West Bengal Government to Release Netaji Files

KOLKATA: West Bengal government today announced it would make public on Friday next 64 files relating to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose which could throw light on the mysterious disapperance of the nationalist leader in mid-1940s.   

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said there has been a long- standing demand for declassification of Netaji files and 64 files on the freedom fighter lying with the state's home department would be put in public domain from next Friday.   

"A total 64 files are there with us. There may be one or two more files also which would also be put in the public domain. After properly reviewing all the files, we have decided to put them in public domain from next Friday (September 18)," she announced at the state secretariat.         

Replying to a question, she said "we don't feel that there is anything related to internal security in the files. Everybody wants to know what happened to Netaji. He was a brave son of our soil and he was from Bengal," she said.   Asked if the state would request the Centre to declassify files it has in its possession, Banerjee said "it is for the Centre to decide but we want the truth about Netaji to come out. It is for you people (journalists) to find out what happened to him."          

Asked whether the files to be declassified could throw any clue about the alleged snooping on Netaji's nephew by the Congress government at the Centre from 1948 to 1968, Banerjee said "you have the options. It is better for you to go through the files to get the answers."         

The Chief Minister also announced that the record of the freedom struggle from 1937 to 1947 would be digitised in order to preserve history.       

Welcoming the decision to declassify Netaji files, Krishna Bose, a former Trinamool Congress MP and Netaji's family member, said there was no reason to hold back the files for 70 years after his disapperance.

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