Centre releases second batch of 50 declassified files on Subhas Chandra Bose
They include matters pertaining to Netaji's ashes and the probe into his disappearance following the 1945 air crash in which he is believed to have perished.
The Centre on Tuesday released the second batch of 50 declassified files related to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on web portal www.netajipapers.gov.in. The files include matters pertaining to Netaji's ashes and the probe into his disappearance following the 1945 air crash in which he is believed to have perished. The documents include 10 files each from the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as 30 files from the Ministry of External Affairs, from the period between 1956 and 2009. The files were released by Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma.
In January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released digital copies of 100 secret files related to the freedom fighter, on his 119th birth anniversary. It was for the first time that these documents had been put in the public domain. An official had said that sets of 25 files may be released on the 23rd of every month, PTI reported. The National Archives of India launched the dedicated website for all declassified files related to Bose.
The documents have so far revealed several twists in Netaji's tale, including the revelation that Jawaharlal Nehru could not give any proof of Bose's death – he was believed to have suffered severe burns and died following the plane crash in Taipei. They also revealed that Mahatma Gandhi did not believe Bose died in the air crash and that Netaji's wife refused any stipends from the Congress government.