i h i lo lo rhy, CrOf t t r.Univers ity that he cone t o knew the 'Meen i e i n nent iv i ty i e Stel e'sRuss ie ' . This in toreot ion was cueeue ented t n Shri Mornrj i Den ni b y thegreat his tor ian h.C .Mnjumdar ,en in t innte f r iend o f Or . Sere j Rey.
(14) Many other info rmat ions wese Ovcn t o the prose b y Mr.
Sno l ( in London) ane Inter by S.N. t i inha , 0 rerner Indian Anb ee end nr i n
East Germany, that Note j i was i n eEpt iv ity i n Sov i- t Rute ia .
(15) I n 1990 a document was feund i n the erchives o f US PrincetonUniversi ty that Khurshed Naura j i gran d daughter o f Dadabhei Neurej ia very trus ted disc ip le o f Mahatne Cendhi wrote a le t ter t o the Amerieen
journal is t , Mr. Lou is Fischer, k i t 0 eas known t o neinta in /Jo lson be tween
Mahatma Lendhi and fresident Rooseva lt , giv in9 a dete l led descriptiono f the po l i t i ca l si tuet ion i n Ind io i n 1946. I n this l o t t x Khurshrd
Bah ia wrc te t o f lEf Fi scher s
"At hear t the Indi an Aley Se eympethe t i e with the IndianNetienal Arry ( INA o f Jose) . I f Eeen comes wi th the help o fRussia, neither Gendhi j i no: Cenci rees wi l l be able t o reasonwith the count ry. Also i f Eus.olo for prop a ga nd a purposes declarei t s e l f en As iat ic country , then there i s no hope o f an Europeanal l iance acceptab le t o Ind ia ."This l e t te r was wr i t ten en instruct ion of Mahatma Ga n dh i which
showed that Gandpi j i was def in i te t i l l 22nd July 1946 that Notaj iSubhes Chandra Bose was i n Russ ia .
(14) An Indi an Eng ineer o f Calcut ta , Mr. A.Sarkar , who i s s t i l lal ive and i n Calcutta, made a sta teeent t o C,?lcutta Sta te sma n saying
that he net e German Jew, Mr. D.A.Zerobin, Denuty Chie f o f the Plant ,Machinos tt ro ite l ln izeved o f So v ie t Un ion . Mr. Se rko r was ee l -k in g ' in theMa ch in e Bui le ing t ient a t Gar loveka ne ar the ci ty or Donicst . ho was
working these being deputed by the Lov t . o f Ind ia .I also net Shri Sarkar i n Calcut ta and got the informat ion that he
received f r l r Ierebin. I asked him vhy ho d i l n ' t -Jo t o the press after
returning t o Indio. He told me that on receiving informat ion about
Netaji Subhns Chem -Ira Bose from Zerob in, he approached Ind ian Embassy i n
Moscow, but was w ed by the Third Secretery of the Mission not to uttera word about i t to anybody.
"Zerob in after being captured i n Berlin, was taken i n atrain t o en unknown place/ in Siber ian region, from where hewas sent to a Re -or ientat ion Camp somewhere i n Siberia. Inthot Camp one dey he suddenly found Subhae Chandra Bose comingcut o f a Car, flanked by two Mongolian guards. Seeing Bose,Zarobin excitedly rushed towards him and saids 'Sir, I havemet you i n Berlin' . Bose repl ied i n his character istic styles'Quite l ike ly' . Bose then asked Zesobins 'What are you doinghere 7 ' Zerobin repl ieds ' I don't know what for. ' Zerobin .again asked Bose: 'Whet i s your programme, Sir 7 Are yougoing back t o India V Bases ' I expect i t to tv soon.
While Bose and Zerobin were talking i n German, (Bose knewGerman wel l ) the Mongolian guards in tervened, 'Not al lowed' .
Thereafter . Zerobin had no opportuni ty to meet Boss in theSiberian He_orientat ion Camp.
Zerobin warned Pr. A.K.Serkar that i f he disclosed # i the report of
Zerobin 's meetino wi th Subhas Chandra Bose i n the Re -orientat ion Camp
i n Siberia , the l ives of both, Zerobin and Sinker, will be ser iously
endangered.
