NEW DELHI: Several documents and notes related to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose were destroyed when Jawahar Lal Nehru was Prime Minister, reveals two Prime Minister Office files, made public on Wednesday. The Express had earlier reported that these two 'Secret' files- 2(658)/53-PMS and 23 (156)/51-PM was held back last month by the government. The file No.23 (156)/51-PM, about "Disposal of Properties of Indian National Army (INA) in the Far East' suggests that many papers were destroyed by Nehru PMO though no reason has been mentioned in the file. 6 papers from S.Nos -1-A, 2-A, 3-A, 4-A, 6-A and 8-A were destroyed.
Similarly U.O.Note No. d/s-8666, dated 24th August, 1953 from Prime Minister Secretariat ( PMO then was known as PM Sectt) to Mohd. Yunus, Ministry of External Affairs was destroyed. Another U.O. Note No. D. 3788-8EA/53 dated 27th August from Mohd Yunus, MEA to PM's Secretariat was destroyed.
It appears from the file that Mohd Yunus of Ministry of External Affairs had sent another Memo No. 2/53/19713/601 (151) to Prime Minister Secretariat which was also destroyed. Among the destroyed documents is a letter from the Joint Secretary, All India INA Enquiry & Relief Committee to the President.
Enclosures to a Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 334, dated 2nd August, 1955 were also destroyed. This particular file also mentions that notes- 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 29 were also destroyed. It doesn’t mention whether these records were destroyed routinely or through some particular instructions. Only one letter of Mod Yunus, dated 17th November 1953 remains in the file along with several notes from Jawahar Lal Nehru.
In the second file- 2(658)/53-PMS related to Jankinath Bhawan at Cuttack, birth place of Subhash Chandra Bose' a letter from B Mukerji, then Chief Secretary to government of Bhubneswar to BN Kaul, PPS to Prime Minister Nehru was destroyed along with Notes no. 10, 11, 12, 26, 27 and 32.
This file too doesn’t mention reason for destruction of papers which may trigger further controversy.