Transfer Netaji’s mortal remains to India
Daughter Prof Anita Bose Pfaff appeals to governments of India and Japan
On the 73rd death anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Professor Anita Bose Pfaff, Netaji’s only child, said, “On this, the 73rd anniversary of my father’s passing, I renew my appeal to the Governments of India and Japan to facilitate a transfer of his mortal remains from Japan to India for a final disposal. It was my father’s ambition to return to a free India. This was unfortunately not fulfilled. Therefore, it would be appropriate if at least his remains touched the soil of Independent India. My father was a devout Hindu. Thus, it is perhaps befitting as per custom to immerse at least part of his remains in the river Ganga.”
She added, “The documents giving evidence on how my father tragically perished after a plane crash in Taipei and the transportation of his remains to Tokyo have been published recently in Ashis Ray’s book.”
In her foreword to the book, Laid to Rest: The Controversy over Subhas Chandra Bose’s Death by Ashis Ray, Prof Pfaff wrote the documents contained in the book “agree on the major facts regarding the plane crash and the consequent death of Netaji”. She went on to record that “the only consistent story about Netaji’s demise remains his death in a plane crash on 18 August 1945”.
This book, published by Roli Books, is the most comprehensive compilation of hard evidence ever presented on the still hotly-debated demise of one of the heroes of the Indian freedom movement. It pieces together a plethora of first-hand, eye-witness accounts on the plane crash at Taipei that killed Subhas Chandra Bose, his end in a Japanese military hospital, his cremation and the transfer of his ashes to Japan, where they remain till date. It chronicles and collates 11 credible probes into Netaji’s death and their conclusions.
In a veritable tour de force, the book presents irrefutable, overwhelming testimonies from survivors of the crash, people who were at Bose’s bedside when he passed away, attendees at the cremation and couriers of the mortal remains to Tokyo and ultimately to its Renkoji temple. Indian, Japanese and Taiwanese nationals unite to provide an unimpeachable and unanimous verdict. The publication decimates every conspiracy theory; and takes successive Indian governments to task for ignoring the plaintive cry of Bose’s Austrian widow and economist daughter to apply closure to a needless and never-ending controversy.