After ret ir ie, rrcn the Govt. job , Shri Serker took courage to
disclese the report about Bcee and that too many yeare later.I have eent a latter to the then President of Soviet Union,
Mr. Gorbachev. r y letter was separately forwarded to the Russian Pres ident
by our faitaf former President , Shr i N.Senilva Reddy and a former President
o f the Congress, 5hri 5.Nij i l ingeopo. But none of these let ters was
repl ied by r r . Gorbachev.
Af ter Ldrris Yelts in came into power, I addressed a fresh letterto him encice ing also the copy o f the letter - that I had writ ten to
Mr. Gorbachev.
Earlier en Ncv 29, 1973 I had eddressed e letter to the then
President of Soviet Union, Mr. Brezhnev request ing him to disc lose what
Russia knew about Ncteji ls entry in to Soviet Russia in the month of
Aug 1945. The letter wns acknowledged, but not repl ied. I had the
opportuaity t o inept 1r. lirezhnev as a Leader of the Socialist Group i n
the Parl iement when he visi ted Delhi i n 1973.
Respected Pr '- - Minister Haresimhe Kenj i 1 You will be visitingRuscia and coon mee, the present Pres ident o f Russia, Mr. Barris Yeltsin.
I would earnest ly request you to take up this solemn patriot ic issue :
about the feta of the greatest revo/utioffi f India, Uataji Subhas Chandra
Boss, who reportedly entered into Soviet Russia after fe l l of Japan.
I do hope that you will take up the mission, as a sacred national task,
to f ind out from Mr. Barr is Yeltsin what really happened to Netejiof the Indian people af ter his entry into Russia.
I know that this in a very intr icate issue. But i t i s expected
of the Prime Minis ter of India to take up the issue with the Pres ident
of Russia to f inal ly resolve the poignant question what reallyhappened to Netaj i Subhas Chandra !Jose* the Mahe Kshat r iya of Ind ian
freedom.
vilth best regards and nameakar,
Shr i P.V.Naresimha RaoPrimo Minister of IndiaSouth ElooNew Delhi 110011
Yours sincerely.
SAMAR GUHA )
TT 09 7
PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE
fqqAl -110011NEW DELHI -110011
I have be e n directed t o forward he rewi th i n
original a letter to the President of India, dated
29th June , 1994. fr o m Prof . , r Guhr , ex -Y. P .
This has been received in this office fr om the
President s Secre tar i a t .
(Sujatt Mebta)Director
Home SecretaryPM0 870/11/P/10/93-POL dated 20-07-1994
y
George Fer n a n des
FdTZT( 0147 1137
I
witil
Dear Pr im e Mi n i s t er ,
3 , Kr i s h n a Menon MargNew Del h i - 110 011
15 t h Ju ly, 1994
Th e con t r ove r s y over t h e dea t h of Ne t a j i Su bhasCh a ndr a Bose n e ed s to be se t t l e d wi t h ou t a n y fu t her de la y.I not i ce t h a t t her e i s now a d i s p u t e a bou t br i n g i n g i n t o Indi at h e ashes of Net a j i . The disp ut e cent r es a r ou n d som eque s t i on s abou t t he fa c t s sur r ound ing Netaji ' s death .
I fe e l t h a t you must t a ke some in i t ia t ive in th i s ma t t e rand get a l l t h e po l i t i c a l pa r t i es an d ot her conce r ne d peop let o a roun d t a b l e to h a ve t h i s m a t t er re so lve d . I t does notbe h ove our coun t r y to ke ep t h e as hes of Ne t a j i in J a pa ndesp i t e r e pe a t ed req u es t s from the J a pa ne s e tha t they b er em oved to In d i a .
I h ope you wi l l t a ke ea r l y a ct i on on th i s sugges t ion.
With k i n d rega r ds ,
Sh r i P . V . Narasimha Rao,Pr i m e Mi n i s ter of In d i a ,7, Race Cour se Road ,New De l h i .
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Your - s ince re ly
Geor , ge-Fern an El es
16Y \
MINISTER
New Delh iJuly 22, 1994
Dea r Shri Fer n a n des ,
I h a ve recei ved your l e t te r of Ju l y 15, 1994
and h a ve n ot ed t h e poin t you m a d e.
