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Snooping on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's Kin stretched to Europe

IB intercepted personal letters from Netaji's European admirers meant for the Bose family in India

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After the disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in 1945, the entire Bose family was living in a glass house. Every single detail of their personal lives and political activities was being monitored by the prying eyes of the Nehru administration. The Nehru government knew which hotel room in Switzerland Subhas Bose's elder brother Sarat was staying in, it knew where Bose's daughter and wife were moving around in Europe and even had access to personal letters between Bose's nephew Amiya and his school classmates.

In this concluding article, dna reveals how deeply personal letters sent by people considered close to Subhas Bose to his nephew Amiya Bose from outside India too were not spared the scanner. Some of these people were considered 'dangerous' by the British because of their anti-Imperialist moorings. Ironically, the enemies of the British became the enemies of the Nehru administration as well.

A journalist the British hated and so did Nehru

Pulin Behari Seal was a bright young Cambridge-educated journalist considered 'dangerous' by the British for his views in support of Subhas Chandra Bose. He was the London correspondent for a French news agency and had fiercely debated the need for self-government in India on British soil. He founded the 'Orient Press' as an independent news agency and had grand plans for its expansion. So much had he annoyed the British government that they planned his arrest if he ever landed at any of India's ports before independence. Although the British left India in 1947, Pulin Seal remained on the Nehru administration's hit-list for the next two decades.

An Intelligence Bureau (IB) memo (number 9389/ FM 2427/ 61) dated June 26, 1961 reveals that a 'casual agent' of the IB intercepted a letter from Pulin Behari Seal to Amiya Bose. A copy of the letter was forwarded to the Home Ministry, then under Lal Bahadur Shastri. The letter was allowed to be delivered to Amiya.

In the letter, Pulin Seal advises Amiya that he should try to become a Member of Parliament because "the road to power in Bengal is always via Delhi." The letter also elucidates on the virtues of having India's own news agency in Africa and how news agencies like Reuters, among others, were doing yeoman's service to the African Press.

The most striking part of the letter reads: "In Paris, there are a large number of Netaji's admirers who will make contributions to the fund if rightly approached. You can gradually expand your operations to Malaya, Burma, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. If developed, the Netaji Bureau and the Netaji Academy could form the nucleus of a power dynamo. The one thing you must guard against is the impression at present that it is a family affair… If I finish the book on Netaji, I shall require good payment from an Indian paper for serial rights. I hope to make real money from the USA and the continent (Europe)."

Bose's Austrian 'admirer' on Nehru's radar

Naomi Vetter was the wife of an Austrian government official who had developed a keen interest in the world view of Subhas Chandra Bose. Bose counted her as one his good friends in Europe and had written several letters to her on numerous matters. She went on to translate many of Bose's works into German. She remained in touch with the Bose family even after the disappearance of Bose in 1945. Not surprisingly by now, many of her letters were intercepted by the Nehru administration decades after Bose's mysterious disappearance.

An IB memo (number 761/FM.1000/54) dated January 15, 1954 shows a letter intercepted in Calcutta on official orders of the Home Ministry. The letter dated January 3, 1954 was written by Naomi Vetter to Bose's nephew Amiya. The letter warns of certain elements trying to dilute the basic premise of Bose's political ideology in Europe and the growing stature of Nehru in the continent.

The letter reads: "Reading some pamphlets of the Forward Bloc and some other publications, I was much surprised to see Netaji's hallowed name being used for ideas and ideologies which, as it seemed to me, did not conform with Netaji's convictions. At least he never made any allusion to such ideas till the time I knew Netaji."

The intercepted letter goes on to talk about Nehru as well: "Some Vienna acquaintances of mine, Mr and Mrs Satzinger have got the most honourable order of creating a marble statue (or bronze -- I do not know) of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in New Delhi. This brings them much honour and a bit of money. I took the liberty of writing this to you dear Amiya, and I beg to be forgiven that I did."

The interception of Naomi Vetter's letters continued for many more years to come.

An IB memo (number 7438/FM. 2427/59) dated May 1, 1959 again intercepted a letter from Naomi Vetter. The letter dated April 25, 1959 reads: "The reason for me contacting you today is whether you have received the original letter written by Mayor of Vienna Mr Karl Seitz. He wanted to know about the photo of him taken with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at the Communal Council. Mr Seitz says kind words about Netaji. I am taking the liberty of asking you to send me one more brochure of the Sarat Bose Academy along with Netaji's letter. This will be the last time I am troubling you."

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