India's biggest cover-up

by Anuj Dhar

  11. Subhas Bose alive at 115?

  [1]. See Polly Hazarika, Fat man lookin’ in a blade of steel, thin man lookin’ at his last meal, for dignity, Tehelka Magazine, Vol 8, Issue 27, 9 July 2011.

  [2]. Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry report, Volume I, p. 40.

  [3]. Sri Chinmoy, Mother, Your 50th Independence-Anniversary! Agni Press, 1997.

  [4]. Late Baba spoke to me, claims Pratibha Patil, ExpressIndia.com, 26 June 2007, accessed from http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=88709.

  [5]. Himanshi Dhawan, Pratibha believes in spirits? The Times of India, 28 June 2007.

  [6]. Stephen Wagner, Presidents and the paranormal: Clinton, About.com, accessed from http://paranormal.about.com/od/trueghoststories/a/Presidents-Paranormal-Clinton.htm.

  [7]. Parveen Chopra, Shambala—soul survivour, http://www.lifepositive.com/spirit/spirit-worlds/shambala/gyanganj.asp.

  12. Resolving the mystery

  [1]. Nation has repaid Netaji’s debt: Vajpayee, The Times of India, 24 January 1978.

  [2]. SNM Abdi, Unsavoury facts, The Illustrated Weekly of India, 1 June 1986.

  [3]. Transfer of Power, Volume VI, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London, p. 947.

  [4]. PR Dasmunshi, Embodiment of liberation, The Pioneer, 21 January 2006.

  [5]. Transfer of Power, Volume VI, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, p. 531.

  [6]. Ibid, p. 506.

  [7]. Ibid, pp 387-388.

  [8]. Richard J Aldrich, Intelligence and war against Japan, Cambridge University Press, 2000, page 159. Aldrich's sources of the quote is: "Entry for 23 February 1945, Colvile (ed.), Fringes of Power.

  [9]. KM Munshi, Indian constitutional documents, Volume-I, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1967, p. 95.

  [10-12]. Excerpted from the record of Dwijendra Nath Bose’s examination before the Khosla Commission on 9 August 1972.

  [13]. Dr RC Majumdar, Struggle for Freedom, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, Mumbai, p. 673.

  [14]. Khushwant Singh, History of one’s own making, Hindustan Times, 28 June 2003.

  [15]. Louis Allen, The end of the war in Asia, Hart-Davis, MacGibbon, London, 1976, p. 146.

  [16]. Transfer of Power, Volume VI, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, p. 507.

  [17]. Ibid, p. 944.

  [18]. SK Sinha, Netaji’s military role: The Army and Indian Independence, The Statesman, 1 March 1976.

  [19]. Major General Mohammed Zaman Kiani, India’s freedom struggle and the great INA, Reliance Publishing House, New Delhi, 1994, pp 203-204.

  [20]. Defying the Mahatma, Indian Express, 23 January 1997.

  [21]. Dipak Kumar Dash, Dazzling sweep over Veer Bhoomi to pierce night sky 400 feet above, The Times of India, 2 August 2011.

  [22]. Ibid.

  [23]. Dr Satyanarayan Sinha, Netaji mystery, Prakash Chandra Saha, Grantham, 1965, pp 53-54.

  [24]. T Ramavarman, 40 years later, ex-IG found guilty of Naxalite’s murder, The Times of India, 29 October 2010.

  [25]. 40 Years Later Top Cop Held Guilty for Naxal Murder, OutlookIndia.com, 27 October 2010, accessed from http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?698857.

  [26]. S Rajagopalan, Looking for WWII airmen, Hindustan Times, 24 November 2004.

  [27]. Ginger Couden, Recovery team returns from China with WWII remains, Army News Service, 9 October 2002.

  [28]. Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, accessed from http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/russia_europe/.

  [29]. Vietnam War - Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, accessed from http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/vietnam/.

  [30]. Egyptain queen’s death case solved 3,500 yrs on, The Times of India, 24 August 2011.

  [31]. Mandira Nayar, Revisiting the ‘silver age’, The Hindu, 6 November 2006.

  [32]. Report of the commission on protecting and reducing government secrecy, United States government printing office, Washington, 1997. See Appendix A “Secrecy: A brief account of the American experience”.

  [33]. Affidavit filed in the Delhi High Court by the Ministry of Defence in WP (C) No 7697/2010. The case pertains to Chandrachur Ghose’s RTI request to access draft of the history written by Prof Pratul Gupta.

  [34]. Final report of the Assassination Records Review Board, Washington, 2008, p. 2.

