Centre releases 25 more files related to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

Delhi: The Narendra Modi government on Friday released third set of files relating to iconic freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

A set of 25 files were released at 12:30 pm today by Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma.

Delhi: Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma declassifies third set of 25 files pertaining to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose pic.twitter.com/PPRSmkULH4

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Last month, the minister had released 50 declassified files relating to the leader on web portal www.Netajipapers.Gov.In.

Similarly, as many as hundred secret files were made public by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Netaji's 119th birth anniversary on January 23

Earlier, on April 26, government had said that two crucial files relating to Netaji would be declassified by Japan this year-end, but the country had given no assurance regarding three more such files in its custody.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju had told the Lok Sabha that the five files, which are with Japan, could be 'crucial' to resolve the mystery over the fate of Bose.

"Japan has conveyed to us that they will declassify two of the five files by the end of this year but no commitment has been given to the rest of the three files. But we are hopeful that they will declassify the remaining three files too," he had said during Question Hour, as per PTI.

Rijiju had said that two files relating to Netaji which were with the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Home Affairs continued to be missing and efforts were on to trace them.

The Minister had said that around 150 Netaji files had been declassified and were available online, while 25 more files each were being uploaded online every month.

In October last year, PM Modi had met the family members of Netaji and had announced that the government would declassify the files relating to the leader whose disappearance 70 years ago remains a mystery.

While 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 MK Mukherjee, had contested it and suggested that no such aircrash had taken place.

(With Agency inputs)