Kolkata : Decrying the “disrespect” shown to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose through “distorted facts” printed in a memorabilia at a wax museum run by the West Bengal government here, a citizen’s group Thursday demanded a public apology from the museum and prosecution of the person responsible.
Citizens for Justice, Kolkata, has written to Bengal government claiming the memorabilia related to Bose contains wrong spelling of the leader’s name and also, mentions Bose’s date of death as Aug 18, 1945 when the Justice Mukherjee Commission report concluded that Bose did not die in the alleged air crash that year.
“The recently opened Wax Museum in Rajarhat opposite Eco Hub is selling memorabilia containing quotations of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
“In that memorabilia, it has been mentioned that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose died on August 18, 1945. The name of Netaji has been wrongly spelt,” said Nirmalya Bhattacharyya, secretary, Citizens For Justice, in a letter addressed to the state chief secretary.
“It has now been established beyond doubt that Netaji did not die on that date. By mentioning this date as the date of death of Netaji, the wax museum authority has not only shown great disrespect to Netaji, they have also hurt the sentiment of the countrymen. This is a shameful act,” he said in the letter.
Citing the Mukherjee panel report, Bhattacharya told IANS: “By distorting facts they have betrayed the people and dishonoured Netaji.”
The forum has requested the state government to “withdraw the entire stock of this particular memorabilia and destroy the entire stock so that this cannot be sold elsewhere”.
It has also urged the authorities “to find out the person responsible for this misdeed, prosecute and punish him/her and ask the wax museum authority to tender public apology for dishonouring Netaji and hurting the sentiment of the countrymen in general and Bengalis in particular”.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the wax museum christened ‘Mother’s Wax Museum’ earlier this month. Among the 19 wax models, Netaji’s statue is also present.
The Mukherjee panel in its report concluded that Bose did not die in the alleged air crash of 1945 and the ashes at the Renkoji temple are not his ashes.
According to Chandra Kumar Bose, a grand-nephew of Netaji and also the convenor of Open Platform for Netaji, the authorities should find out who is responsible for the mistake.
“It shows how the state government is working. They don’t even have the right information on Bose. The question that should be asked is whether it was deliberately done or an error.
“If they admit it is a mistake then they should find out who did that mistake… its a costly mistake. The Bose family demands a public apology from the chief minister of West Bengal,” Bose told IANS.