THE NETAJI DISAPPEARANCE MYSTERY ... 1

THE NETAJI DISAPPEARANCE MYSTERY ... 1

Rev. Mochizuki, former head priest of the Renkoji Temple in Tokyo where Netaji's ashes are purportedly preserved. This presupposes the aircrash of Netaji at Taihoku on 18 August, 1945 as reported by the Domei News Agency of Japan on 23 August, 1945. But the Mukherjee Commission found the aircrash theory untenable and rejected it. The Government of India in turn rejected the Mukherjee Commission Report and upheld the earlier conclusions of the Shah Nawaz Committee and the Khosla Commission of death by aircrash. The Taiwan Government affirmed that no such crash had taken place in Taihoku on or near the said date. The nearest crematorium had no record of Netaji's death and subsequent cremation. So, whose ashes were interred in the casket that was taken to Tokyo from Taihoku? A Japanese soldier by the name Ichiro Okura had died of heart attack on 19 August, 1945 and it is alleged by detractors of the aircrash theory that it was his ashes that were taken to and preserved in the Tokyo Renkoji Temple. A DNA test of the ashes would perhaps solve the riddle. Meanwhile, it has been claimed in certain quarters that the Renkoji Temple had been gutted by a devastating fire in 1988 and been totally reduced to ashes. It was subsequently rebuilt. I cannot testify to the veracity of the statement. But if so, then whose ashes and remains of bones are there in the casket at Renkoji which was photographed by the Mukherjee Commission? Meanwhike, the Netaji disappearance mystery continues.

Written by Sugata Bose