In "India's biggest cover up," journalist Anuj Dhar makes startling revelations on the mystery surrounding Netaji Bose's death: "A declassified April 1946 note summarising the findings of the British inquiries into Netaji's reported death seven months earlier concluded that it was "clear" that he was "trying to make a getaway to Russia, his men were concealing information and Russian diplomats were speaking about his presence in their country."
In the book, Dhar claims: "Despite there being several reports alluding to Netaji's presence in Russia, the (Indian) government never asked the Soviets to state facts, much less applied diplomatic pressure to extract the truth."
Subhas Chandra Bose, popularly known as Netaji, was one of India's most prominent nationalist leaders who tried to wrest India's freedom from the British by force from abroad during the latter part of World War II. Founder of the Indian National Army, Bose was reported to have perished from third degree burns received as a consequence of a Japanese bomber jet crash in Taiwan on Aug 18, 1945, while en route to Tokyo and possibly Russia from Singapore.
His ashes are said to have been kept at the Renkoji temple in Japan, but many dispute this version of his death.
"After a vigorous search, the Government of India did learn in 1955 that the cremation/hospital records disproved the Taiwan death story. Records further establish conclusively that the government thereafter hushed up this vital information," the book claims.
Excerpts from the book were made available to the media.
The much disputed plane crash, the absence of the body, divergent statements from people involved in the crash and sightings after 1945 have led to probes by various commissions set up exclusively for solving the "Netaji mystery".
Images: PTI and Wikimedia
Image: A picture of Subhash Chandra Bose arriving at the AICC meeting in 1939. Picture provided by Tony Mitra - Wikimedia Commons