Refuting perceptions of hurdles in repatriating Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's mortal remains kept in an urn at a Buddhist temple in Renkoji, Japan, a section of the national hero's descendants have claimed that they have documentary evidence to prove that the temple authorities have always been willing to hand over the 'ash', believed to be of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, to India.
The demand for repatriation of Netaji's remains and conducting DNA tests to confirm if they indeed belong to one of the tallest personalities of India's freedom struggle has been the enduring desire of a significant section of Netaji's fans who want to solve India's longest-standing mystery: whether Bose died following a fatal Japanese military plane crash in present-day Taiwan on August 18, 1945.
Inquiry reports available in the National Archives
The reports of 10 national and international inquiries that probed Netaji's disappearance on that fateful day, now available in the National Archives in New Delhi, have confirmed that Bose died in a hospital at a Japanese military airfield in Taihoku, now Taiwan, due to severe burns he suffered in the crash. The only exception to the findings of these committees was the finding of the commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Manoj Kumar Mukherjee, the last of the inquiry panels set up by the Central government, which submitted its report in November 2005 and concluded that Bose was 'dead', though 'he did not die in the plane crash as alleged'. The commission had further concluded that 'the ashes kept in the Japanese temple are not those of Netaji'. The Government of India had rejected the findings of the commission.
Some of Netaji's descendants said the confusion over the alleged 'lack of cooperation' on the part of priests of the Renkoji temple may have arisen from the Mukherjee Commission report, which blamed the 'hesitancy of temple authorities' in allowing experts nominated by the commission to conduct DNA tests to physically inspect and collect 'possibly under-burnt bone fragments from the coffin kept with him'.
Demand by Netaji's great-grandson Chandra Kumar Bose
Netaji's great-grandson Chandra Kumar Bose said, "The PMO and the Government of India should respond to the several letters sent by Netaji's daughter Professor Anita Bose Pfaff, and other members of the Bose family regarding arrangements to bring back Netaji's remains to India, which are lying in a foreign country." "Netaji wanted to return to independent India, but he could not as he sacrificed his life fighting for India's independence. It is an act of sacrilege that his remains are lying in Japan. 10 investigation reports contain conclusive evidence that the remains are Netaji's.
The government should state the matter- Chandra Kumar.
'However, if the government feels that the remains are not Netaji's, a statement to this effect should be issued. 'Mere silence is an insult to the memory of this great leader,' he said, drawing attention to the cold and secluded location of Renkoji, where the remains have been preserved for nearly eight decades. Madhuri Bose, granddaughter of Subhas Bose, says that the chief priest of Renkoji temple, Reverend Mochizuki, as well as the successive governments of India and Japan 'were fully supportive of DNA testing on the remains at the time and certainly did not take any action to deny access to the remains.'
In her foreword to the recently published book 'From Shadows to Light: The Truth of Netaji's Mortal End', written by Bose researcher Sumeru Roy Chowdhury, Madhuri alleged that some parts of the translation from Japanese of the original letter of temple authorities included in the Mukherjee Commission report were 'inexplicably missing'.
Author-researcher's claim about Netaji's remains
Surya Kumar Bose, the eldest son of Netaji's nephew Amiya Nath Bose, who visited Renkoji temple several times and spoke to its current priests, also confirmed the willingness of the authorities to cooperate for scientific tests on the remains. 'On my last visit in 2019, I met the current chief priest and the widow of the priest who met Justice Mukherjee. They were firm in their willingness to hand over the remains for testing,' he said. Author-researcher Roy Choudhary said that Netaji's files, now made public, have revealed at least two government correspondences, one during the 1990s and the other at a later date, which insist that there is 'no political gain' in bringing back the remains.
Politicians paid tribute to Netaji on his 128th birth anniversary.
Today, on the 128th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, many politicians of the country including the President, PM Modi, Home Minister, and Foreign Minister have paid tribute to him.
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