india

Updated: Jul 24, 2019 08:58 IST

A judicial inquiry report on identity of Gumnami Baba alias Bhagwanji, whom some believed was Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, will be tabled in the Uttar Pradesh legislature, an official said.

“Yes, the state cabinet on Tuesday decided to table the Justice (retired) Vishnu Sahai inquiry commission report in the state legislature,” said the senior officer, who was aware of the UP cabinet’s decision. The officer said the monsoon session was a brief one and so the report may be tabled in the next session.

Asked whether the report will unravel the mystery behind the identity of Gumnami Baba, the officer said, “This will be clear only when the report becomes public.”

Those aware of the contents of the report said, “The commission appears to have eliminated, to a large extent, the possibilities of Gumnami Baba being Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.”

The Justice Sahai commission had submitted its 347-page report to governor Ram Naik on September 19, 2017.

When the commission began its inquiry to ascertain the identity of Gumnami Baba, 35 witnesses deposed before it in person. In addition, 10 affidavits were filed by those not able to appear before the commission in person.

The commission had treated such observations and affidavits as statements.

The majority of those who deposed before the commission observed that Gumnami Baba could have been Bose. There were opposite views as well. Some also said Swami Shardanand, who visited Kaithi village in Varanasi in 1952 and then went to Shoulmari Ashram at Pala Kata in Cooch Bihar (West Bengal) and died in Dehradun in 1977 was Bose.

Many witnesses had based their statements on personal observations, saying they had seen Gumnami Baba and he could have been Bose. They further said articles pertaining to Bose were recovered from Ram Bhawan in Faizabad where Gumnami Baba had stayed.

The state government had set up the one-man inquiry commission on July 4, 2016 following directives of Allahabad high court on January 31, 2013.

A petition had been filed in the Allahabad high court, claiming that Gumnami Baba was Bose.

The high court had asked the state government to set up a panel to ascertain the identity of Gumnami Baba, who died on September 16, 1985. His last rites were performed on September 18, 1985.