Declassified files on Netaji Subhas Bose show he was seen at several places after
1945
19 Sep, 2015, 0400 hrs IST, Madhuparna Das, ET Bureau
At least one of the files (File no 47) kept on display in a police museum in Kolkata signals that Netaji was seen at several places after 1945.
KOLKATA: The West Bengal government on Friday declassified 64 files related to Netaji Subhas Bose, increasing pressure on the Centre to declassify the files in its possession.
At least one of the files (File no 47) kept on display in a police museum in Kolkata signals that Netaji was seen at several places after 1945, when he was considered to be dead. It's mentioned in letters from a Swiss journalist to Netaji's elder brother Sarat Bose.
Netaji's wife Emilie Schenkl, too, in a letter to Sarat in May, 1949 wrote that his brother "will return" and she is praying for it. Significantly, this part of the letter where she expressed hope about Netaji's return was marked by the Intelligence officials for reference.
On Oct 28, 1949, Swiss journalist Lili Abegg wrote to Sarat, asking for his views on an article on India she had written, stating that she has sent a copy of the article. The letter ended with a postscript: "Any news from Mr Subhas Chandra Bose? United Press reported that he was in Peking." The letter was intercepted at GPO, Calcutta on October 31, 1949. It was bearing a postal seal of "Zorich".
In another letter to Sarat Bose in November, 1949, she wrote, "I heard in 1946 from Japanese sources that your brother is still living."
Together, the 64 declassified files contain 12,744 pages.
CM Mamata Banerjee called the declassification of Bengal files as "beginning of the future" and urged the Narendra Modi government to declassify the files related to Netaji at the possession of the Centre. "We are transparent and we declassified the files for the sake of the country and the world. Now let the Centre open all the secret files it has in its possession," she said.
Banerjee said her government had scrutinised the files before releasing it and found nothing that would "affect the international relations".
The Prime Minister's Office had in a recent response to Bose family had stated that the files could not be declassified as it would might "affect International relations".
"We have checked that we have no such file that would affect our foreign relations. So, nobody can hold us responsible for declassifying secret documents," Banerjee said.
With the cloud over Netaji's disappearance looming large with release of the files, the fact about snooping over Bose family for two decades post-Independence has also been reasserted.
Taking a dig at Congress, Banerjee said that there had been indeed surveillance over the Bose family and that it was 'unfortunate'.
In one the declassified files there is a letter Netaji's wife Emilie Schenkl wrote to Sarat Bose where she expressed hope about Netaji's return. "We can only hope that our feelings may become reality one day and your brother will return..." she wrote on May 11, 1949 from Vienna.
Ufff Yeh Love Hai Mushkil
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