Bose's grandnephew asks PM to bring Netaji's 'remains' before Jan 23

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take immediate steps for bringing the 'remains' of the great freedom fighter from the Renoki temple in Japan to India before his birth anniversary on January 23 next year.

He said that it was a "great dishonour" to Netaji that his 'remains' are still lying at the Renkoji temple in Japan.

Chandra Bose, who had made similar demands to Modi on past occasions the last being on August 17, also called for a memorial in Netaji's honour in the national capital.

"Netaji's remains are still lying at Renkoji Temple in Japan. Netaji wanted to return to Independent India, but he could not as he sacrificed his life on August 18, 1945 fighting for India's freedom," he said in the letter sent to the PM.

"It is a height of dishonour that his remains should lie in a foreign land. It is of utmost importance that Netaji's remains must be brought back to India within January 23 and a Memorial built in his honour in Delhi on Kartavya Path," he said in the letter, a copy of which was made available to the media.

"It is creditable that the government of India, under your (PM) able leadership has taken the initiative to declassify Netaji-related files to come to a closure. After the release of all the files (10 enquiries- national and international), it is evident that Netaji perished on August 18, 1945.

"It is, therefore imperative that a final statement is made from the government of India, so that false narratives about the liberator of India is laid to rest," Bose said in the letter.

Bose said the government of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1956 had set up a three-member inquiry committee with INA veteran General Shah Nawaz Khan in the chair.

"For the first time, detailed information, including from eleven direct witnesses to the crash in Taiwan and then Netaji's death some hours later, was thus recorded in the official report. It is notable that there should have been so many first-hand accounts, from fellow passengers on the aircraft, Japanese military personnel on the ground beside the runway and Japanese and Taiwanese medical staff at the hospital. Netaji's Indian military aide from the INA Colonel Habib ur Rahman who travelled with Netaji and survived the crash and aftermath, was also one of the direct witnesses," he said.

A government-appointed Khosla Commission Report of 1974 reaffirmed the 1956 Shah Nawaz findings which had been accepted by the government. The third and last government-appointed Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry 2005 findings stated that Netaji did not die in the said air crash was found to be based on fundamental errors and the government of India thus rejected it, he said.