New Delhi: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s grandnephew, Chandra Kumar Bose, on Friday raised doubts about whether the cap of the freedom fighter displayed at the Netaji Museum in Delhi’s Red Fort is the same one he had handed over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019.
“Netaji researchers and those who had previously seen this said cap feel that this isn’t the original cap. Shall be obliged if an investigation & proper authentication could be done to establish that this is the original,” Kumar wrote on X, sharing pictures with PM Modi, handing over the cap to him.
On 12 March, Kumar posted on X that the cap of Bose was missing from the museum, claiming that no one from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) knew its whereabouts.
After the post went viral, the ASI claimed that the cap was in safe custody and it had been taken away for an exhibition in Andaman’s Port Blair.
“Moving artefacts for exhibition is routine work. It was on display during the Parakram Divas celebrations. The cap is not missing,” said a senior ASI official.
However, when the cap was brought back to the Red Fort museum, it remained off display for a few days due to a problem with the showcase lock.
“The lock has now been repaired, and the cap has been placed back on display,” wrote ASI on X.
After the controversy, when the cap was again showcased on Friday, Kumar claimed that it was not the original and slammed the ASI move for moving around ‘the small item which can get misplaced easily’.
“How can a personal cap of Netaji presented to the Prime Minister, who placed it in the display box at the Red Fort Museum be taken all over the place for display? A small item like the cap can easily be misplaced. Why no information is there at the Red Fort Netaji museum,” wrote Kumar on X.
Handover of the cap to Modi
According to Kumar, the cap was handed over to Modi on 23 January 2019, to mark Netaji’s birth anniversary. The prime minister himself placed the cap inside a glass box at the Red Fort Museum in the presence of Kumar and other members of his family.
Kumar said a member of The Open Platform for Netaji (OPN), Naveen Bamel, had recently visited the museum and found Netaji’s cap to be missing.
“Netaji is our tallest leader, and this is highly embarrassing,” said Kumar.
On X, Bose reacted to the comments. One of the users said I can send you 10 caps of INA. “This was ‘Netaji’s personal Cap’-it would be an act of sacrilege if it is misplaced,” Kumar responded.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)