Netaji’s elder brother believed air crash was an eyewash | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Netaji’s elder brother believed air crash was an eyewash

Hindustan Times | By, Kolkata
Sep 23, 2015 02:10 PM IST

Netaji’s elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose never believed his brother died in the 1945 air crash at Taihoku and told his daughter Roma, son Amiya Nath and Netaji’s wife Emilie Schenkl that he would reappear, as per the declassified intelligence files.

Netaji’s elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose never believed his brother died in the 1945 air crash at Taihoku and told his daughter Roma, son Amiya Nath and Netaji’s wife Emilie Schenkl that he would reappear, as per the declassified intelligence files.

The declassified Netaji files also revealed that Sarat Chandra Bose was in close contact with the Japanese. (Getty Images)
The declassified Netaji files also revealed that Sarat Chandra Bose was in close contact with the Japanese. (Getty Images)

Sarat Bose’s daughter, 86-year-old Roma Ray, corroborated it to HT. “My father never believed the air crash theory and was always sure that my uncle had spread the word about the crash to evade the Allied forces. He suspected (Colonel) Habibur Rahman (of the Indian National Army of Netaji) was lying on purpose under instruction from Netaji,” she said.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

In 1946, Schenkl had introduced herself in her first letter to the Bose family as Netaji’s widow. But a few months after her first meeting with members of Bose family, including Sarat Bose, in Vienna in late 1948, she seemed to have changed her mind. “We can only hope that our feelings may become reality one day and that your brother will return. This is the only thing I am praying for,” she wrote to Sarat Bose in a letter dated May 5, 1949.

Sarat Bose’s grandson Chandra Bose said he had learnt from his father Amiya Nath Bose that his grandfather was suspicious about Rahman’s statement. Both Chandra Bose and Roma Ray told HT that the wristwatch of Netaji that Rahman handed over to Sarat Bose deepened his suspicion.

“My grandfather got the watch tested at a London laboratory to find the nature of burn marks on its band (proof that the plane caught fire and Netaji suffered third degree burns). The lab ruled the burn marks were caused by acid. Sarat Bose was then convinced his brother had deliberately spread the news of his death,” Chandra Bose said. An IB report, dated February 25, 1948, claims that Sarat Bose received the deputy premier of Vietnam in Calcutta and requested him “to help Netaji’s reappearance in the East”.

The Vietnamese leader assured Bose of all help in shielding Netaji from the UN’s attempt to try him as ‘war criminal’ should he personally appear before them. He reportedly told Bose that he would make Netaji appear in Vietnam.

IB reports reveal INA Captain Shah Nawaz Khan told a gathering in Calcutta on January 23, 1948 that his leader was alive. Khan led the three-member Netaji Inquiry Committee in 1956 and concluded Netaji had died in the air crash.

Netaji’s younger brother Suresh Bose, a member of the committee, however, did not agree with the report.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, principal correspondent, Hindustan Times, Kolkata, has been covering politics, socio-economic and cultural affairs for over 10 years. He takes special interest in monitoring developments related to Maoist insurgency and religious extremism.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On