  [35]. Roger Ebert, JFK, 20 December 1991, accessed from http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19911220/REVIEWS/112200304/1023.

  [36]. Final report of the Assassination Records Review Board, Washington, 2008, p. 1.

  [37]. Ibid.

  [38]. John Aloysius Farrell, Release Of CIA’s file on Oswald reveals little new, Boston Globe, 13 May 1992.

  Appendix I: The loot of the INA treasure

  [1]. India to send investigation group to Japan for Chandra Bose's death, The Naigai Times, 7 January 1956. [Translated from Japanese]

  [2]. From a report published in the Nippon Times on 8 January 1956.

  [3]. New testimony in Bose case, The Nippon Times, 20 September 1955.

  [4]. Masaaki Tanaka, Mystery about Chandra Bose, Nihon Shuho magazine 25 January 1956 issue. Tanaka was director of Indo-Japanese Friendship Association.

  [5]. Record of proceedings of Khosla Commission obtained under RTI, Volume V, p. 1674.

  [6]. Khosla Commission exhibit No 29 AA obtained under RTI.

  Appendix II: The strange case of Bose’s death

  [1]. Report No B2 from PES Finney, 5 October 1945, file No INA 273, the National Archives of India, New Delhi.

  [2]. Letter No SLO/CC/1, 1 March 1946 from Mr Young to Mr Mck Wright, IB, Delhi, file No INA 273, the National Archives of India, New Delhi.

  [3]. Report of the one-man Commission of Inquiry into the disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, 1974, p. 16.

  [4]. Netaji Inquiry Committee Report, Government of India press, New Delhi, 1956, p. 43.

  [5]. Ibid.

  [6]. Suresh Bose, Dissentient Report, 1961 edition, p. 92.

  [7]. Exhibit 22 B of Khosla Commission. It is since then gone missing from the Ministry of Home Affair’s record room.

  [8]. Netaji Inquiry Committee Report, Government of India press, New Delhi, 1956, p. 43.

  [9]. Typed copy of Habibur Rahman's statement to Shah Nawaz Committee, 9 April 1956.

  [10]. Record of proceedings of Khosla Commission obtained under RTI, Volume VI, p. 2347.

  [11]. Suresh Bose, Dissentient Report, 1961 edition, p. 102.

  [12]. Netaji Inquiry Committee Report, Government of India press, New Delhi, 1956, p. 19.

  [13]. Ibid.

  [14]. Record of proceedings of Khosla Commission obtained under RTI, Volume VI, p. 2113.

  [15]. Ibid, p. 2255.

  [16]. Ibid, p. 2307.

  [17]. Ibid, p. 2137.

  [18]. Netaji Inquiry Committee Report, Government of India press, New Delhi, 1956, p. 20.

  [19]. Ibid, p. 19.

  [20]. Suresh Bose, Dissentient Report, 1961 edition, p. 108.

  [21]. Netaji Inquiry Committee Report, Government of India press, New Delhi, 1956, p. 25.

  [22]. Record of proceedings of Khosla Commission obtained under RTI, Volume XV, pp 4415-16.

  [23]. Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry report, Volume I, p. 269. Shaharyar Khan recounted Habib’s account in his book Cricket—A bridge of peace. The relevant portion from the book was sent by the Ministry of External Affairs to the commission.

  [24]. Netaji Inquiry Committee Report, Government of India press, New Delhi, 1956, p. 23.

  [25]. Suresh Bose, Dissentient Report, 1961 edition, pp 123-4.

  [26]. Netaji Inquiry Committee Report, Government of India press, New Delhi, 1956, pp 20, 22.

  [27]. Ibid, p. 23.

  [28]. Report on the death of Subhas Chandra Bose, Office of military adviser, 25 July 1946. Record Group 319, file No X8083767, the National Archives at College Park, Maryland.

  [29]. Netaji Inquiry Committee Report, Government of India press, New Delhi, 1956, p. 43.

>   [30]. Ibid.

  [31]. Ibid, p. 43-44.

  [32]. Gaimusho’s report regarding inquiry into the crash, Netaji Inquiry Committee Report, Government of India press, New Delhi, 1956, p. 64.

  Appendix III: Views of Subhas Bose’s family on his fate

  [1-3]. Netaji in Red China, The Nation, 7 October 1949.

  [4]. Netaji is dead, bring his ashes home: Sisir Bose, The Times of India, 1 December 1999.

  [5]. Letter dated 22 September 2000 from Dr Sisir Bose to PK Sengupta, Secretary, Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry.

