Born in January 23, 1897, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was a unique political figure of the undivided India who contributed immensely to the cause of Sub-continent’s freedom from the British colonialism .
Popularly known as Netaji, Subhas completed his initial education in Cuttack,where he was born, and completed his graduation from the Calcutta Presidency College in 1913. He left India for England to appear at the Indian Civil Service Examination.
But Subhas was the last person to work under the colonial Government. He resigned ICS post and returned to India on the call of Desbandhu Chittaranjan Das . Netaji was a revolutionary leader with a strong sense of humanity . He did not have much faith in Gandhijis ‘non-violent’ campaign to free India from an oppressive and colonial power . He had the strong understanding that the colonial British power must be challenged by a strong patriotic Indian liberation army to hasten independence . Thus he organised, with an unprecedented courage and ability, the military arm to the India’s freedom movement .
The colonial British perceived Netaji as a potential source of danger and had him arrested many a times since 1924. He was released from Mandalay jail in 1927,and upon return to Calcutta, Netaji was elected President of the Bengal Congress Committee on October 27, 1927.
Subhas was one of the few politicians who worked towards Hindu-Muslim unity . An immensely popular leader across undivided India, he was sown in as Mayor of Calcutta Corporation on his release from jail .
In 1931 the split between Gandhiji and Subhas surfaced . Subhas viewed freedom as an absolute necessity, unlike the freedom which Gandhiji was "negotiating" with the colonial British. Netaji was arrested again, and imprisoned in several jails outside West Bengal . His health deteriorated, and the British authorities decided to send him to Switzerland for treatment.
Realizing that his avenues abroad were greater under the present situation at home, Netaji set sail for Europe on February 23, 1933. He stayed in various parts of Europe till March 1936 making contacts with Indian revolutionaries and European socialists supporting the struggle for Independence.
Many historians saw contradictory stances of the India’s most formidable enemy of the colonial British . But what Subhas did was for India’s freedom from the colonial British . While in Europe, he met Mussolini in Italy and made Vienna his headquarters. He opposed to the racial theory of Nazism but appreciated its organizational strength and discipline. On March 27, 1936 he sailed for Bombay but was taken to jail immediately after disembarking.
Meanwhile time had healed the tensions between Subhas and Gandhiji, and Gandhiji supported Subhas in his efforts to become the President of the next Congress session, 1938.
He went to England again in 1938 and rallied for the Indian freedom cause amongst Indian students and British labor leaders sympathetic toward India's cause. Upon his return in February 1938, Subhas was elected President of the Indian National Congress.
Netaji emphasized that political freedom alone would not be sufficient, as the ills of the British reign would continue to haunt post-Independent India. But Gandhiji found Subhas's ideologies ‘far too leftist’ .
Differences between Gandhiji and Subhas led to a crisis when Gandhiji opposed Subhas' idea that the Bengal Government (a coalition between the Krishak Praja Party & Muslim League) be ousted and the Congress take charge in coalition with the Krishak party. The idea was criticized by Gandhiji and Nehru, which resulted in the strengthening of the Muslim League in Bengal and ultimately partition of India. It is obvious today that had Subhas been able to carry out his plans, Bengal would be a different entity . But the dream did not come true .
Despite opposition from the Congress brass, Subhas was a favorite amongst the majority as he was re-elected for a second term in March 1939. Gandhiji considered Subhas's victory as his ‘personal defeat’ and went on a fast . Netaji resigned as a mark of respect to Gandhiji.
Netaji In Germany
It was the time of the Second World War. Netaji was than interned at his house in Calcutta under strict British surveillance. But the miracle man left his well-guarded home, to organise Indian liberation army outside India .
He reached Germany, and submitted a memorandum to the German government on 9th April 1941 which outlined a plan for co-operation between the Axis powers and India. Among other things, it called for the setting up of a "Free India Government" in Europe, preferably in Berlin; establishment of a Free India broadcasting station calling upon the Indian people to assert their independence and rise up in revolt against the British colonial authorities.
After months of waiting and many moments of disappointment, Germany agreed to give Netaji all-out help.
