Kolkata police gives nod for Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose anniversary rally

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose inspecting and INA regiment. Agency Photo

After pressure from various quarters, the Kolkata police have given permission to the family members and followers of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to hold a rally in Kolkata on the 72nd anniversary of his ‘disappearance’. The organisers of the rally were earlier denied permission for the same by the city police. “I just now received a phone call from a senior officer in Lalbazar. He said that we are permitted and police will co operate with us. It shows that the permission was given at the last moment under pressure. Better late than never,” said Abhijit Roy, co-convener of ‘Open Platform for Netaji, while speaking to The Indian Express.

The rally is scheduled to start from Netaji status on Red Road and end at Netaji Bhawan in Elgin Road. The rally would raise the demand to end Netaji mystery and aims at putting pressure on the central government. The organizers have already negated the theory of Netaji’s death in plane crash on August 18, 1945 in Taiwan.

“We want the truth to come out. We do not believe in the plane crash theory that he died on August 18, 1945. Our rally is aimed at public awareness and raising a voice together for the national hero,” said Chandra Bose, grand nephew of Netaji and a BJP leader.

Netaji Abhijit Roy (grand nephew) and Chandra Kumar Bose (grand nephew) during a press conference in Kolkata. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

According to family members, through the rally, they will raise the demand of declassification of all files, including IB files by the Centre, appoint a high-power Special Investigation Team (SIT) to scrutinize the documents.

The rally would also demand the Centre to send SIT to countries like Russia, Germany, China UK and others to retrieve secret files on the national hero which could shed light on his disappearance. On September 2015, Mamata Banerjee released 64 secret files on Netaji, which was with the state government. Following suit, PM Narendra Modi announced declassification of central files on January 23, 2016.