The INA treasure controversy relates to alleged misappropriation by men of ''

Azad Hind The Provisional Government of Free India (''Ārzī Hukūmat-e-Āzād Hind'') or, more simply, ''Azad Hind'', was an Indian provisional government established in Japanese occupied Singapore during World War II. It was created in October 1943 ...

'' of the ''Azad Hind'' fortune recovered from belongings of

Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose ( ; 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 * * * * * * * * *) was an Indian nationalist whose defiance of British authority in India made him a hero among Indians, but his wartime alliances with Nazi Germany and Imperia ...

in his last known journey. The treasure, a considerable amount of gold ornaments and gems, is said to have been recovered from Bose's belongings following the fatal plane crash in Formosa (present-day

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

) that reportedly killed him, and taken to men of ''Azad Hind'' then living in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

government was made aware of a number of these individuals allegedly using part of the recovered treasure for personal use. However, despite repeated warnings from Indian diplomats in Tokyo, Nehru is said to have disregarded allegations that men previously associated with ''Azad Hind'' misappropriated the funds for personal benefit. Some of these are said to have travelled to Japan repeatedly with the approval of Nehru government and were later given government roles implementing Nehru's political and economic agenda. A very small portion of the alleged treasure was repatriated to India in the 1950s. It is estimated that Netaji carried with him approximately 70 kg of treasures in four iron boxes while starting his final journey from Bangkok on 17 August 1945 morning. At Saigon he had to shed around 38 kg of treasures and took the already overloaded onward bound bomber with only two boxes. Next day the bomber crashed at the airfield while taking off from Taihoku, Formosa, at around 2.30pm, killing Netaji and five other Japanese. The Japanese army salvaged around 16 kg of scattered treasures and later sent it to the

Indian Independence League The Indian Independence League (also known as IIL) was a political organisation operated from the 1920s to the 1940s to organise those living outside India into seeking the removal of British colonial rule over India. Founded by Indian national ...

headquarters at Tokyo. What came back to India on 10 November 1952 was 11 kg of treasures, which is lying in the National Museum vault at New Delhi.

Documentary

*'Netaji Bose - The Lost Treasure' a documentary by

History TV18 History TV18 (formerly known as The History Channel) is a television channel in India. It broadcasts infotainment and documentry shows. It is owned by a joint venture between A+E Networks, owner of the American History channel, and TV18, an Ind ...

channel.

References

The Wire: The Tale of Netaji's Missing Treasures and the Nehru Govt's Refusal to Recover Them

External links

{{Azad Hind Fauj Subhas Chandra Bose Indian independence movement Indian diaspora in Singapore

Documentary

See also

References

External links