The two immediate results came out following Subhas’a interactions with the Germans .One, the establishment of a ‘Free India Center’ and inauguration of a ‘Free India Radio’, both began their operations in November 1941.
In November 1941, Azad Hind Radio opened its program for the first time. Netaji gave the inaugural speech, which, in fact, was a disclosure of his identity that had been kept officially secret for so long. He said " I am Subhash Chandra Bose who is still alive and talking to you". During this broadcast he called Gandhiji as the father of the nation.
Netaji with Japan
In the midst of the Second World War, on 15 February 1942, Singapore fell to the Japanese army . Two days later, in an impressive ceremony held at Farrar Park in the heart of the Singapore, British Indian troops were handed over to the Japanese as prisoners-of-war . The victorious Japanese handed over the commandership of the POWs to Captain Mohan Singh of the Indian contingents. Mohan Singh vowed to fight the British to free India.
Netaji then called a conference in Tokyo . The delegates representing several East and Southeast Asian countries present at the conference decided to form the Indian Independence League (IIL) . Subhas was recognized as head of the IIL .
On 15 June 1942, a conference opened in Bangkok with over a hundred delegates attending from all over Asia. It decided to set up a political nucleus to carry forward India’s independence movement from East Asia. It was further decided that Singapore would be the headquarters of the IIL. The Indian National Army (INA) was officially inaugurated in September 1942.
Did Netaji really die?
After dropping of the atom bomb by the United States in Hiroshima on August 8, 1945 and Nagasaki on August 9, the Japanese surrendered. That was the formal end of the Second World War . But Netaji,a freedom fighter, was not willing to surrender .
From various accounts, Netaji reportedly flew to Bangkok on August 16, 1945 and to Saigon on August 17. He was accompanied by Col. Habibur Rehman, Col. Pritam Singh, Major Abid Hasan, S.A. Ayer and Debnath Dass. He was told to board a plane for Taipei and then Dairen (Manchuria). With Netaji’s reserved, only one more seat was available in the aircraft . Finally, Netaji and Col. Habibur Rehman boarded the aircraft . There were ten other Japanese in the plane which took off from Tourane on August 18, 1945 between 5 and 5.15 a.m. and flew to Taipei (Japanese Taihoku).
The aircraft again took off from Taipei and just after rising to the height of 30 feet, it burst into flames and crashed. This was on August 18, at about 5 p.m. Netaji reportedly received extensive burns injuries .
Dr Yoshimi Tameyoshi who attended on Netaji stated, "When he (Netaji) was laid on the bed, I personally cleaned his injuries with oil and dressed them. During the first four hours, he was unconscious". Later, when he gained consciousness the doctor asked him 'Whether there was any statement, will or such matter he wanted to make', Netaji reportedly answered, 'Nothing'.
Dr Tameyoshi added,' After the fourth hour he appeared to be sinking into unconsciousness.' At about 23.20 hours, Subhash Chandra Bose died. " Tameyoshi's statement was brought to light by the noted archivist and historian Dr T.R. Sareen from the achieves of Public Records Office records.
But the major question arises is whether the statement is factual or not. Because the history is always written by the winners. There are many big questions which have been left unanswered. These include - Whether Netaji was really there in the plane at the time of the crash? Was he mortally injured after the crash? Did he somehow escape before or after the crash?
The first enquiry was setup almost immediately by Lord Wavell, the Viceroy, to look into the disappearance of Netaji. It came to the conclusion that Netaji had died.
The first Indian enquiry relating to Netaji's death was commissioned by the Government of India under Shah Nawaz Khan, a Railway Minister in the Union Government. He quickly declared that Netaji had died at Formosa on the 18th of August, 1945.
Then came the Khosla enquiry. It was commissioned by the Indian government under Prime minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi. The Khosla commission visited many important places like Singapore, Bangkok and Rangoon and interviewed many people. But it faced loss of credibility . After four years it gave the verdict that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose had died at Formosa, the place where Khosla did not visit .
The BJP led NDA government instituted the latest inquiry by setting up the Justice J.C. Mukherjee commission. The Mukherjee commission's report is expected to submit its report soon. Let us hope that it will have the final word in the mystery .
