Forward Bloc urges Modi to accept Mukherjee Commission findings, halt Renkoji ashes move

The All India Forward Bloc has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking the government to formally accept the findings of the Justice Mukherjee Commission and desist from bringing the ashes said to be of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose from the Renkoji Temple in Tokyo to India.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the party's General Secretary G. Devarajan argued that the government itself had constituted the Mukherjee Commission in 1999 to investigate Netaji's disappearance and the reported plane crash of August 18, 1945. The Commission examined records and testimonies from India, Japan and Taiwan and submitted its report in 2005. It concluded that Netaji did not die in the plane crash and that the ashes kept at the Renkoji Temple do not belong to him.

Mr. Devarajan said repeated attempts to bring the ashes to India overlook these findings and treat a matter of national importance as a publicity exercise. He urged the government to hold back any move to repatriate the remains until an independent investigation establishes their identity with certainty.

The letter comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court seeking the Centre's response on a plea filed by Anita B. Pfaff, Netaji's daughter, asking for directions to bring the ashes from the Renkoji Temple. A Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana (as per reports) issued notice to the Centre on the petition. The Forward Bloc's appeal is seen as a caution against the government acting without full verification of the Commission's findings.

Besides accepting the Mukherjee Commission report, Mr. Devarajan demanded the declassification of all files, documents and intelligence reports relating to Netaji. He also proposed the constitution of a Special Investigation Team comprising investigators, historians and experts to examine records from India, Japan, Taiwan and Russia. In addition, he urged the government to set up a fresh Commission of Inquiry with a clear mandate to determine the facts surrounding Netaji's disappearance.

The party leader described Netaji as a national hero whose legacy is beyond any single party. He said the country deserves answers based on evidence, not symbolic gestures. He appealed to the Modi government to act on these demands in a time-bound manner and resolve the long-pending matter.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, a prominent leader of India's independence movement, reportedly died in an air crash in Taiwan in August 1945, though circumstances around his death have never been officially confirmed. Several committees and commissions have probed the mystery over the years, including the Shah Nawaz Committee (1956) and the Khosla Commission (1970). The Mukherjee Commission was the latest such exercise. However, its report has not been officially accepted by the government, and the question of the Renkoji ashes remains unresolved.

The Renkoji Temple has held the ashes since 1945. Some Bose family members and sections of the public believe they belong to Netaji, while others, including the Forward Bloc, dispute this on the strength of the Mukherjee Commission report. The new demand adds to the ongoing legal and political debate, with the Supreme Court likely to hear the matter further.