UP Assembly to discuss Subhash Chandra Bose's disappearance

Lucknow, March 14: The mystery surrounding the death of Subhash Chandra Bose and the true identity of Gumnami Baba alias Bhagwanji of Faizabad found an echo in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly today as the Speaker allowed an hour's debate on it in the House.

Opposition members demanded formation of an inquiry committee to clear the air on the matter, saying that the High Court has already ordered to constitute an inquiry commission.

The matter came up through adjournment notices of Akhilesh Kumar Singh of Peace Party and Anugrah Narain Singh of Congress.

They also raised the issue of constitution of an inquiry committee to identify Gumnami Baba (whom many believed to be Netaji) on the directive of Allahabad High Court on the petition of Lalita Bose, Netaji's neice on Jan 31.

The Lucknow Bench had, on Jan 31, directed the UP government to form a panel to probe identity of Gumnami Baba.

The bench had also directed the state government to consider establishment of a museum at Faizabad where the articles of late Gumnami Baba as well as other ancient items may be kept.

Referring to the various commissions set up at different times to unravel the mystery of Netaji's death, Akhilesh cited the report of the Mukherji commission, which had ruled out that Netaji was killed during the second world war on Aug 18, 1945 in Taiwan in a plane crash on the basis that there had been no incident of an air crash there in that year.

Referring to the recovery of letters and some other things from the room of Gumnami baba in Faizabad after his demise and speculations that he was Netaji, Akhilesh said the court had asked for constituting a committee within three months but no step has been taken even after passage of one-and-a-half month since then.

Anugrah Narain Singh, Hukum Singh (BJP) and Leader of Opposition Swami Prasad Maurya (BSP) also stressed on constituting a committee for finding the true identity of Gumnami Baba.

PTI