With rega r ds ,
Shri Ge or g e Fer n a n des , MP3, Kr ishna Menon MargNew Delh i
\ri
(61
11(P.V. Na r a s i m h a Rao)
Yours s i n ce r e l y,
9,1\
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ASHIS C. RAY
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I am interested in this matter because Netaji was my great uncle,my grand -father, Sarat Chandra Bose's younger brother.
Sadly, for 49 years, neither the family nor the people or govern-ment of India has managed to indisputably establish what happenedto him. Netaji's wife, Emilie Schenkl and only child, Anita Pfafflive in Germany, and while not unconcerned, are hesitant to doanything one way or other, lest it hurts Indian sentiments. Myuncles and aunts, not to mention my mother, have either grownweary in their attempt to do something or as in the case of afew, have chosen to have a closed mind on the issue. In thesecircumstances, I may be among very few relatives of Netaji stillleft with the energy and inclination to pursue the subject.
For several years, now, I have tried to carefully study theconcerned subject. If I had been able to devote my entire time toit, I would, probably, have found a solution. But my labours mayhave, at least, given me an insight into what needs to be done toproduce a framework acceptable to all concerned. It is not animpossible task; and given the present Indian leadership, can beaccomplished without too much difficulty.
As part of my private effort to get to the bottom of the affairand at the same time pave the way for the return of the "ashes"to India, if they are indeed Netaji's, I recently visited Tokyo.There, I met senior officials of the Japanese Foreign Ministry,academics involved in the study of Netaji and his activities andva .nis tomer associates. based on these and my discussions with the;ndian Ambassador in Japan, Prakash Shah, I have prepared the
""n"ffentioned memo.
I should, in fact, like to particularly thank Mr Shah for the co-operation and good advice extended by him.
Senior cabinet ministers have suggested that I should seek anappointment with the Prime Minister on the matter. I felt Ishould apprise you of it before doing so; and in any case, wouldbe pleased if you were present at such a meeting, if this isalright with you. _ V(
PR!. SECY to Ph i! As,4
1'Dots...4 4 498 ( A I giS SAW :g
J.S. JeS OFy. r 4 0.2vFf iU
1 August, 1994.
Dear Mr Varma,
vvlEnclosed herewith is a MEMO on the subject of "ASHES" said to bethe mortal remains of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. , /
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DY ar;
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The court case, cited in the memo, is already underway. There-fore, there may be a slight urgency in dealing with it. Pleaselet me have your reaction.
Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
Mr A. N. VarmaPrincipal Secretary tothe Prime MinisterLodi EstateNew Delhi.
2
SLUGNETAjI'S "ASHES"
PREAMBLE
WRITER DAY/DATE/TIME REV. BY ON STATUS TIMEDelhi Mon Jul 25 1157 Delhi Aug 01 15:33 READY 7:26
. As ie well known, ashes, said to be the mortal remains of Netaji Silbhas ChandraDose, have been kept at Tokyo's Renko-ji temple since 1945. These have beenpreserved with due care and respect by a succession of head priests of thetemple. It i's most commendable that the Government of India has, over theyear's, albeit unofficially, assisted this work.
While shouldering an onerous responsibility, the priests in question have nevercomplained about this nor have they ever created any pressure to be relieved-ofthe same. However, the present head priest of the temple, like his predecessor,feels that it is only appropriate that the "ashes" return to India and this isalso the unanimous view of remaining Japanese associates of Netaji.
If the "ashes" do indeed belong to Netaji, then, perhaps, every effort shouldbe made to bring them back to India. And with the highest possible honour.
For this to happen, those who disbelieve the story of his death in a planecrash - namely a few members of the Bose family (most of whom think otherwise),the Forward Bloc and some diehard individuals - need to be convinced to thecontrary.
And all legal hurdles to transfer of the "ashes" to Indian soil need to beremoved.
23 January, 1997 will mark Netaji's birth centenary. It would be a feather inthe central government's cap if the "ashes" arrive in India on 23 January,1996, and are, if desired, taken around the country during the centenary yearbefore being dealt with as the family wishes.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
The. oppceition to the plane crash atory -is not entirely unreaeonabie. As per _this incident'. Netaji died in unusual circumstances, there is nophotographic record of his dead body. And the "cremation certificate's claimedto relate to the last rites is in the name of a Japanese national, described asa member of the armed forces and whose birth date is different fromNetaji's.
