NEW DELHI, Mar 7: Renowned historian Professor Irfan Habib today said the country should stop questioning death of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and instead bring back his ashes to honour him.
“I think, it is no tribute to the great Indian freedom fighter to make his death a matter of controversy. The evidence of his INA colleague Habiburrehman and the Japanese doctor should be accepted,” he said. “We should rather bring back his ashes from Japan and protect and preserve them with all honour,” the great historian said talking to reporters after delivering the first captain Abbas Ali memorial lecture on ‘The Legacy of the INA or Azad Hind Fauj’.
Prof Habib, while tracing down the history of the INA and the spirit circumstances that went into the making of the force, called for preserving the secular ethos and the ideals of communal unity on which the INA was founded and operated by Netaji and other great leaders like Captain Mohan Singh, Mohammad Akram, Ras Behari Bose and Gyani Preetam Singh.
Hindus and Muslims fought shoulder to shoulder in the INA, which came into being after Subhash Chandra Bose and other leaders were convinced that the non-violent movement of Gandhiji was not going to win freedom for the country, Prof Habeeb pointed out.
The emergence of the INA, which comprised of the Indian soldiers serving in the British Army, hastened the withdrawal of the British from India as they thought they could no longer trust the Indians on their Army, without whom it was difficult to maintain the hold on the Indian empire, the historian said.
The INA as a united force of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs emerged at a time when there were all round divisions on the national scene, he said.
“INA posed a model for the country which was quite different from the Congress at that time,” he said. Prof Habib said Subhash Chandra Bose did not want partition of India even if some more concessions were to be given to Muslims.
“It is for us today to preserve the INA ethos-to hold high the banner of secularism, unity and communal amity,” Prof Habib added.
The first Captain Abbas Ali memorial lecture was attended by a galaxy of Scholars and intellectuals including Justice Rajinder Sachchar and veteran journalist Kuldeep Nayyar. Captain Abbas Ali, an active member of the INA, had been awarded death sentence by the British in 1946, but his sentence could not be executed as India gained independence a few months later.
After independence he was active in politics, remaining associated with various strains of socialism in the country led by Ram Manohar lohia and others. He was jailed during the Emergency.
Capt Ali never accepted any freedom fighter person in his life. He passed away on October 11 last year. (UNI)
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