Chapter III: Death of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

Thus, Netaji was carried along with other injured persons to Nanmon Military Hospital, Taihoku. This was a small hospital, and had four general wards with accomodation for 80 patients, and 15 more in the infectious ward. As a precaution against air raids, the main Hospital and its several branches were removed to outer areas. The Nanmon Branch was the only one left in Taihoku city, where patients received first-aid treatment before being sent to other hospitals. The Medical Officer in charge of this branch was Captain T. Yoshimi who had graduated in 1938 and was commissioned in 1940. There was another doctor, Dr. Tsuruta, who had qualified only in 1944. There was also a third doctor. The other staff consisted of half a dozen Japanese and Formosan nurses and 30 medical orderlies. The Committee examined both Dr. Yoshimi and Dr. Tsuruta. None of the Japanese nurses could be traced. A Formosan nurse, Tsan Pi Sha, who had made an important statement before an Indian Journalist Mr. Harin Shah of Indian Free Press Journal, in 1946, could not be examined as the Committee did not find it possible to visit Formosa. At 2 P.M. on the 18th August 1945, Dr. Yoshimi received a telephone message from the Taihoku Aerodrome to be ready to receive a number of persons injured in an air accident. Sometime later, a dozen injured persons including Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose were admitted into the hospital. There is some discrepancy between the witnesses, as to who travelled in which vehicles, and who arrived first. But these are minor points and may be overlooked. When Netaji was taken to the hospital, most of the witnesses have said that he was without any clothes on him, but there are others who say that he came partly covered. A Military Officer identified the big-built foreigner as the Indian leader Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. His Adjutant, Col. Habibur Rehman, was also admitted at the same time.

2. When he was brought in, Netaji's condition was the most serious, but such, was his magnanimity that he told the doctors to attend to the others first, and to him last. In view, however, of his condition, the doctors attended to him first. Eye-witnesses, both medical and non-medical, have said that Netaji was burnt all over, and his skin had taken oh a dark colour, but none of them mentioned any cut injury. Col. Habibur Rehman has said that Netaji had a cut on his head 4 inches long which was bleeding. This is a discrepancy.

Netaji was examined by Dr. Yoshimi who says, "I found that he was severely burnt all over his body, and all of it had taken on a greyish colour like ash. Even his heart had burns. His face was swollen. In my opinion, his burns were of the severest type, i.e., of the third degree. There was no injury on his body from which blood came out. His eyes were also swollen. He could see, but had difficulty in opening them. He was in his senses when he was brought in. He was in high fever; his temperature was 39° centigrade. His pulse rate was 120 per minute. The condition of his heart was also weak." Dr. Yoshimi has stated that after examination of Netaji, his impression was that his condition was so serious that he was not likely to survive till the next morning. He says that Netaji's burns were caused by splashing of petrol. After examining Netaji and treating him, Dr. Yoshimi examined and treated the other injured persons. Netaji was not the only person who received severe burns. W/O Ayoagi, the Co-pilot, suffered similar burns over his shoulders. His forearms were also burnt and the legs below his knees were also burnt. All these were caused by splashing of petrol. Major Kono had third degree burns on his hands. Col. Sakai had burns on his hands. Only Lt. Col. Nonogaki did not have any burn or injury. Dr. Yoshimi has stated that Col. Habibur Rehman had burns on one side of his face and on his opposite hand. He also had a cut on his right temple.

6. One of the reasons why many people cast doubt on the fact that Netaji was dead, was the manner in which the news was made known. For reasons not very clear, the Japanese authorities maintained a great deal of secrecy about it. Presumably, it was partly due to reasons of security. Even in their official correspondence between one Commander and another, Netaji was referred to by the Japanese as Mr. "T". In the Secret Telegram, dated the 20th August 1945, from the Chief of Southern Army to O.C., Hikari Kikan, it was definitely stated that secrecy is to be maintained. The Interpreter, J. Nakamura, says that the news about Netaji's death was kept a secret and known only to high-ranking Military Officers. General Isayama, Chief of the General Staff, Formosan Army, had tried to justify this hush-hush policy by saying that they did not want to make the news public, that an important person like Netaji, who had taken a prominent part against the British for the liberation of India, was fleeing to Tokyo. General Bhonsle says that the news about Netaji was promptly communicated to him at Bangkok in a series of telegrams. But Sardar Ishar Singh, who was the Adviser to the Provisional Government of Azad Hind and Chairman of the Thai Territorial Committee of the Indian Independence League, says that the news about Netaji's plane crash and death was communicated by Japanese Military authorities three or four days after Netaji had left Bangkok, that is to say, on the 20th or 21st of August 1945. Those of Netaji's party who were left behind at Saigon did not get any news about him during the time they were there, i.e., till the 20th of August, although it was the Headquarters of the Southern Army, and a part of the time General Isoda was there and in possession of the all important information. The news was broken to Mr. S. A. Ayer by Lt. Col. Tada, who was flying with him to Tokyo, on the afternoon of the 20th at Canton. Mr. Debnath Das and others who went on to Hanoi, learnt of the tragedy only from the radio broadcast from Tokyo. It was given out on the 23rd august. Then there was the curious incident narrated by Mr. Debnath Das that a couple of days later, a Japanese Staff Officer came and told him that the plane crash was just a story, and they were not to believe it, but to go on acting according to their plan. Col. Pritam Singh was told of this by Mr. Debnath Das. Next month Mr. Debnath Das went underground. There were some other persons in Bangkok whom Netaji had already instructed, just before he left Bangkok, to go underground and keep touch with him by wireless. Some small arms, ammunition and wireless transmitter were handed over to two men, Mr. A. C. Das and Mr. Sunil Roy. Mr. Das was examined by the Committee at Bangkok. He said that when he heard the news of the crash, he like others did not believe it. But although Mr. Sunil Roy had the wavelength, frequency, call signs, etc., to contact Netaji, he tried in vain to contact him. They gave up the attempt after 10 days, and believed that the plane had indeed crashed with Netaji. Mr. Debnath Das came to the surface in May 1946, in Bangkok, but could give no news about Netaji's continued existence to Mr. A. C. Das. So most of those who originally doubted the story of the plane crash gradually came to believe it.