Such discrepency was attempted to be explained away by the Japanese governmentas reflective of a need to maintain secrecy about Netaji's death. Yet, it wasJapan which released to the world the news of the air crash.
The reported accident - on 18 August, 1945 - took place only days after Japan'ssurrender in World War II. It is understandable that the Japanese were shellshocked by the turn of events and there was utter confusion and a completelack of co-ordination among them. And it is quite possible that while Tokyo was.making public news of Netaji's death, Japanese officials in Taihoku, in theabsence of any instruction, thought it prudent to keep the matter confidential'.
A CREDIBLE AND DETAILED EXPLANATION FROM JAPANESE AUTHORITIES AS TO WHY THECREMATION CERTIFICATE WAS NOT IN NETAJI'S NAME IS, THEREFORE, NECESSARY
Indeed, a comprehensive statement, ideally by the Japanese Prime Minister,to clear the foggy atmosphere of the past 49 years may be most helpful. TheJapanese government is likely to oblige. Japanese leaders, in recent times,have made a habit of apologising to Asian countries for treatment meted out tothem during Japanese occupation of these nations during World War. II. WhileJapan did not commit any crime against India, the post-war confusion resultingin a lack of a clear cut statement on the Netaji affair has, arguably, eecontributed to the deadlock over the "ashes".
For 11 years after the purported disaster, Japan made no effort to produce anofficial report on what happened. This led to unchecked speculation. On the
_ .one nana, tne plane crash was dismissed - notably by the British - as just thething Netaji would do to escape the clutch -.e of the Anglo-Americans, and on the
1
eeBesides, pro-Netaji elements were skeptical of Pandit Nehru and his motives.They rejected the findings of the Inquiry Committee headed by Shah Nawaz Khanin 1956. (It would be fair to say that this probe was not conducted in aprofessional mannere) And also found unacceptable the conclusions of the KhosiaCommission - in the 1970s - as- they unnecessarily went beyond its brief bymaking political statements in favour of the Nehru -Gandhi's and against Netaji.
However, in 1956, the Japanese government investigated and confirmed Netajddeath following the crash. And handed over this report to the Indiangovernment. THE SAME DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN MADE PUBLIC TILL DAIL": Cdpieeof the report exist in files at both the Ministry of External Affairs and theIndian Embassy in Tokyo. They are marked "TOP SECRET". Yet, no harm could evenhave come from publicising this as well as some other documents similarlyclassified. The skeptics will find it difficult to accuse the Japanese of anulterior motive or a vested interest. Release of the report and related paperscan, therefore, only have a very positive impact in persuading them toreconcile themselves to reality.
It is equally important to obtain from Russian authorities that Netaji nevervisited the Soviet Union after 18 August, 1945, if this is indeed the case.Opponents of the plane crash story believe that Netaji slipped away to theSoviet Union. It is true that he had planned to do so. But this was cut shortby his seemingly premature death.
Moreover, a clarification is required from the British government on itsstand until at least the late 1940s that Netaji did not die in the plane crash.(The chances are that Whitehall at some stage altered this view.)
Colonel Habibur Rahman, Netaji's ADC, who survived the crash, told his son,Naeemur, who now livee in Islamabad, that the aircraft failure was caused bySABOTAGE by Chinse tGchnicians (hcztile ,:rphese, not Netajiseveral senior JaPanese military officers were on the flight) at Taihokuairport - this is new information, never mentioned by the former in hiedeposition to the Shah Nawaz Committee in 1956 - and that he placed a goldplated tooth belonging to Netaji in the urn containing the ashes when this was
not madepublic before. A serious endeavour to get to the bottom of the "mystery' couldinclude doing a simple X-ray of the urn. If the tooth is indeed there, theX-ray would be invaluable in terms of determining if the tooth matches withNetaji's dental records. The existence of the tooth would also help to increaseHabibur Rahman's credibility, sometimes questioned.
