Efforts made to obtain files relating to Netaji from UK, US, Russia, Japan and China: Govt

The government on Thursday said that efforts have been made to obtain the files and records relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose from the UK the US Russia Japan and ChinaV Muraleedharan the Minister of State for External Affairs said in Rajya Sabha that the UK has informed that 62 files on Bose are already available on the websites of the National Archives and the British LibraryEfforts have been made to obtain the files and records relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose from the UK the USA Russia Japan and China he saidThe minister was replying to a question on the governments efforts to seek cooperation relating to the controversy over Netajis deathThe Russian government has conveyed that they were unable to find any documents in the Russian archives pertaining to Netaji even after additional investigations made based on request from the Indian side he saidMuraleedharan said the response of the Chinese government has not been receivedThe government of Japan had declassified two files on Netaji These files are part of their Archives and are available in the public domain he saidSubsequently based on the governments request the government of Japan transferred these files to India and are retained in the National Archives of India he addedMuraleedharan said the government of Japan has also conveyed that if there are any additional documents relevant to the matter these would be declassified as per their policies after a prescribed time period and based on an internal review mechanismThe US government has informed that they do not hold any historical records of over 30 years The US National Archives and Records Administration informed that their archival records of that period were not digitised he saidTherefore locating these documents would require extensive research of the records of different US Government agencies and they will not be able to do so Muraleedharan saidWhile two commissions of inquiry had concluded that Netaji had died in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18 1945 a third probe panel headed by Justice M K Mukherjee had contested it and suggested that Bose was alive after thatMuraleedharan said the government constituted Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry in 1999 to inquire into all the facts and circumstances related to the disappearance of Netaji in 1945 and subsequent developments connected therewithHe said one of the terms of reference of the Commission was whether ashes in the Japanese temple are ashes of NetajiThe report of the JMCI and its connected documents have been declassified and sent to the National Archives of India NAI for permanent retention which are available at httpwwwnetajipapersgovin he addedTo a separate question on voting by the NRIs he said the external affairs ministry is seized of various aspects of NRIs voting from abroadEffective implementation of such possibilities is dependent upon addressing logistical challenges including through interministerial consultations and consultations with all stakeholders he said This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever