TMC writes to PM Modi for publishing Defence ministry's book on Netaji

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to publish a book compiled by the History division of the ministry of Defence without editing.

While addressing a press conference at Trinamool Bhavan on Wednesday, veteran TMC leaders and party's MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy alleged that both the Congress and BJP government are against publishing the book as it will raise questions about the "cock and bull story circulated in the past 75 years over the air crash at Taihoku airport involving Netaji. It will establish Justice Manoj Mukherjee commission's report that no air crash had taken place and demolish the claims by Shahnaz Khan committee's and Khosla commission's observation regarding the air crash."

Roy said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had published 100 classified files on Netaji in 2015 and these had been kept at the Kolkata Police Museum for

public viewing. The MP demolished the claim made by the Centre that more than 350 classified files relating to Netaji had been published.

"There are still many files in the office of the Prime Minister, External Affairs ministry and Defence ministry relating to Netaji. Publishing these classified documents would have been the best way to show respect to Netaji," he said.

Roy said the History division of the Defence ministry had prepared a book under the chairmanship of Historian Pratul Gupta regarding the role of Netaji between 1942 and 1945. The book never saw the light of the day because it had observed in pages between 186- 191 that "Netaji may have escaped alive the plane crash."

In 2009, one Chandrachud Ghosh filed an RTI and wanted to know about the book. On September 30, 2010, the Chief Information Commissioner asked the Defence ministry to hand over a copy of the book to Ghosh.

The UPA II government-led by Manmohan Singh filed an affidavit in the single bench of Delhi High Court against the Information Commission's order which stated that the book would be published soon.

Meanwhile, four months had lapsed and when Ghosh approached the Court, it gave instruction to hand

over this book to Ghosh with a rider that he could neither edit nor abridge or publish it for commercial use.

But, the HC order was never executed. Ray said he had written a letter to Modi requesting him to write to the Court that the government was willing to publish the book unedited and unabridged.

He said the people of the country wanted to know who had founded Azad

Hind Fauz whose 26,000 soldiers died while fighting against the British.