Conclusion: Netaji died in air crash

TT, New Delhi, May 31: The government has concluded after considering the reports of various committees that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose died in an air crash in 1945, the Union home ministry has told a Calcuttan in reply to a question under the right to information law.

The government reached the conclusion after considering the reports of the Shah Nawaz Committee, the Justice G.D. Khosla commission and the Justice Mukherjee commission of enquiry, the ministry said in its reply.

It sought to dispel reports that Bose lived in disguise as "Gumnami Baba". "The Mukherjee commission had come to the conclusion that Gumnami Baba/Bhagwanji was not Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose," the ministry said.

A home ministry spokesperson said the reply was "based on the facts that were already in the public domain and the stand taken by central governments over the years".

Chandra Bose, the grand nephew of Netaji and a BJP candidate in the 2016 Assembly polls, rejected the ministry's statement and sought a special investigation team.

"I demand the central government immediately take action against the officer who gave such an irresponsible reply," PTI quoted Chandra Bose as saying.

The RTI question was filed by Sayak Sen, convener of the Open Platform for Netaji.

The Congress sought an apology from the Prime Minister for trying to defame the party through selective leaks.