Ending years of wait on classified information on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and his family members, the West Bengal government on Friday declassified 64 such files which were in the possession of the Kolkata police and West Bengal police.
The files are being kept at the Calcutta Police Museum, which is housed in the Office of Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police, North Division on 113 APC Road.
"Making the files public was quite a big task. There are 64 files which contained 12,744 pages and it had to be digitised before being made public," Surajit Kar Purakayastha, Commissioner of Kolkata Police said.
Files in their original form will be kept in a glass cabinet in Kolkata Police Museum, he said.
The digitised files in the form of a compact disc were handed over to members of the family of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose which included grand nephew Chandra Kumar Bose and former MP Krishna Bose.
On Friday, the museum was opened only for members of Netaji's family and the media. The files will be open to the public on a first come, first served basis from Monday.
The >announcement to declassify the files was made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on September 11.
Also read:
-Editorial on the top secret Netaji files. >The secrecy regime
-Netaji’s kin seeks declassification of files. Read the article >here
-Why are the Netaji files still classified, asked the Calcutta High Court in April this year. >Read
-These files would now be readied and kept in the Police Archives for all to see. It was up to the media to unravel the truth. "People must know the truth." >Read more
-Files pertaining to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the State government's custody, will be put in the public domain, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced last Friday.
From The Hindu archives
>Mr. Subhas Bose missing from his residence, search by relatives and friends
"He was much depressed that, at such a critical juncture, the Congress leadership had failed the country."
>Whereabouts of Mr. Subhas Bose
“It has been common talk in certain quarters in this country for some time that Mr. Subhas Chandra Bose is either in Rome or in Berlin and has entered into a pact with the Axis powers"
>Mr. Subhas Bose reported killed in air crash
A Bangkok dispatch to the German News Agency says that two leaders of the Indian community in Siam were killed in an aeroplane crash off Japan.
>'Brave son of India' - Congress leaders' tributes
"The tragic end of Subhas, while he was still in the prime of life, will cause deep sorrow to all those who knew him."
>Mr. Subhas Bose not involved in air accident
The German Official News Agency, while announcing the aeroplane crash, did not list Mr. Bose among the victims
>Netaji meets Hitler
The Berlin Radio was announcing that Hitler had received Subhas Chandra Bose at his headquarters.
>Bose dead, fatally wounded in air crash: Japanese report
An Agency said that Mr. Subhas Chandra Bose died in a Japanese hospital from injuries received in an air crash.
>Subhas Bose's last days
Mr. Subhas Chandra Bose was being brought to Tokyo as the first step in his transfer to Manchuria where he was expected to seek safety and protection from the Russians
>Pandit Nehru's views on Subhas Bose
'Japanese report that Bose was killed in a plane crash is not believed in British and American military circles'