  [6]. Abhijit Dasgupta, PIL planned against terms of reference, The Pioneer, 3 April 1999.

  [7]. Letter dated 27 November 2002 from Krishna Bose, MP, to Justice Manoj Mukherjee.

  [8]. Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry report, Volume IIA, p. 47.

  [9-12]. Excerpted from the record of Suman Chattopadhya’s examination before Mukherjee Commission on 23 November 2000.

  [13]. Krishna Bose, A martyr's death, The Times of India, 23 May 2006.

  [14]. Sugata Bose, The mortal end of a deathless hero, Indian Express, 21 May 2006.

  [15]. Ibid.

  [16]. Pranab Mukherjee, Netaji’s marriage a cultivated myth, says Nirad Chaudhari, The Asian Age, 12 January 1996.

  [17]. Sharmila Bose, Death by war, The Telegraph, 28 May 2006.

  [19]. Deep K Datta-Ray, 'I urge India to set an example in openness to the region,' The Times of India, 29 June 2011.

  [20]. Report of the one-man Commission of Inquiry into the disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, 1974, p. 65.

  [21]. The record of J Murti's deposition before the Shah Nawaz Committee is secret. But his previous statement was read out to him when he appeared before the Khosla Commission. It appears on page 2246 of the Volume VI of the record of proceedings of Khosla Commission.

  [22]. Nation must accept Netaji’s death: Biographer, IBN Live, 25 July 2011, accessed from accessed from http://ibnlive.in.com/news/nation-must-accept-netajis-death-biographer/170085-40.html.

  [23] 'Gandhiji, Netaji's relationship based on mutual affection,' 2 August 2011, accessed from http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-netaji-would-have-done-his-best-to-stop-partition/20110802.htm.

  [24]. Ashoke Nag, Anti-colonial nationalist on a global odyssey, The Economic Times, 15 July 2011.

  [25]. Statement released by 43 members of Subhas Chandra Bose's family at a press conference in Kolkata on 26 May 2006.

  [26]. Netaji kin says believing in his death is sensible, The Times of India, 23 January 2002.

  [27]. Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry report, Vol 1, 2005, p. 53.

  [28]. Ibid, p. 8.

  [29]. Ibid, p. 114.

  [30]. See page 106 of the Khosla Commission report for one such example.

  [31]. Mahendra Ved, Daughter believes Netaji died in crash, The Times of India, 28 February 2000.

  [32]. Record of proceedings of Khosla Commission obtained under RTI, Volume VII, p. 2529.

  [33]. Ibid, Volume VI, pp 2247-8.

  [34]. Ibid, Volume V, p. 1730.

  Appendix IV: Was Subhas Bose a war criminal?

  [1]. Story of meeting Netaji last February, Hindustan Standard, Kolkata, 4 April 1956.

  [2]. Based on Muthuramalingam Thevar’s statements published in Hindustan Standard on 5 April 1956.

  [3]. Record of proceedings of Khosla Commission obtained under RTI, Volume VII, pp 2550-51.

  [4]. Subhas said to be alive, Hindustan Standard, 30 August 1945.

  [5]. Ibid.

  [6]. Item No 639, Transfer of Power, Volume V, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, p. 1297.

  [7]. Transfer of Power, Volume VI, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, p. 47.

  [8]. Transfer of Power, Volume VI, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, p. 17.

  [9]. Transfer of Power, Volume VI, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, p. 405.

  [10]. Khosla Commission exhibit No 30 S obtained under RTI.

  [11]. Khosla Commission exhibits No 30 I and 30 J obtained under RTI.

  [12]. Report of the one-man Commission of Inquiry into the disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, 1974, p. 58.

  [13]. Lok Sabha debates, series 3, volume 40, 19 March-1 April, 1965, p. 6347.

  [14].Quoted from a copy of the press release No GA 4400 dated 10 September 1971. For the full text of the treaty, please visit http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/warcrimes.htm. Also see: http://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-6&chapter=4&lang=en.

  [15]. Record of proceedings of Khosla Commission obtained under RTI, Volume V, p. 1636.

  [16]. Katherine Frank, Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi, Harper Collins, 2001, p. 101.

  [17]. Report of the one-man Commission of Inquiry into the disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, 1974, pp 59-60.

  [18]. Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry report, Volume IIA, p. 144.

  Appendix V. The land of conspiracy theories

  [1]. Mark Fenster, Conspiracy theories secrecy and power in American culture, University of Minnesota Press, 1999, p. viii.

