AGARTALA, June 5 (TIWN): RTI revelation about Netaji's death by Central Home Ministry saying Indian Freedom Fighter Netaji Subash Ch. Bose was died in 1945 in a plane crash has hit the opposition parties including Congress, CPI-M, Trinamool. On Monday a wing of CPI-M Forward Bloc had burnt PM Modi's effigy at Paradise Chowmuhani asking 'Mukharjee Commission's report to be published' by Central Govt and also demanded that the Home Ministry should apologize for the issue. Burning effigy of PM Modi, the Forward Block members said, "Forward bloc condemns the Central Govt's distorted data on Subash Ch. Bose's death. Central Govt has to release the correct data on Netaji's death". The left front wing also demanded that Govt should cancel the data revealed in RIT and publish a new data. Mukharjee Commission's data has been preferred by Forward bloc.

The Union Home Ministry, in a Right to Information reply  Tuesday, had said the freedom fighter had died in this manner in Taiwan in 1945, though this has long been an unconfirmed claim.

An MHA spokesperson said the matter was not closed. “There was a conclusion in 2006 that Netaji was dead,” the spokesperson said. “The RTI reply was based on that conclusion. However, the issue is not closed. Any new fact, if it comes up, will be examined by the government on merit and an appropriate decision will be taken.”

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had demanded a clarification on the matter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I am shocked to see this unilateral decision of the central government without evidence,” she had said.

Earlier, the Union Home Ministry had replied to RTI applicant and Open Platform for Netaji spokesperson Sayak Sen’s query asking for information about an individual identified as Gumnami Baba or Bhagwanji, who some believed was the freedom fighter.

“After considering the reports of Shahnawaz Committee, Justice GD Khosla Commission and Justice Mukherjee Commission of Enquiry, the government has come to the conclusion that Netaji has died in plane crash in 1945,’’ the Union home ministry had said. The Mukherjee Commission had concluded that Gumnami Baba/Bhagwanji was not Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

The definitive answer had not gone down well with his family. “This is an irresponsible move,” Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party vice president and Bose’s grandson Chandra Bose said. “How can the government conclude Netaji’s death without concrete evidence?’’