MEA might have killed the PMO’s plan to get information about Netaji from Russia in 1996

By NewsGram Staff-Writer

New Delhi: Classified documents accessed by noted researcher on Bose mystery, Anuj Dhar, have revealed that in March 1996, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had directed Indian Ambassador in Moscow to make "discreet" enquires about any information related to Netaji Subhas Chaandra Bose's disappearance in 1945, according to a report published in Times of India.

Eight months later in November, 1996, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) appears to have dropped the idea of government's formal intervention and instead decided to rely on Asiatic society to seek access to KGB archives, revealed the documents.

The classified document written by RL Narayan, MEA joint secretary for east Europe, dated March 7, 1996, expressed concern that making a formal request to Russia to allow Asiatic Society scholars to access KGB archives may be misunderstood by Russia as India "disbelieving the Russian government's categorical and official statement on the subject."

It has been largely held that Netaji died in a plane crash in Taiwan, on August 18, 1945. But, recently, this account has been questioned by various researches and Bose's family members. Bose's family members have appealed to the government to reveal all the classified files related to Bose.