SHILLONG: The several theories on the death of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on August 18, 1945, are not accepted by Indian citizens and the Centre should declassify all top-secret files, said general secretary of All India Legal Aid Forum (AILAF), Joydeep Mukherjee on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference here, Mukherjee said the Centre has kept 41 files on Bose’s death as classified.
Highlighting on the various incidents that took place following the news of Bose’s death, Mukherjee said a commission was set up by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi under the chairmanship of retired justice GD Khosla.
“From different files of KGB, it was clear that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was in Russia after August 18, 1945, and took shelter in Soviet Russia. It will be proper for the Central government to send an official letter to the Russian Government for disclosing top secret files of the KGB,” he said.
According to him, the Centre should send a letter to the Russian government for disclosing the KGB files on Bose’s death in the Siberia jail in Oms City of Russia.
The central government has opened some classified files from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, which is not enough, and some files have been kept in the archive in New Delhi, Mukherjee asserted.
AILAF demanded that the central government disclose the truth regarding the property and money of the Indian National Army (INA) as the total amount of property was Rs 72 crore at that time.
He maintained that the contribution of INA and Subhas Chandra Bose in the freedom struggle should be highlighted in school and college syllabi.
Mukherjee, who is also a Supreme Court advocate, demanded from the central government to declare January 23 as National Holiday to mark his birthday.
AILAF also brought up the mysterious death of another freedom fighter and founder of Jana Sangha, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, who died on June 23, 1953, in Kashmir jail and said the Centre is reluctant to disclose the truth surrounding his death.
He stated that BJP should take the responsibility to disclose the truth as he was the founder of the saffron party.
