Crucial file on ‘truth behind Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s disappearance’ destroyed in 1972

A day after the Central government on Friday declassified 25 more files relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, it has emerged that a key file had been destroyed by the Centre decades back as part of a ‘routine’ exercise.

The file in question is – File No 12 (226)56-PM – as per The Times of India.

As per the report, the mention of the file is contained in the papers declassified yesterday and it dealt with investigations into circumstances that led to the death of Subhas Chandra Bose.

The loss of the crucial PMO file was noticed after the Justice Mukherjee Commission – conducting an inquiry into the mysterious disappearance of Netaji – asked about it in 2001.

The Prime Minister’s Office failed to find the file and informed the Commission that the file had been destroyed in “routine course” in 1972.

However, the PMO did add that the file’s summary contents were available with the Cabinet Secretariat, as the file contained agenda papers and Cabinet decisions.

But, the Cabinet Secretariat stated that “this organisation has no record relating to the contents of the file as it was formed only on September 21, 1968”.

As per the report, the Mukherjee commission had stated in its report that if the file had been available, finding the truth could have become easy.