By Anuj Dhar

Among those to surface in Bhagwanji's list of associates included Netaji's elder brother Suresh Bose, besides others of Netaji's circle.

Some of the important ones were Trailokya Nath Chakravarty, Sunil Das, Anil Das and Ashutosh Kali. In letters, testimonies, messages and private conversation, all of them had indicated who Bhagwanji was truly.

An inference can also be drawn from former West Bengal Chief Minister Prafulla Ghosh's and former West Bengal Attorney General Ajit Dutt's dispatches to him.

Ghosh wrote to Bhagwanji: "…the Haripura Session leading to the Wellington Square happenings - if they had not happened, life would have taken a different turn." Netaji had become Congress president in Haripura and had resigned at Wellington Square Session, a year later.

Dutt, on the other hand, had sent a parcel to Bhagwanji. Though its contents are not known, the parcel cover (with Dutt's name on it) was found from the latter's belongings preserved in the Faizabad treasury.

(Like the Chief Minister, Dutt, too had no reason other than the obvious to associate himself with Bhagwanji.)

Some of the other indicators thrown by Netaji's associates are:

Sunil Das: He was among the closest associates of Netaji. He told the Khosla Commission during his September 6, 1972 deposition: "How can I mistake his (Subhas') identity… I believe that Netaji is still alive." On why Netaji is not appearing, Das said, "I have no competence to go into it".

He also said that Leela Roy was sure that Netaji lived on…, but said that the "crucibles of secret revolutionary politics" forbade him from disclosing what seniors had told him.

Eight years back, Das had sent a report to Bhagwanji on Surendra Mohan Ghosh, an MP who had probed the Shoulmari affair on Pandit Nehru's order. (It was rumored that Shoulmari Baba was Subhas.)

Trailokya Nath Chakravarty: He knew Netaji since the '20s. For his revolutionary activities, he was sent to jail for 30 years, during which he spent an interim with Netaji in Mandalay Jail. In a letter he sent to Bhagwanji, he writes of an association with an unnamed person with whom he "entered Mandalay Jail". He also writes that the people of Bangladesh and he are waiting for the person… (Trailokya Nath was in East Pakistan and he helped Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman during the 1971 Bangladesh war.)

Anil Das: In his letter to Bhagwanji, he reminds about his work before and after the 'death' of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. He also writes about his visit to Neemsar on pisima's (Leela Roy) request to seek Bhagwanji's orders. Leela Roy post-scripts the letter, by vouching for Das: He is a "a dedicated, upright and idealistic worker". Another letter shows that Bhagwanji gave Anil Das access to him.

Aushtosh Kali: In his letter to Bhagwanji, this revolutionary says he found out about the latter from Dr Pabitra Mohan Roy. Kali says, though old, he is determined to carry out orders. He is concerned about Bhagwanji's security and promises to maintain secrecy. "Any danger to your existence… can result in a great disaster as well as an immense damage to the entire nation."

Suresh Bose: His liaison with Bhagwanji became known in 1985. His daughter Lalita Bose was present when Bhagwanji's belongings were being examined after his death. She identified the original summons from Khosla Commission that was meant for her father. She also identified her father's handwriting on papers which had statements of some important witnesses before the Commission. One revolutionary also told HindustanTimes.com that in the '60s, Suresh Bose asked him to visit Bhagwanji in Neemsar.)

As a practice, most of the letters written to Bhagwanji were vetted, verified and cleared by Leela Roy and Dr Pabitra Mohan Roy before forwarding. Also, no direct reference to Netaji was allowed in any of the letters. (This was part of a security drill that Bhagwanji insisted.)

The fact that Leela Roy and Dr Pabitra Mohan Roy supported the drill only strengthens the contention that Bhagwanji was Netaji in disguise.