'Files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose were destroyed by Congress governments'

The papers revealed that several files on Netaji were either not "readily traceable" or "destroyed".

New Delhi: The Central government on Tuesday released the latest set of declassified files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

The papers revealed that several files on Netaji were either not "readily traceable" or were "destroyed".

As per a report in The Times of India, most of these files were destroyed in the 1960s and '70s when Congress governments were in power.

The files, many of which were in possession of the PMO and concerned the Justice Mukherjee commission of inquiry, state that several files had been destroyed or were not traceable.

The files mention the PMO had told the commission that "one file no. 12(226)56-PM has been destroyed on 6.3.1972; certain documents of file no. 23(156)51-PM have been destroyed while recording that file; and one file no. 2(381)60-66PM (proposal to bring Shri Subhas Chandra Bose's ashes from Tokyo to put up a memorial to him in front of the Red Fort in Delhi) is not readily traceable in our records".

Of the 50 files declassified yesterday, 10 were in possession of the PMO, 10 were with the MHA and 30 with the MEA. The files pertain to the period 1956-2009.

The first lot of files on Netaji were declassified on his 119th birth anniversary, on January 23 this year, by PM Narendra Modi.

With the disclosure coming just ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly Elections, the ruling Trinamool Congress has lost no time in latching onto the issue.

TMC's Sukhendu S Roy told ANI, “In 1972, three files relating to Netaji were destroyed by the Congress regime. We want a probe into it.”