Death Mystery of Subhash Chandra Bose

More than six decades after his allege death in a plane crash, the mystery over that incident and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's possible survival still haunts the Indian nation. The absence of any credible evidence and the subsequent inability of the government appointed committees to unravel the truth have spawned umpteen conspiracy theories with a large chuck of the population refusing to believe that their beloved leader indeed lost his life in a plane crash. Here we have tried to shed light on various facets of the death mystery of Subhash Chandra Bose.

Government Efforts (1945 - 2005)

The four-member Shahnawaz Committee was the first official endeavor to examine whether Bose actually died in a plane crash in Taihoku (Taipei) on August 18, 1945. The committee went to Japan in May, 1956 and a number of Japanese army surgeons testified that they actually conducted blood transfusion on a seriously injured Subhash Bose who later succumbed to his injuries. The G. D. Khosla Committee, which carried on its probe from 1974-1978, could not arrive on any definite conclusion. The Justice Mukherjee Committe, set up in 1999, submitted its report in 2005 and proclaimed that Netaji did not die in the plane crash.

The Soviet Angle

Many believe that Subhash Chandra breathed his last in Soviet custody years after the alleged crash in Taiwan. There are unconfirmed reports that in 1946 Russian strongman Josef Stalin and diplomat Vyacheslav Molotov actually discussed whether Bose should remain in the Soviet Union. More startling is the alleged incident that India's ambassador to Russia, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan was permitted to meet Netaji in an undisclosed location in the Soviet Union.

Sole Witness

Lt Colonel Habibur Rahman Khan, Netaji's trusted Aide-de-Camp, is widely believed to be the sole survivor of that fateful plane crash. Rahman later enshrined Bose's ashes in the Renkoji temple Tokyo. However despite repeated interrogations by British authorities, Rahman never substantiated Netaji's death and throughout his life maintained that he was bound by an oath of secrecy to his deceased leader.

Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories abound regarding Netaji's death. It is alleged that both the Congress leadership and the government were tense about the impact of Subhash Chandra's possible return to India. They believed that in such a circumstance, it would be impossible for the Congress or anybody to stop him from coming to power give the way he was worshipped by the common people.

Jawaharlal Nehru’s letter to Mr. Attlee

Dear Mr. Attlee:

I understand from a reliable source that Subhas Chandra Bose, your war criminal, has been allowed to enter Russian territory by Stalin. This is a clear treachery and betrayal of faith by the Russians. As Russia has been an ally of the British-Americans, it should not have been done. Please take note of it and do what you consider proper and fit.

Yours sincerely,
Jawaharlal Nehru.