“It is criminal defamation to say Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose became Gumnami Baba,” says the London based author, Ashis Ray. He is the author of Laid to Rest: The Controversy Over Subhas Chandra Bose’s Death, a critically acclaimed book which talks about the mystery over the death of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

He was speaking to the press as the 74th death anniversary of Bose approaches on August 18.

“The so-called Gumnami Baba was a suspected murderer. To even remotely suggest he was Subhas Bose is the greatest insult to one of the leading lights of the Indian freedom movement, who sacrificed his life for the independence of his country. This slander must stop. Indian authorities need to take action against peddlers of such character assassination, who make money from spreading calumny and misleading innocent people,” the author elaborated.