Netaji kin unhappy with statue, many details of death

With stories about his disappearance now part of popular folklore, Netaji Subhash Chandra Boses family and those researching his life and work say the way to truly honour him is by following his ideology of inclusivity and secularism, and to lift the veil surrounding his demise.

The Union government on Friday announced that a grand statue of Bose, the founder of Azad Hind Fauj, will be installed at India Gate in the national capital as a symbol of Indias “indebtedness” to him. Till the granite statue is completed, a hologram statue of his would be set up at the same place, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced, adding that he would unveil the hologram on January 23, the birth anniversary of Bose. “My father dreamt of an India where all religions coexist peacefully. The statue shouldnt be the only tribute to Netaji, we must also honour his values,” Anita Bose-Pfaff said hours after the announcement was made by Modi.

Boses grand-nephew Chandra Kumar Bose urged the government to implement the freedom fighters ideology in the country. “Netaji cannot be honoured just by building his statue, setting up a museum, or making a tableau. A towering personality like Netaji can only be honoured by following and implementing his inclusive ideology of uniting all communities to build India that he envisioned,” he said.

While it is believed that Bose died more than 70 years ago, questions regarding the circumstances of his demise — the time, year, and location of his passing away — are still shrouded in mystery.

In fact, the TMC has demanded that the Centre declassify files on Boses disappearance in 1945, and said that the ashes preserved at a temple in Japan, believed to be that of the freedom fighter, should be sent for DNA analysis.

Anuj Dhar, who has closely researched Boses life and the mystery of his death and co-authored Conundrum: Subhas Boses Life After Death, told

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