The disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in 1945 remains one of India’s most enduring historical enigmas. Officially, it is believed that Bose died in a plane crash in Taiwan, but this narrative has long been challenged. The Bose Deception: Declassified by Anuj Dhar and Chandrachur Ghose questions this version with compelling new evidence. According to the authors, Bose’s disappearance may have been intentional and strategic, rather than accidental. Declassified documents suggest that he might have gone underground to evade arrest or reorganize a resistance movement. Bose’s connections with global powers like Japan, Germany, and the Soviet Union add a geopolitical layer to the mystery.

Some theories propose that he entered Soviet territory, explaining the silence from both Indian and Russian authorities. Had Bose returned, his popularity could have posed a political challenge to post-independence leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru. This could explain the suppression of facts. The book argues that decades of government surveillance on Bose’s family imply a deeper motive. Maintaining the mystery may have helped preserve political stability and control the narrative of India’s independence. Thus, the truth was possibly hidden to shape the course of post-colonial Indian politics.

The Bose Deception: Declassified has ignited nationwide interest and reviving the debate over Bose’s fate. Though it has not yet won major literary awards, its impact on Indian non-fiction is undeniable. It stands as a powerful work questioning official history and honoring Bose’s revolutionary legacy.

 

Writer: Mrinmoy Banerjee is the Editor-In-Chief of The Views Express

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