PMO refuses data on Netaji

[ganpat1956]

Kolkata, Dec 22: The Prime Minister's Office has refused to furnish data on documents and records it held on the mysterious disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, saying the disclosure would harm India's relations with foreign countries.

"On verification of the classified files held by PMO, it is held that their disclosure will prejudicially affect relations with foreign countries," Joint Secretary to the Prime Minister and Appellate Authority in the PMO Sanjay Mitra told Anuj Dhar of Delhi-based Mission Netaji, who sought the list under the RTI Act.

The PMO's denial comes close on the heels of Chief Information Officer AN Tiwari's warning to the Union Home Ministry that it would take stern action if the ministry did not furnish the 202 documents on Netaji under its possession.

Dhar, whose organisation is on a campaign to bring out the "truth" behind Netaji's disappearance, had earlier requested PMO's Central Public Information Officer Kamal Dayani to confirm if the PMO was holding classified records on Bose and provide a list of all such records along with the unclassified ones.

In reply, Dayani provided a list of only the unclassified files, most relating to Bose's disappearance. In keeping with the RTI procedure, Mission Netaji reported the matter to the Appellate Authority in the PMO, complaining that Dayani's answer was "incomplete" because it has not responded to the request for the classified files.
Dhar, a journalist who has written Back from the Dead: Inside the Subhas Bose Mystery, said he would take up the matter with the Central Information Commission.

(Source: Central Chronicle, Dec.23,2006)

[kushal]

At least one thing is sure by this PMO statement: the reason of death must be really revealing.

[ganpat1956]

Your are right, Sir. This denial of RTI has raised the hackles of some NRIs as well.

An editorial in " indiadaily"(online edition from NJ, US), describes this as a Shame. A very pertinent question is also raised therein:

"Who wants great relationship with those who were responsible for Netajis’s disappearance and death. Japan should come clear on this. Russians should tell the truth. The Americans and British ought to tell the world what they know. The conspiracy and cover-up continues. India’s first Prime Minister Nehru, a political rival of Netaji refused to tell the world the truth."

IndiaDaily - It is time for Indian Prime MinisterManmohan Singh to tell the truth on Netaji Subhas Bose

[kushal]

Who wants great relationship with those who were responsible for Netajis’s disappearance and death.

That is an emotional statement out of sync with matured diplomacy. I would not subscribe to this view, though I subtly feel things should go more transparent.

[brijeshbhatt]

Thanks Ganpat and Kushal.
I think we should not expect each and every information from Govt. which it considers sensitive in larger public interset.

[ganpat1956]

KOLKATA: In its first response to an unofficial body, the country's premier external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), has informed 'Mission Netaji' that it was not holding any information on Subhash Chandra Bose.

Mission Netaji is conducting its own investigation into the mysterious disappearance of the hero and moving various government agencies for information on the matter.

It had requested the RAW under the Right To Information Act for disclosure of any information that it might hold on the issue.

"I am directed to inform you ... that the RAW does not have any information pertaining to Netaji. As such no list as requested by you ..can be provided," under secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat PN Ranjit Kumar told Mission Netaji's Anuj Dhar in a letter dated January 19.

Kumar also reminded Dhar that the RAW was not obliged to provide any information under the RTI Act.

Dhar, however, is skeptical about RAW's response. "In 2001, the then Home Secretary Kamal Pande filed an affidavit before the Mukherjee Commission (which was probing Netaji's mysterious disappearance). This affidavit listed out several Top Secret/Secret records whose disclosure was likely to evoke widespread reactions and harm India's relations with friendly countries," Dhar said.

Dhar said among these records some are with RAW.

It was an 'Under Office' note under the identification number 11/1/94-IC-2829 dated March 25, 1994, concerning certain articles based on classified KGB records published in a Russian journal.

Dhar claimed that the RAW had initially informed Mission Netaji that it had no record or files relating to the alleged disappearance of Netaji as the organisation was formed on September 21, 1968.

"And now, PN Ranjit Kumar has made a sweeping statement that RAW does not have any information pertaining to Netaji and that RAW is under no obligation to spill the beans. But it has no licence to mislead either," Dhar said.

The Delhi-based organisation would now bring the matter to the notice of the Central Information Commission.

DNA - India - No information on Netaji's disappearance, says RAW - Daily News & Analysis

[Anuj Dhar]

thank you Ganpat. Kindly follow this link to know more.

:::MISSION NETAJI::: Right to Information Crusade

Regards

[ganpat1956]

It would have been wonderful if you had spared a few moments to introduce yourself to other members of our forum. Anyway I extend a warm welcome to you. We are happy to have a writer of your calibre amongst us. As you would have observed, we have been tracking your work since Dec.2006. It is very nice of you to have provided additional link to enable our viewers to know more about your work.
Regards,
Ganpat

[Anuj Dhar]

Oh, thanks for the kind words. There is nothing much about me. I have been a journalist and have followed the Bose death case for a few years. I've written a book on the case.

Now my friends and I run Mission Netaji. Our aim as of now is to make efforts to resolve this matter of Bose's fate. You will all be aware that the Govt rejected the Mukherjee Commission's report rather arbitrarily. One area of our activities is making use of the RTI act -- it is the reason I am here.

On Friday, a Writ Petition filed by our friends was admitted in Calcutta High Court. The Govt doesnt have a quick answer as to why they rejected the report submitted by a reputed former Supreme Court judge.

We have filed a couple of complaints with the CIC. One deals with Home Ministry's refusal to give us copies of documents exhibited by previous panels on Bose's death. We think that they were fraud and that's why the govt did not give us those papers. This matter has reached Information Commissioner AN Tiwari, who in the last hearing gave the CPIO, MHA a sever dressing down.

The two more cases likely to come up for hearing soon pertains to the PMO, Cabinet Secretariat and MEA. The PMO did not give us appropriate information about the illegal destruction of a Top Secret PMO file. The MEA refused us the copies of the correspondence they had had with the Russians on Bose's fate.

Regards