Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee government will declassify 64 files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and put them in the public domain on September 18, the chief minister announced at Nabanna on Friday.
“All 64 files relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose will be put in the public domain next Friday,” she said.
The 64 documents that are currently in possession of the state government will be kept in the archives of the Kolkata Police Museum on Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road in north Kolkata.
“The house of Netaji is in the city itself. His life and activities are mostly spanned within our state itself. The people of Bengal are very much keen to delve deep into the life and activities of the great leader. This prompted us to take this decision,” Ms Banerjee said.
The CM acknowledged that she herself was in the dark that such a huge number of documents pertaining to Netaji’s life were lying with the state. Ms Banerjee, along with chief secretary Sanjay Mitra, home secretary Basudeb Banerjee and director-general of police G.M.P. Reddy, first decided to have a look at some old files when they fished out so many documents. Fifty-five documents were with the state while nine were with the intelligence branch of the state police.
“I think that neither the internal security nor the external security of the state will be affected if we make these files on Netaji public. He was a brave son of the country so why should we keep these important documents away from the common people?” she asked.
The state will be digitising the files from 1937 to 1947. Ms Banerjee has herself urged the Centre on more than one occasion to bring Netaji’s files lying with them in the public domain. But there has been no response.
“I am not aware what the Centre will do but people in Bengal want to know more about Netaji’s life and activities,” the chief minister said.
The state government’s decision is in sharp contrast to the NDA government’s refusal to declassify Netaji’s files despite persistent demands from his family and admirers.
Welcoming Ms Banerjee’s decision, Krishna Bose, the wife of Netaji’s grandnephew Sisir Bose and chairperson of the Netaji Research Bureau, said, “The truth about Netaji’s life and times will put to rest all speculation and turn the focus on his work during his lifetime.”
