Skull and Bones
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KOLKATA: Clinching documents that could have proved without doubt that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose had been present in Russia post-1945 had "mysteriously vanished" from the Russian archives before the Mukherjee Commission went there for its probe, said Rathin Maharaj, the in-charge of the Ramakrishna Mission's Moscow chapter, in an exclusive interview with TOI on Thursday.
The monk feels the inquiry might have lost its sting without these papers.
Earlier this week, the monk had said that he had knowledge of the fact that the leader had spent his last years in misery in a Siberian prison.
"These documents were there in the Russian archives and had been examined by researchers," the monk said. "One of the researchers, who interacted with me regularly in Moscow, was convinced that they pointed at a conspiracy theory, apart from the fact that Netaji had been lodged in a prison in Siberia. When the Mukherjee Commission went through the documents, the papers had vanished. They had been taken out."
A particular Russian researcher who had "strong evidence" of the leader's presence in Russia after 1945 after the supposed air crash in Taihoku refused to appear before the commission in Moscow , the monk said. "This gentleman is a veteran scholar and a long-time Netaji researcher. I have seen his articles in a Moscow newspaper and they were enlightening and full of startling facts. But he refused to appear before the commission ," said the monk, whose monastic name is Jyotiranand Maharaj.
What makes him disclose these facts several years after the Mukherjee Commission closed its inquiry? The monk says he is keen to ensure that the mystery surrounding "India's bravest son" is solved. "It is sad that successive inquiries proved nothing. Even more disheartening is the attempt to hush things up," said the monk, who returns to Moscow on February 8.
He added he might not have spoken up had he not been asked to speak on Netaji in Karimganj, Assam, last week. "The local municipality had organized a Netaji Mela, which I was asked to inaugurate . I thought it would be prudent to say a few things. I have interacted with researchers over the years and several of them confirm what I have revealed . I am not a politician and I have no other agenda," he explained.
Russian researcher Liliana Malkova, now in Belur Math, agreed with him though she didn't subscribe to the Siberian prison theory. It was a possibility, but chances of Netaji actually being lodged in a prison were remote, she said.
"Other than an undated and an uncaptioned photograph at the Moscow state archive, there is no record of Netaji's presence in Russia. No prison record has his name. So, I believe Netaji was either killed in Russia or managed to escape, went into hiding somewhere and spent his last years in disguise," said Malkova.
Researchers, she added, had gone through Russian archives and KGB secret files extensively between 1987 and 1996. "That was the post-Perestroika period , when files were thrown open. Even though it is impossible to scan all of them, some like Purabi Roy have worked on them intensively. But they have drawn a blank so far as clinching evidence is concerned," she said.
Netaji researcher and author Anuj Dhar said Rathin Maharaj should be made to appear before an inquiry commission . "Every bit of information is important for this is India's biggest mystery ," Dhar said.
Members of the Bose family, however, believed that the monk's comments wouldn't make a difference. "He is still speaking on hearsay. It carries little weight," said D N Bose, Netaji's nephew. Researcher Purabi Roy, on the other hand, said she had interacted with Rathin Maharaj on a number of occasions and she believed he was privy to classified information. "He has had the chance to interact with researchers over the years. They would open up to him and reveal facts which they wouldn't otherwise. His comments can't be ignored," Roy said.
The Ramakrishna Mission distanced itself from the monk's comments. A spokesperson said Rathin Maharaj's comments were "his personal views" , which the mission did not endorse.
Netaji papers stolen from Russia - The Times of India
The monk feels the inquiry might have lost its sting without these papers.
Earlier this week, the monk had said that he had knowledge of the fact that the leader had spent his last years in misery in a Siberian prison.
"These documents were there in the Russian archives and had been examined by researchers," the monk said. "One of the researchers, who interacted with me regularly in Moscow, was convinced that they pointed at a conspiracy theory, apart from the fact that Netaji had been lodged in a prison in Siberia. When the Mukherjee Commission went through the documents, the papers had vanished. They had been taken out."
A particular Russian researcher who had "strong evidence" of the leader's presence in Russia after 1945 after the supposed air crash in Taihoku refused to appear before the commission in Moscow , the monk said. "This gentleman is a veteran scholar and a long-time Netaji researcher. I have seen his articles in a Moscow newspaper and they were enlightening and full of startling facts. But he refused to appear before the commission ," said the monk, whose monastic name is Jyotiranand Maharaj.
What makes him disclose these facts several years after the Mukherjee Commission closed its inquiry? The monk says he is keen to ensure that the mystery surrounding "India's bravest son" is solved. "It is sad that successive inquiries proved nothing. Even more disheartening is the attempt to hush things up," said the monk, who returns to Moscow on February 8.
He added he might not have spoken up had he not been asked to speak on Netaji in Karimganj, Assam, last week. "The local municipality had organized a Netaji Mela, which I was asked to inaugurate . I thought it would be prudent to say a few things. I have interacted with researchers over the years and several of them confirm what I have revealed . I am not a politician and I have no other agenda," he explained.
Russian researcher Liliana Malkova, now in Belur Math, agreed with him though she didn't subscribe to the Siberian prison theory. It was a possibility, but chances of Netaji actually being lodged in a prison were remote, she said.
"Other than an undated and an uncaptioned photograph at the Moscow state archive, there is no record of Netaji's presence in Russia. No prison record has his name. So, I believe Netaji was either killed in Russia or managed to escape, went into hiding somewhere and spent his last years in disguise," said Malkova.
Researchers, she added, had gone through Russian archives and KGB secret files extensively between 1987 and 1996. "That was the post-Perestroika period , when files were thrown open. Even though it is impossible to scan all of them, some like Purabi Roy have worked on them intensively. But they have drawn a blank so far as clinching evidence is concerned," she said.
Netaji researcher and author Anuj Dhar said Rathin Maharaj should be made to appear before an inquiry commission . "Every bit of information is important for this is India's biggest mystery ," Dhar said.
Members of the Bose family, however, believed that the monk's comments wouldn't make a difference. "He is still speaking on hearsay. It carries little weight," said D N Bose, Netaji's nephew. Researcher Purabi Roy, on the other hand, said she had interacted with Rathin Maharaj on a number of occasions and she believed he was privy to classified information. "He has had the chance to interact with researchers over the years. They would open up to him and reveal facts which they wouldn't otherwise. His comments can't be ignored," Roy said.
The Ramakrishna Mission distanced itself from the monk's comments. A spokesperson said Rathin Maharaj's comments were "his personal views" , which the mission did not endorse.
Netaji papers stolen from Russia - The Times of India
