DO NOT LECTURE NOW, PROFESSOR!

Four, Professor Bose writes that "there is a good deal of pertinent documentary evidence regarding Netaji's mortal end." Well, Justice MK Mukherjee must be knowing a thing or two about what constitutes evidence. He has observed the following in his report: "Even a cursory glance (at some of such documents) makes it abundantly clear that they could not - and do not - by any stretch of imagination relate to Netaji." The professor brings into picture Dr Yoshimi who made a statement on Netaji's death "and repeated it several times until the 1990s". Justice Mukherjee, who isn't an academician like Professor Leonord Gordon, also examined this man and analysed his previous testimonies. The commission's report proves that Dr Yoshimi is an inveterate liar who "manufactured" a fake certificate of Neaji's death.

Five, Professor Bose is not right when he hints that intelligence teams led by Finney and Davis confirmed Netaji's death. If they had done so, Clement Attlee's Cabinet wouldn't have discussed the threat posed by Subhas in October 1945. Philip Finney, a deputy director with the Intelligence Bureau, remained on lookout for Netaji as late as April 1946 when he was told that "Taihoku (Taipei), Congress and Russian representatives ... are the most important objectives in this case as it stands now".

Six, the professor has given a grossly misleading impression that his grandfather Sarat Chandra Bose, grandaunt Emilie Schenkl and Mohandas Gandhi believed in Netaji's death. It is an undisputed fact that after the initial shock Sarat Bose had concluded that that the Taipei crash was a ruse. With regard to Emilie's views, Professor Bose would do well to consult his father's friend Pranab Mukherjee, the current Defence Minister of ours, whose suspicious attempt to prove Netaji's death was thwarted by her in 1995 (See: This Mukherjee is a bad news for Netaji inquiry). As for Gandhi, the following was communicated by him to Louis Fischer in July 1946: "If Bose comes with the help of Russia neither Gandhiji nor the Congress will be able to reason with the country ...."

Seven, Professor Bose refers to Harin Shah, SA Ayer, Rama Murti and John Figges -- a Lt Colonel who wasn't any "chief" of British intelligence. Justice Mukherjee's report discredits Shah's claims and concludes that Ayer\\'s evidence actually supports the view that Netaji did not die in 1945. The other two characters are central to a shocking tale of the swindling of the INA treasure. (See: Treachery and the INA treasure)

It would be pertinent to recall here that the US State Department stated in June 1946 that there was "no direct evidence" of Bose's death. The Americans reached Taiwan in September 1945 and they were the first to lay hands on Colonel Habibur Rahman Khan who, Justice Mukherjee writes, was "a party to the escape plan" of Netaji.

Lastly, Professor Bose remarks that the Netaji mystery "has been mercilessly exploited by a handful of people to make all sorts of fraudulent claims". It wouldn't be out of context to refer to the views of his mother's famous uncle, writer Nirad C Chaudhury. Netaji, Chaudhury said, had become "a good business preposition" for a section of his family. "The likes of Sisir Bose cannot shed new light on Netaji\\'s life. All that can do is encash on their Rangakaka (uncle Subhas) and claim that they have been an inseparable part of his struggle."

Now that a commission of inquiry has found out that Netaji most likely vanished into the USSR, our duty should be to find out what really happened. To assure those who see things only from a monetary perspective - this won\\'t cost much. Start by asking the Government why they never took up the Netaji issue with the USSR.

Anuj Dhar is the author of Back from Dead: Inside the Subhas Bose Mystery.

Express Yourself

Related stories: Netaji's great escape to Soviet Russia; Cropper? this report's an eye-opener!