"Netaji" Subhas Chandra Bose: A Close Look Into What Lead To His Mysterious Demise

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose is one of the well-known freedom fighters of India's struggle for independence.  Gandhiji referred to Netaji as a "Prince of Patriots".  It is universally believed that Nehruji died in a plane crash on 18 August 1945 in Taiwan. 

His Tragic And Mysterious Death: 

In the search for a safe place, Netaji wanted to go to the Soviet Union with his colleague. Netaji's mission was to continue the struggle for India's freedom. After the Second World War, Japan declared surrender. The Japanese agreed to help him to transport to Dairen, Manchuria, and from Manchuria (China) he could further travel to the Soviet Union. The Japanese General made a plan to deliver Netaji. The Japanese army team was headed to Manchuria to drop off Japanese army officers, and Netaji agreed to go with them. The plane was ready and filled with gasoline to capacity. Around 2- 2.30 Pm the plane took off from Taipei airport and reached some altitude, then a sound of the explosion was heard. Netaji was burned severely. According to witnesses, he died during treatment in a Japanese military hospital.

On Netaji's 77th death anniversary,  his daughter Anita Bose Pfaff said in an interview with PTI "I, as the daughter of Netaji want this mystery to end in my lifetime. I would soon officially approach the Indian government with the request to conduct a DNA test. I will wait for some time for their response, if I get a response, it's good and if I don't. I will get in touch with the Japanese government. If the government agrees or if they ask me to move forward and don't want to get involved, then I can take it forward." Miss Pfaff also said, "Resolving the mystery shrouding Bose's life and bringing back the ashes to India would be a true tribute to the revolutionary as the country celebrates its 75th Anniversary of Independence."

Early Life And Education:

Netaji was born on 23 January 1897, in Cuttack. The Modi government announced his birth anniversary as "Parakram Diwas". to honour the 125 birth anniversary of Netaji beneficially. 

He completed his primary education at Protestant European School. Then he joined Ravenshaw Collegiate (1909). He passed his matriculation exam in 1913, with the second rank in the state. Because of their good results, he got admission to Presidency College in Kolkata. In 1916, there was a fight between a professor and a group of students. Subhash took the leadership of the students. Due to this, he was expelled from the Presidency College and also banned from taking the examination. Students protested it then authorities allowed him to complete his B.A.(philosophy) from Scottish College with a good grade. In 1920 he went to England to prepare for ICS (Indian Civil services). In this exam he secured the 4th rank, he stayed in England for 2 years of training and a probation period. 

Fighting For India’s Freedom:

At that time Netaji was only 23 years old. But he was motivated and came back to India, to start a large movement against the Britishers. During the 1920s  Mahatma Gandhi was gaining popularity with his nonviolence, Satyagraha and non- corporations movement. Gandhi was trying to bring the country together. Young Bose observed all this closely, he didn't want to give up his career but he decided to fight for freedom. He wrote a letter to his brother Sarat Chandra Bose ( freedom fighters) and wanted his opinion- "the idea of Maharishi Dayananda Saraswati and Maharishi Arvind Ghose had captured our heart and mind then how can we be able to enslave the British as an ICS officer?" So he left to become a part of the freedom movement. 

Netaji And Gandhiji:

In 1921, Bose came back to India and met Mahatma Gandhi in July 1921. Gandhi advised him to go to Kolkata and work with freedom fighters Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das (CRDas). Netaji began as editor of the newspaper "Forward". In  December 1921 he was arrested for opposing the visit of the Prince of Wales to India. At the age of 26, he became the president of the All India Youth Congress. When in 1924  CRDas became the first elected mayor of Calcutta Municipal corporation then Bose became his chief executive officer.  During this time, Netaji continued his political activities against the British, so Britishers were doubtful of Netaji's activities, and he was jailed for 2 years. He was deported to Myanmar, he was jailed for 2 years, till 1927 during his time he contracted TB (Tuberculosis, a deadly disease). When he returned to Bengal in 1927, CRDas had already died so Nehruji was elected as President of the Bengal Congress. 

During the 1930s Bose travelled around Europe for research and wrote a book "The Indian Struggle", which shows the Indian struggle for independence. At that time Subhash Chandra Bose and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had become the young vocal leaders in the Congress party. In 1938 Bose became the Congress President. He wanted to send an ultimatum to the British government to leave India and if they did not agree then declare a revolution against them. (During this time Congress party was divided into two groups: left-wing and right-wing). 

Gandhiji and other leaders believe in their ideology, they also want freedom but with nonviolence. In 1939, due to differences of opinion, Mahatma Gandhi wanted someone other than Netaji to be the president of the congress. Maximum members support Mahatma Gandhi, and other side many people support Netaji. Rabies Tagore also supported Netaji, so he wrote a letter to Gandhiji, asking him to let Subhash Chandra Bose be the president of the Congress party again.  Then the election result of the presidential post was declared and Bose won the election with 1575 votes to 1376 votes. Subhash Chandra Bose became the president again but Mahatma Gandhi was not happy with the election results. By this time problems increased among members of the Congress party and they worried that the party may be broken into two sects. If that would happen then the future of the freedom movement was at stake, because of this many party members that earlier supported Subhash Chandra Bose. Now they started supporting Mahatma Gandhi and they resigned from Bose's working committee posts. 

Seeing this Pandit Nehruji objected that what was happening was wrong and that they shouldn't remove Netaji from the party's president post. But Pandit Nehru didn't agree with Subhash Chandra Bose's opinions and ideologies. Lastly, no other options left for Netaji except resigning from the party's presidential post. Because working committee members were not working with him. The new committee passed a decision that congress members couldn't start any Satyagraha on their own, without the working committee's approval. But Netaji protested this, he was against it. Then Netaji was removed from Bengal provincial Congress presidential post. And he was also disqualified from holding a post in the Congress party for the next 3 years. Netaji welcome the working community's decision,  but he was committed to his values and for this, he formed the "All India Forward Bloc" on 22nd June 1939. This organization was made for the merging of many other left-wing organizations. 

Netaji was in Berlin, Germany when Mahatma Gandhi launched the" Quit India movement in 1942", he sent a message from his Azad Hind Radio, He said "Gandhi's movement was non-violent guerrilla warfare," and also called the "Epic Struggle of India." 

It was the same time when Netaji worked on the formation of Azad Hind Fauj, for an attack on the British government. Subhash Chandra Bose's last radio message from Burma(1944)  during the launch of attacks on the British army, he said "Father of our Nation! In this holy war for India's liberation, we ask for your blessings and good wishes."

On the report of Netaji's death, Gandhiji said - "Netaji's patriotism is second to none, his bravery shines through all his actions. He aimed high and failed, but who has not failed?”

Written by: Jyoti Malik