The Afterlife of India's Fascist Leader.

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  • Author(s): Purcell, Hugh
  • Source:
    History Today. Nov2010, Vol. 60 Issue 11, p45-51. 7p.
  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      BOSE, Subhas Chandra, 1897-1945; HOAXES; CONSPIRACIES; CONSPIRACY theories; HEROES; HISTORICAL errors; HISTORY of India -- 20th century; POLITICS & government of India, 1947-
    • Subject Terms:
      INDIA
    • Abstract:
      The article explores the possible hoax surrounding the death of revolutionary Indian nationalist Subhas Chandra Bose, sometimes referred to as Netaji (Great Leader), in an airplane crash in 1945. In 1985, a holy man known as Bhag-wanji or Gumnami Baba ('the saint with no name') died in Faizabad, India whom locals identified as Bose. A government inquiry was initiated in 1999 which appointed Justice M.K. Mukherjee to lead an investigation to determine whether Gumnami Baba was Bose. Other subjects considered include how Bose is viewed as a martyr or hero in India's popular culture, the possibility of a government cover-up regarding Bose's death by India, and the views of Bose's family regarding his death.