  [2]. Interim report of the Jain Commission of Inquiry, Volume-I, p 20, 1997. See point 2.10.

  [3-5] All quotations are taken from declassified 1970s US Department of State electronic telegrams declassified in 2005 and now available for search and free download from the NARA website. Please visit http://www.archives.gov/aad/.

  [6]. File No INA 273, the National Archives of India, New Delhi.

  [7]. Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Bose was in Russia, Hindustan Times, 4 March 2001.

  [8]. Ibid.

  [9]. Press release dated 18 May 2006 issued by Janata Party, accessed from http://www.janatha.org/pressdetail.asp?rowid=46.

  [10]. Medical report of the death of the Prime Minister of India, LB Shastri obtained under RTI Act.

  [11]. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XII, p 606. Dr Kissinger’s views about India and Indira Gandhi changed later on, and today he is well respected in India.

  [12]. Record of proceedings of Khosla Commission obtained under RTI, Volume I, pp 144, 149.

  [13]. Alan Philps, What the Kremlin butler saw, The Telegraph (London), 18 February 1998.

  [14]. Extracted from the record of Jagdish Kodesia's cross-examination before Khosla Commission on 1 March 1971.

  [15]. Khosla Commission exhibit No 30 AA obtained under RTI.

  [16]. From a personal note of Amiya Nath Bose made available by his family.

  [17]. Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Bose was in Russia, Hindustan Times, 4 March 2001.

  [18]. Capt CL Dutta, With Two Presidents, Vikas Publishing House, 1970, p. 73. Dutta was President Radhakrishnan's ADC.

  [19]. Report of the one-man Commission of Inquiry into the disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, 1974, p. 48.

  [20]. Ibid.

  [21]. Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Bose was in Russia, Hindustan Times, 4 March 2001.

  [22]. Netaji Comm completes 80 per cent job, wants to visit Taihoku, OutlookIndia.com, 15 July 2003.

  [23]. Record of proceedings of Khosla Commission obtained under RTI, Volume XVIII, p. 5056.

  [24]. Record of proceedings of Khosla Commission obtained under RTI, Volume XVIII, p 5017.

  [25]. Record of proceedings of Khosla Commission obtained under RTI, Volume XI, pp 3331-3332 and 3336-3337.

  [26]. Prem Bhatia, Chain of command in Army upset, the Sunday Standard (Indian Express), op-ed page, 24 November 1963.

  [27]. Five top military men killed in helicopter crash, The Times of India, 23 November 1963.

  [28]. K Rangaswami, Theories about Jammu helicopter crash, The Hindu, 24 November 1963.

  [29]. No sabotage suspected in Poonch helicopter crash, The Hindu, 25 November 1963.

  [30]. Rajya Sabha debates, Volume 45, Part 1, 1963, November-December, p. 1028.

  [31]. Lok Sabha debates, 18-19 November 1963, Volume 22, series 3, pp 1703 to 1720.

  [32]. Ibi
d, p. 1709.

  [33]. Lt Col Gautam Sharma, Exploits of 11 Gorkha Rifles, Allied Publishers, 1988, pp 58-59.

  Appendix VI. The men who kept the secrets

  [1]. Pradip Bose, Did Japan lie about Bose's death in air crash? Accessed from http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/netaji/pradip1.htm.

  [2]. Excerpted from the record of Dwijendra Nath Bose's examination before Khosla Commission on 9 August 1972.

  [3]. Pradip Bose, Subhas Bose and India today, Deep and Deep Publications, New Delhi, 1999, p. 273.

  [4]. Record of proceedings of Khosla Commission obtained under RTI, Volume XI, pp 3578-80.

  [5]. Ibid, pp 3354-3355.

  [6]. Ibid. Volume V, p. 1978.

  [7]. Ibid. Volume X, p. 3246.

  [8]. Record of the deposition of Col Pritam Singh before Mukherjee Commission on 22 July 2000.

  [9]. Record of proceedings of Khosla Commission obtained under RTI, Volume V, p. 1922.

  [10]. Excerpted from the record of Sunil Das’s examination before Khosla Commission on 6 September 1972.

  [11]. M Azizul Jalil, The story of Subhas Chandra Bose-Part II, New Age (Dhaka), 31 August 2005. Jalil worked with Rahman in Pakistan President’s Secretariat in the late 1960s.

  Correct and present-day spellings for the names of important persons and places have been used throughout the book, even while reproducing quotes from records. For instance, “Subhash” has been dropped in favour of “Subhas”, which is the proper spelling of Bose’s first name.