Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose mystery: Collective decision to ditch him

Bengaluru, Aug 28: All eyes would be on the order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) which will deliver a verdict on whether the files pertaining to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose will be declassified or not.

The order was reserved after the Prime Minister's Office informed the commission that if the files are declassified then it would adversely affect relations with foreign countries.

No declassification in national interest:

In all likelihood the order of the commission will go in favour of the government. Under Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI act, the government is allowed to withhold information which would affect the sovereignty and integrity of India.

Further, the section also states that the information can be withheld if the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the state, relations with foreign states is affected.

In the petition, RTI activist Subhash Agarwal sought declassification of the documents relating to Bose.

He quoted Section 8(2) of the RTI Act which permits for exempted records to be disclosed if there is public interest. He also said that Bose went missing 7 decades ago and hence foreign relations will not be affected.

The problems these files could cause:

Anuj Dhar who has been tracking the Bose mystery for over ten years now has also written the book, India's Biggest Cover Up." He tells OneIndia that there is enough material to show that Bose was in Russia in 1945.

There has been a misconception that revealing the Bose files would hurt Nehru alone. Let me state here on record that this is something that goes beyond Nehru because I am sure even Gandhi and Patel were aware of Bose' whereabouts.

On foreign relations, I am sure that it is not going to change anything. I am sure even the Russians are open to giving information. All the sensitivities are within India today and the real problem that the decision to ditch Bose in 1945 was a collective decision.

OneIndia News