The Biography of Famous Personalities of India will tell you about the controversies, the dark sides of a person that you may have never heard of.
Change In The Warring Circumstances and Martyrdom of Subhashbabu
A Change In The Warring Circumstances
The British and the American governments increased their supply of military, weapons, aircraft, etc. to a large extent on the Asian front. The troops of the Azad Hind Fauj started facing a scarcity of weapons, supplies and resources. The monsoons began early. So, the soldiers in Imphal and Kohima did not get adequate provisions, and had to survive on the flowers and grass they found in the forests.
About four thousand Indian soldiers lost their lives due to various battles, hunger and natural calamities. In these circumstances, the troops of the Azad Hind Fauj were forced to retreat from Motok, Kohima, Tamu and Palel.
Germany was defeated on 7th of May 1945, and the war in Europe ended. The American and the British military took over Rangoon and Burma. America bombed two cities of Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and made brought Japan to its knees. The Azad Hind Fauj disintegrated. The Second World War came to an end.
The Contribution of The Azad Hind Fauj
The Azad Hind Fauj formed by Subhashbabu did not succeed in its aim of making India a free country, but they definitely made the national and local Indian situation an international issue. The recognition that Netaji’s government received from nine countries was a significant achievement.
The strong fight given by the troops of the Azad Hind Fauj against the British military at different places on the (Burmese) border, proved that Indian soldiers were filled with patriotic fervour. Most importantly, the Azad Hind Fauj was an example of communal unity.
The Azad Hind Fauj proved the fact that any foreign government that wishes to rule over a country, cannot depend for very long on its military might. The soldiers of Azad Hind Fauj developed a political awareness and a nationalistic fervour among the Indian people.
The Martyrdom of Subhashbabu
Subhashbabu and his colleague, Abib-ur-Rehman, departed from Singapore to Tokyo with a high-ranking Japanese official. The aircraft reached the Taipei airport of Taiwan on 18th August 1945. However, when the aircraft started to take off on the same day from Taipei, it caught fire. Subhashbabu and Abib-ur-Rehman jumped out of the aircraft, but were very badly burned, and were admitted in a Japanese military hospital. Subhashbabu passed away on the same night (18th August 1945).
Subhashbabu may have passed away, but he still remains alive in the hearts of his fellow countrymen. His brave and courageous life, and his sacrifice will always be remembered as inspirational in Indian history. His life was like a shining light. His character contained the qualities of patriotism, simplicity, service, sacrifice and kindness right from his childhood. The many incidents in his life give us glimpses of these characteristics.
The last words of this passionate and enthusiastic patriot were: “This is my proud message to my countrymen: I have lived as a warrior, and I am dying as a hero fighting for the freedom of my Motherland. I have never looked back from my bold actions. Not a drop of blood of martyrs is ever wasted. Jai Hind!”
Subhashbabu’s martyrdom was not in vain. India attained freedom shortly after his death.
Inquiry Into His Death
Indians were suspicious about the declaration of the death of Subhashbabu by the Japanese. The Azad Hind government too suspected this news. So, a committee was formed under the leadership of Azad Hind Fauj’s Captain Shahnawaz Khan to inquire into the demise of Subhashbabu. All the members of the committee found the Japanese report valid – except for one member: Sureshchandra Bose, Subhashbabu’s elder brother.
Suresh Chandra Bose expressed disbelief in his report, stating that the members of the committee had not visited the Taipei airport where the accident took place, nor met the other officers on the aircraft who had survived the fire. The local people were also not asked about the accident. Therefore there is a difference of opinion regarding the validity of the report of his death.
A highly placed official of independent India, Satyanarayan Sinha, visited the site of the accident some years after the incident. He interviewed an official who was present at the time of the accident. The official stated that no accident had taken place at the Taipei airport on 18th August 1945. Many people who were interrogated also answered similarly.
Sinha investigated further. According to the report he had received, the aircraft which had carried Netaji had reached Dariyan (Manchuria) half an hour after leaving the Taipei airport. During this time, the Russians had captured Dariyan city. Therefore, Netaji remained hidden in Dariyan. When the Russians found him out, they thought he was a Japanese supporter and was therefore sent to Siberia. There is no further information about what happened to him in Siberia.
Sinha published his report in The Hindustan Standard, a Calcutta newspaper, in April 1965. However, this report too needs proof and evidence.
After attaining independence, the Indian government appointed committees in 1956 and in 1977 to inquire into the demise of Subhashbabu. Both these committees reported that Subhashbabu had died in the accident. But both these had had no communication or contact with the Taiwan government.
In 1999, a third committee was formed under the chairmanship of Manojkumar Mukherjee. During talks with this committee in 2005, the Taiwan government stated that there had been no accident involving an aircraft on the territory of Taiwan in August, 1945.
Finally, the Mukherjee committee submitted their report to the Indian government at the end of 2005. They stated that there was no evidence to prove that Netaji had died in an air crash or an aircraft accident. The Indian government refused to accept this report.
Recently, Subhashbabu’s great-nephew, Sugat Bose, published a book titled ‘His Majesty’s Opponent’. Many details about Subhashbabu and his photographs have been presented in this book for the first time. This book claims that the report of his demise in a Japanese military hospital due to major burns, is true. This book is well-known for its vivid description and presentation of Subhashbabu’s life, his thoughts and his work.
It is unfortunate that the mystery regarding the death of such a great freedom fighter of India is still unresolved.