Was Swami Shardanand Netaji? controversy continues

Dehra Dun, July 27 (UNI) A fresh controversy over Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose has erupted with one group claiming that Swami Shardanand, who died here in 1977 was none other than Netaji and another dismissing it as a false claim.

A four-member group comprising Dr Devendra Bhasin, History Professor at DAV (PG) College, former police officer Om Prakash Sharma, former Director of Lal Bahadur Shastri IAS Academy Rajendra Nath Sharma and Col (retd) B S Rawat said they believed that Swami Shardanand, who came to Dehradun in 1973 from Shoulmari Ashram in West Bengal and stayed in Patiala House, Rajpur road, till his death in 1977 was Netaji himself.

They claimed that the most reliable and strongest evidence was that Dr Ramani Ranjan Das, who was the secretary to Netaji, was also Swami Shardanand's Secretary.

Dr Das, while immersing the ashes of Swamiji had suddenly referred to him as Netaji. However, when the then Rajpur police station in-charge Inderpal Singh asked him about it, Dr Das flatly denied making any such utterance, they added.

According to Mr Singh, a businessman named Uttam Chandra Malhotra with whom Netaji was said to have stayed in Afghanistan after his exile from India used to address Swamiji as "Netaji" whenever he visited him here. They also claimed that many INA members came to meet Swamiji.

When the Swami died, policemen sent to collect his finger-prints the INA members present at the funeral in Rishikesh refused permission, they added.

However, another group that includes disciples of Swami Sai Das Kasushal, Govindlal Shah, who was with Swamiji for almost 40 years and Nihar Dutta, who claims to have know Swamiji since her childhood, contradicted the contention that the Swamy was Netaji.

They alleged that Malhotra, for his personal gain, had aired the controversy and pointed out that Swamiji himself has denied being Netaji. Castewise, Swamiji was as Brahmin while Netaji was Kayasth.

Also, Swamiji was from East Bengal while Netaji belonged to West Bengal. Swamiji has written a book "Why Subhash failed?" in which he had criticised Netaji's foreign policy and many of his personality traits.

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