A sincere presentation of the new evidence, is likely to create a favourablepublic opinion. The principal person in the Bose family still challenging thecrash story, Amiya Math Bose, a nephew of Netaji, needs to be brought around bythe Prime Minister himself - there is a good chance that if reasonablyapproached, he will drop his opposition. It is desirable that agreementregarding bringing the "ashes" is secured from Netaji's wife and daughter, both residing in Augsburg, Germany. This is best done through Dr Sisir Bose, anothernephew of Netaji. The Forward Bloc can be tackled by Jyoti Basu, whosuccessful made it do a volte face on Teen Bigha and can, most probably, do itagain.
But no progress can be made unless there is an irreversible judgement from theSupreme Court authorising the return of the "ashes". Government could take theinitiative in the matter. There is already a case before the Chief Justicepetitioning how Netaji could have been given the Bharat Ratna "posthumously".GOVERNMENT COULD SEIZE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COMBINE ALL RELATED CASES PENDINTIN ANY COURT IN THE COUNTRY, SEEK TIME TO COLLECT ALL "NEW EVIDENCE" OR MOVETHE MATTER SEPARATELY BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT TO DO AWAY WITH LEGALIMPEDIMENTS ONCE AND FOR ALL.
In fighting the above case, it may be relevant to bear in mind that inSeptember. 1978, Morarjee Desai, as Prime Minister, made a statement in the LokSabha, effectively rejecting the findings of the Shah Nawaz Committee and the,Khosla Commission.
4 6 0 1
PRL, SECY. to PM.
DY No-1 8g i
August 8, 1994
Thank youyou for your letter of August 1, 1994
about your recent studies pertaining to Netaji.
2. I appreciate the detailed note on the subject
of Netaji's ashes you have enclosed with your
letter, and the particular facts you have
highlighted shall be examined. In the meanwhile, I
appreciate the constructive approach to the subject
you have outlined, and this shall certainly receive
full consideration. We shall pursue the matter and
will be in touch.
Yours sincerely,
(A.N.Varma)
Shri Ashis C.Ray,F-162, Malcha Marg,Chanakyapuri,NEW DELHI -110021
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REM ;ftris WIETVMT
PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE
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; copy of a letter from Principal Secretary
to PH to Shri shis C. Eay in reply to Shri 13 1s
letter ahout Netaji(copy also attached) may kindly
be seen for action as appropriate
Home Secretaryi9=9 .
u.o.No. 870
(SujEta Mehts)Director
1/P/10/93-POL dated 99_08-94
Off 13vsT AT REmKr,-71
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ASHIS C. RAY
2 August, 1994.
Dear Mr Varma,
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Further to the letter and the document sent to you yesterday, Iam enclosing herewith some photographs taken by me at Renko-jitemple, Tokyo, which will give you an idea of the state of the"ashes".
?di0_
The "remains" are supposed to be in a urn inside a gold paintedwooden casket. This is in the shape of an old style Japanesebuilding, with a tiny door or shutter at the bottom, which opensto give you a view of the urn, which appears to have "SUBHASCHANDRA BOSE" written on it in "chinese ink".
N...1Among the photos is one of the head priest of the temple and of a J \bust of Netaji prominently installed in the temple compound.
Best regards,
Mr A. N. VarmaPrincipal Secretary tothe Prime MinisterLodi EstateNew Delhi.
PS. I should like to add that while I am willing to shoulderresponsibility, I do not wish to seek any credit or publicity formy role. Indeed, it would be ideal if the matter is handledquietly till it comes to fruition and government gets the ap-plause.
S. NIJILINGAPPAEX -CHIEF MINISTER OF
\--KARNATAKA
Dear Prime Minister,
'VINAY' V.P. ExtensionCHITRADURGA-577501(Karnataka State)Phone : 2550
18th Sept 1994
I have been receiving letters from several
people since these two or three years that the ,
ashes of iletaji Subhas Chandra Bose which hAe
keeping in an Urn in Rankoji Buddist temple in
Tokyo may be recovered from the temple and preserve
in a suitable manner in India. I amy also write
to you that when I had been to Japan in 1968, the
Buddist priest in charge of the temple impressed
upon me the necessity that the ashes may be arran-
ged to sent to India for necessity preservation
with due honour . On my return from Tokyo I wrote
to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. But the same
should be done nearly 25 years; nothing seems
to have been done. May I press upon you the
necessity of this being done by your Government?
