Will Netaji's files be made public? Modi Govt forms high-level committee to take final call

New Delhi, April 15: With increasing demands to declassify files related to Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, the Modi government on Wednesday formed an inter-ministerial committee headed by cabinet secretary to review the Official Secrets Act in context of Netaji files.

Media reports say that the committee will include officials from Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Prime Minister's Office (PMO) departments.

The panel will look into the classified information on netaji's death and decide what information can be made public.

The development two days after Bose's grand nephew Surya Kumar Bose met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Berlin and demanded declassification of all files related to his death and disappearance.

After the meeting Surya said, "I think as far as declassification is concerned to the best of my knowledge at the moment I think the whole family is united. But there are differences of opinion as far as the plane crash theory is concerned. But, the majority of the family as of now do not believe in it."

Asked about Modi's response, he said the Prime Minister said he would look into the matter right away as he too felt that the "truth should come out".

Surya had also attacked the Nehru government, saying it was "shocking" that a government of independent India had spied upon Netaji's family.

"The government should get the truth out," he said. Surya said there should an investigative commission to go into the matter to bring out the truth. "The government also should stop spreading lies that only non-violence had led to the Independence as it could not be won without the contribution of Subhas Bose," Surya said.

Surya, the president of the Indo-German Association in Hamburg, was invited by the Indian Embassy to attend the reception for Modi.

PMO earlier had refused to disclose files related to netaji

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in a recent RTI reply accepted that there were 41 files related to Netaji, of which two had been declassified, but refused to disclose the others, arguing that the "disclosure would prejudicially affect relations with foreign countries".

A host of Netaji's descendants, enthusiasts and historians and organisations have been campaigning for declassification of secret files claimed to be in possession of various government departments.

Observation of different committees

Mukherjee Commission report denied Netaji's death in plane crash.

Two other committees Shah Nawaz Committee, Khosla Commission were also formed by former Prime Ministers Jawahar Lal Nehru and Indira Gandhi respectively. The Khosla Commission created by the government of Indira Gandhi reported that all the documents relating to Subhas Chandra Bose were either missing or destroyed .

OneIndia News