Boy Who Spooked the Netaji Spooks
Writes: Vivek Chhetri
Intelligence agencies had put a 15-year-old Darjeeling boy under surveillance after he wrote a letter to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose, according to one of the files declassified by the state government.
According to information gleaned so far from the 64 Netaji files declassified on September 18, Prithilal Subba could be one of the youngest persons to be put under surveillance in connection with the freedom fighter.
The file does not mention the contents and date of the letter. A Darjeeling resident who runs an NGO that seeks to unearth the truth behind Netaji's disappearance said that in the letter, Prithilal had asked Sarat Bose whether the freedom fighter was dead or alive.
The file contains a report of the district intelligence branch of the CID, Darjeeling, dated November 15, 1949. The report spells the name as Pirthi Lal Subba.
"A thorough enquiry has been made about the writer of letter. His name is Pirthi Lal Subba, aged about 15 years, S/o Late Dhan Prasad Subba. He is a student of Class IX... of the Govt. H.E. School, Darjeeling. He resides with his brother Sri M.S. Subba at Ghoom under Jorebungalow P.S. He was formerly a student of "Turn Bull" M.E. School, Darjeeling. He took his admission in the Govt. H.E. School on 6.4.48," the report says.
"It is learnt from the Headmaster of the Govt. H.E. School, Darjeeling, that the attendance of the boy in the school is irregular. He is not in the good notion of the school masters for his desperate character. There is nothing against him politically or otherwise," the report adds.
The report mentions that there was "nothing on record against the writer of the intercept in this district". "It seems that he has got some leanings towards the U.S.P. of Sri Sarat Basu," it adds.
The report concludes that there is "nothing against him politically or otherwise".
Prithilal, a resident of Ghoom in Darjeeling, died in 2000.
He had joined politics and had been associated with the CPM and the Congress, but quit when the statehood movement started in the Darjeeling hills in 1986.
Anuj Dhar, a founder member of the NGO Mission Netaji and author of the book India's Biggest Cover-Up, had a few days ago tweeted about the report. Speaking over phone from Delhi, Dhar said: "A 15-year-old boy being snooped on is definitely serious and shows how paranoid the establishment was then. The boy had written a letter only wanting to know whether Netaji was alive or dead."
At Prithilal's Ghoom residence, one of his sons, Panna Lal Subba, was surprised when told about the report. "It is interesting. We did not know anything about this (the surveillance). It is also surprising that he was under police surveillance when he was studying in Class IX."
Via: Telegraph
Writes: Vivek Chhetri
Intelligence agencies had put a 15-year-old Darjeeling boy under surveillance after he wrote a letter to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose, according to one of the files declassified by the state government.
According to information gleaned so far from the 64 Netaji files declassified on September 18, Prithilal Subba could be one of the youngest persons to be put under surveillance in connection with the freedom fighter.
The file does not mention the contents and date of the letter. A Darjeeling resident who runs an NGO that seeks to unearth the truth behind Netaji's disappearance said that in the letter, Prithilal had asked Sarat Bose whether the freedom fighter was dead or alive.
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| The File declassified by the state government. |
"A thorough enquiry has been made about the writer of letter. His name is Pirthi Lal Subba, aged about 15 years, S/o Late Dhan Prasad Subba. He is a student of Class IX... of the Govt. H.E. School, Darjeeling. He resides with his brother Sri M.S. Subba at Ghoom under Jorebungalow P.S. He was formerly a student of "Turn Bull" M.E. School, Darjeeling. He took his admission in the Govt. H.E. School on 6.4.48," the report says.
"It is learnt from the Headmaster of the Govt. H.E. School, Darjeeling, that the attendance of the boy in the school is irregular. He is not in the good notion of the school masters for his desperate character. There is nothing against him politically or otherwise," the report adds.
The report mentions that there was "nothing on record against the writer of the intercept in this district". "It seems that he has got some leanings towards the U.S.P. of Sri Sarat Basu," it adds.
The report concludes that there is "nothing against him politically or otherwise".
Prithilal, a resident of Ghoom in Darjeeling, died in 2000.
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| Prithilal Subba and his wife |
Anuj Dhar, a founder member of the NGO Mission Netaji and author of the book India's Biggest Cover-Up, had a few days ago tweeted about the report. Speaking over phone from Delhi, Dhar said: "A 15-year-old boy being snooped on is definitely serious and shows how paranoid the establishment was then. The boy had written a letter only wanting to know whether Netaji was alive or dead."
At Prithilal's Ghoom residence, one of his sons, Panna Lal Subba, was surprised when told about the report. "It is interesting. We did not know anything about this (the surveillance). It is also surprising that he was under police surveillance when he was studying in Class IX."
Via: Telegraph
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