Subhash Chandra Bose – Dead or Alive?

The year 1757, marked the end of the Mughal rule in India, and start of the British rule in the form of the English East India Company. Up until 1857, they controlled the dominion of India. However, following a sudden surge in nationalism in India in 1857, power was transferred from the Company, directly to the British Crown. This marked the beginning of the ‘renewed’ British rule in India which continued right up until the year 1947. Our freedom struggle was a very diverse one. One marked by involvement of people from all over the country, with diverse ideas and opinions and one marked by various leaders each having a different approach to the path leading to independence. One such diplomatic and strategic leader was Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose

He was one of the few leaders who went abroad and expanded the base of India’s struggle for freedom. Bose took control of the INA – Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj in Hindi) in the year 1943, and established an all-women block within it called the ‘Jhansi Ki Rani’ regiment. In the year 1942, he went to Germany to ask for help from the Axis Powers, i.e., Hitler. On May 29 1942, Bose finally had his first and last ever encounter with Hitler. The meeting did not go well and Netaji spoke very little about this encounter with his colleagues. He was probably the only Indian leader to have ever met with Adolf Hitler, only to ask for support for the Indian Freedom Movement.

Netaji with the Indian National Army (INA)

Bose had many more ambitious plans in stock, for the independence of British-occupied India. However, fate had something else in store for him. On the 17^th of August 1945, Bose’s plane was headed towards Tokyo, where it was scheduled to make a stop. After a two hour stop in Taiwan, they set off again at 2:30 pm. As soon as the plane took off, the passengers heard a loud sound, similar to an engine backfiring. The plane plummeted and crashed into the ground. Most sources state that the gasoline tank that was above Bose, burst open on him and covered him in the flammable liquid. He attempted to run out of the plane and that is when his sweater caught fire. They attempted to put out the flames but succeeded only much later. By this time, Netaji had already suffered third degree burns. So, when he was brought to the hospital, there already was very little chance of him surviving. The doctors were able to bandage up the wound and Netaji was conscious for some time. During this time, he apparently said, “I feel as if the blood is rushing to my head. I would like to sleep for a while.” The Japanese doctor, Yoshimi Taneyoshi gave him an injection, with the hope of relieving him off some of the pain. Bose soon slipped into a coma and died soon after.

Last ever picture taken of Netaji

This is the very first theory and this what most people believed for a long time. Now the question that arises is that why was Bose’s death questioned in the first place? Back in 1945, Archibald Wavell was the Viceroy of India. Bose was bound to be caught in a matter of 5-6 days when news of his death came. This was the first suspicion that troubled Wavell. Did he catch whiff of the fact that the British had caught onto his location? Secondly, Bose supposedly died on the 18^th of August 1945, as stated by all the ‘witnesses’. However, news of his death came out only on the 23^rd of August. This further increased Lord Wavell’s suspicion. Why wait 5 whole days to break out the news of Bose’s death, when it was known that Bose was a very important figure in India’s struggle for freedom?

Out of the numerous theories that were circulated around among people, right from 1945 onwards, there are only three which have evidence that back them up. All the other theories have been ruled out, due to lack of proper evidence. Theory number 1 – Subhash Chandra Bose died due to the severe burn injuries on his body, caused by the plane crash in Taiwan, on the 18^th of August 1945. Theory number 2 – Bose faked his death in the plane crash of 1945 and went on to live under the ruse of Gumnami Baba in Faizabad (Uttar Pradesh), until the year 1985. Theory number 3 – Nehru was the main conspirator behind Bose’s death and he planned out the entire execution. Some even suspect Stalin to be behind his death. I’ll come to each theory one by one.

The first theory has already been substantiated with proof above. Theory number 2, which states that Bose lived on under the ruse of Gumnami Baba till 1985, has become the most popularly believed theory in recent times. So, what is the backstory to this ‘Gumnami Baba’? Gumnami Baba, or ‘Bhagwaanji’, as he was called by his followers, was an ascetic who lived in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, up until his death in 1985. He bore a striking resemblance to Bose. Just a warning, the picture below is simply an artist’s representation of how Bose could have transformed into Gumnami Baba. However, the picture on the right, is the real Gumnami Baba.

Left: An artists impression of Gumnami Baba ; Right: The real Gumnami Baba

Not only this, it is said that there were certain letters which had been exchanged between Bose’s confid­­ante (Pabitra Mohan Roy) and Gumnami Baba. All this aside, the most conclusive proof that we hold now, which backs up this theory, is the latest investigation into the death of Netaji. Carl Baggett, an authority on document examination, has over 40 years of experience and is certified by the American Bureau of Document Examiners. He has completed over 5000 cases. He was given a set of letters written by Bose and Gumnami Baba. The letters written by Gumnami Baba were addressed to the INA members and most of them, like I said, were written to Bose’s close confidante Pabitra Mohan Roy, between 1962-1965. He was not told who the letters were written by. After thorough investigation, he made a statement saying that both the set of letters were written by the same person, i.e., Bose and Gumnami Baba. Another reason why this theory is very popular, is because people have started questioning whether or not Bose was in Tashkent with Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1965 during the signing of the Tashkent Agreement in USSR. There have been pictures where a man can be seen standing behind Shastri and he too bears a striking resemblance to Bose. Face mapping has proven that the man in the picture, matches the physical features of Netaji. Theory number 2, is the least believed one so far, among the three. There isn’t a lot of evidence to back it as of now.

Pictures that could prove Bose’s presence in Tashkent

Now comes the most obvious question of all, why did Bose fake his death in the first place (that is if he actually did)? It is believed by most that Bose was held in a concentration camp in Russia, where he was tortured and this affected his psychological state a lot. It created false memories and delusions in his head. However, Gumnami Baba’s followers could not catch hold of this because they treated him like a God-like figure and just assumed that he was experiencing divine intervention from God himself.

Left: Netaji’s handwriting ; Right: Gumnami Baba’s handwriting

Beside these 3 theories, all the rest are based on mere allegations, with no proper factual evidence to support it. So, what actually happened to Subhash Chandra Bose? Did he die in a plane crash in Taiwan on 18^th January 1945? Did he fake his death and went on to live under the ruse of a certain Gumnami Baba till 1985 and ultimately passed away at the age of 88 years? Or did Nehru or Stalin have a hand in his death? Netaji’s death continues to be one of the biggest question marks in the history of not only India, but also Japan, Russia, America and of course, the UK. But, what do you think happened to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on the fateful afternoon of the 17^th of August 1945?

Sources:

Solving the Mystery of Netaji’s ‘Disappearance’: Part One – The Wire

Solving the Mystery of Netaji’s ‘Disappearance’: Part Two – The Wire

Alleged role of Stalin in killing of Subhas Chandra Bose too impacted India-Russia relations? – One India

Letters prove Netaji was Gumnami Baba: Book – Times of India

For those of you who want to know in depth about Netaji’s disappearance, the video below, is a talk given by Anuj Dhar specifically on this topic:

Subhash Chandra Bose: The Untold Story | Anuj Dhar – Sangam Talks