Obstruction & pressure

On the 21st idem, I received his telegraph reply, viz., "Your telegram eighteenth stop surprised you left Delhi without informing me stop submission on report to Government overdue stop plea intimate immediately when you will return Delhi to enable finalise report and submit to Government." I immediately sent my reply, viz., "Your telegram informed you both fourteenth my disagreement with your finding Netaji died plane crash whereupon you both decided submitting joint report and undertook sending me remaining portion your draft report after perusing which I should start writing dissentient report stop reiterate legitimate demands conveyed my telegram eighteenth please note non-compliance whereof holds you not me responsible for delay submission my report to you."

There was no news from the Chairman for the next seven or eight days. In the meantime and since the date of my arrival in Calcutta, I had started writing my report from the scanty materials with me, viz., copies of depositions of all the witnesses, excluding two, and tracings of some sketches filed by some of the witnesses. On 29-7-56 at 7-5 P.M., I received the following telegram from the Chairman: "Your telegram of twentyfourth stop as decided all reports were to be written and finalised in Delhi stop you were not authorised to go anywhere else for writing any report stop no question of sending papers to you arise unless you return Delhi stop as you are aware Committees life extends to thirtyfirst July and report or reports must be submitted to Government by then stop unless you send whatever report you wish to reach me by thirteen July will assume you have no submission to make."

I may state here that twentyfourth is a mistake for twentyfirst. I was astonished to peruse the contents of this telegram and with the tone in which it was written. I at once suspected that some inspiration from higher circles was behind it. The demand made in it was doubly impossible, firstly, to complete a report without being in possession of relevant papers and, secondly, to send a report so as to reach him within a few hours. Anyway, I continued writing my report, in spite of such handicaps. The progress was naturally slow, though the effort was more taxing. I was at a loss to make out the reason for such sort of behaviour on the part of the Chairman of a Committee to one of its members and to deprive him of papers and facilities, which he is legitimately entitled to.

The only explanation I could think of was, that, as I had disagreed with them and had prevented them from submitting a unanimous report, such obstruction were purposely put in my way and such impossible demands made, so that I would be unable to submit a dissenting report and they would then state before the people that I neglected in submitting my report and that their report was the only report of the Committee. I leave it to my countrymen, for whose knowledge and consideration, this enquiry was held, to judge this matter.

On 9-8-56, a sensational piece of news (App. D) appeared in the papers with big and bold headlines, viz., "NETAJI DIED IN A FORMOSA HOSPITAL DURING LAST WAR -ENQUIRY FINDINGS: REPORT TO BE SUBMITTED TOMORROW." As this contained a few incorrect and distorted news and as there were some allegations against me and as the Chairman\\'s name was mentioned therein, I wrote a reply, (App. E) to the Chairman regarding that newspaper report and forwarded copies of the same to the Prime Minister of India and to the Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi. The Prime Minister was pleased to send me a reply on 13-8-56, (App. F), which I received on the following day. I sent my reply, (App. G) to him on the 15th August, 1956 and on which date in the morning, the Chief Minister of West Bengal was; pleased to phone me and to request me to meet him in his office at 4 P.M. the same day, which I did. He started by coaxing me in several ways to make me agree with the findings of my colleagues and to sign their report, so as to mal it a unanimous one.

I regretted my inability to do so and gave him a few reasons for the same. Having failed in his intention, he then enquired of me to why I was not submitting my report. I explained to him that it was not possible for me to do so, as the Chairman was not sending me the papers necessary for writing the report and to which I was legitimately entitled and which they promised to send me. He then asked me that if he helped me getting those papers, how many days it would take me to complete my report: I told him that I had already written some portion and that I expected to do so within another ten days from the date of receipt of those papers. He appeared to be rather satisfied with this reply of mine and was pleased to dictate a reply to the Prime Minister\\'s letter, he had received in this connection and in which, he requested the latter to arrange to send me those papers soon so that I would be in a position to submit my report by 30-8-56. In the meantime, our Chief Minister and also another Minister took the trouble of influencing and persuading me to agree to sign the report of my colleagues through a few of my nearest relations.

I cannot but repeat that for want of the requisite papers, it has been exceedingly difficult for me to make headway with my report and its completion will naturally take much more time than what it would ordinarily have taken. I am still at a loss to make out what could really be the cause for such attitude on the part of the Chairman and how could the Government face the public with a report signed by only two members of the Committee, when there was a third member on it, and on a matter, which would be considered to have more than an All-India interest, and in which there exists great inquisitiveness.

As certain reports were published in the papers relating to this enquiry and some conflicting reports regarding me, I considered it necessary to send a statement (App. H) to the Press on 17th July, 1956.