With regards,
Sri P.v.Narasimha Rao,rrime minister of India,New Delhi.
iours).0n ,17,
(S.VTATAtINGAPPA)
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TRIt14 Ara'
PRIME MINISTER
New Delh iSep t emb er 29, 1994
Dear Shr i Ni jalingappa,
Thank you for your l e t t er of Sep t emb er 18, 1994.
I ha ve noted t he poin ts you ha ve m a de.
With regards,
Yours si n cer e l y,
V .
Na ra si mh a Rao)
Shri S. Nijalingappa'Vinay' V.P. ExtensionChit r adurga-577 501(Karn ataka St a te)
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3r i SunAl Kuaar -Ray .
rk ing Freside t .
Sr i DkriJLa Sahoo,Advocate
Ge erai Secretar l i
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NETAJI SHIMS SAIREJTI PARISHADolk:xss A , etr-vrA C i t
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T E L E G R AM.
Sr i P. N. N B r e ir a h el io n 'b le Pr ime Minis ter of India,New Delhi .
IDemanded t o ina u gu a r a te hi AD- HIND- FOUZ MUSEUM,
At Lalkilla on 23rd . January , 1996 on NETAJI
SUMAS birth day ins tead of Ga nd hi Jay an t i 2nd
Oc to b e r .
Workin7 President
General Secretary.
CONFIRMATION OF TFInGRAM DATED 21.8 .95.
I t ha s been declared by the Pr ime - A.nistert h p t on the 15th. Auc-ust , 19 95 on occasion o f
Irc iep end enc day the AJAD- HIND- FOUZ prisonersMuseum a t Lalkil la , Delhi wil l be inaugura tedon the 2nd Oc to be r, i n Xliet Ga nd hi Jayanti i r s t eof NETALTI JAYALTI on th e 25rd . January, 199 6.
Azad aind-rom had been fo r me d by Netaj t Sub hss
Chandra Bose The le Elder of th e Nat ion ) and h e
was the Supreme Commander as Chief of the Azad
Hind Fouz . ue had c :4ouo ied up t o Imphal . Bri t ishand Aner ica were defegt ed , victo ry day was obse rved i nKohima by Ne ta j i extd India got independence for hisgr e at s con tr ibu t ion arid free do m Frt, r u g fq l e of Net aj iSubh se Chandr a Bose , Mr. Sh eh nswal Kh an , Mr . Se 17,
Mr. Dh i l en and othe r s I.V .A. Milita ry Officere were
imp ri son e d for t r i a l a t Lalki ls . They had 'foughtagainst the British in . th e fre e d o m st ruggle i n
vio le n c e method un de r the greet leadersh ip o f
Neta j i Su bhas Cha nd r a Bose , who wa s the Supr eme
ComrparlE.,! ciaa f .,o f the A14-11 ind - rouz.0 _ c .3,1 1 1 14 0
o A I mAir- - -
rkv NoAn -t Art 71--
41.1A,k,
Contd
1/2 1/
When Gandhi ado p t ed non - violence i n the Fr ee do m innvernent
moreaeSIOne-zut i n In . d i a . S o i t i s no t jus t i f ied end not leg a l t o
inaugu ar at e th e above museum o f the I . N. A. Prisoners i n the
2nd October, on Mah atm a C'' nd hi %s Birth d sy s
b. or , i t i s de m a nd e d by the Ra a y a s t a r iy a N et a j i Subh a sSmru t i 2 ar i a ad , () r i se e t Gu t t ack as we I 1 es th e Pe op le of
Orissa i n his bir th place of Or issa . , Gla tt sck that i ra t e ad of
th e the Museum sh o u ld be in awurpted on thextr
25rd . January, 1996 , and fur ther pr pyed that also r 1 Nar s imh a
as the Pr ime -Mini s t e r of In d i a should be imp a r t i a l . th is
L c v ,n 7y
woman; PRESIDENT
VO c-4 -T 6,(La t Y L4 a 6 )alet)
GE NEI J SECRETARY
RAH' At"; TAPLIY A NET/UTI
S Mil AS SVIaTTI PARIS . D,C1JTTp.CK.
