Snooping row: Netaji’s family demand declassification of all files, holds protest rally in Kolkata

New Delhi, April 14: The family of Subhas Chandra Bose who is demanding complete declassification of all documents related to Netaji is holding a rally in Kolkata today(Tuesday).

A protest march is being led to INA Bhavan in Kolkata by the Netaji's family.

Bose's grand nephew Surya Bose on Monday said in an exclusive interview with ANI, that his entire family was united in its demand for declassification of all documents related to the iconic leader of India's freedom struggle.

Surya Kumar Bose who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Berlin told ANI, "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."

After meeting PM Modi, Surya said he had urged the Prime Minister that the papers should be declassified immediately as he was shocked at the recent reports that the government of Jawaharlal Nehru had "spied" upon Netaji's family.

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 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.

Asked about the earlier Commissions of inquiry, he said, "the first two were totally bogus."

He said the Mukherjee Commission had done more but it did not have investigative powers. Surya had on Sunday said, "Subhas Bose did not belong just to his direct family. He had himself said that the whole country is his family.

I do not think it's just the duty of the family to raise this issue (of declassification of Netaji files)."

Surya, the president of the Indo-German Association in Hamburg, was invited by the Indian Embassy to attend the reception for Modi. In an RTI reply, the Prime Minister's Office has refused to declassify secret files relating to Netaji arguing that the "disclosure would prejudicially affect relations with foreign countries".

OneIndia News

(With inputs from agencies)