There are many theories on the last few days of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose ever since the West Bengal government released a few files relating to the freedom fighter's death in a plane crash on August 18, 1945.
However, a UK based website is trying to trace his movements ahead of his death and on the day of the plane crash in Taiwan.
The website was launched by independent journalist and Bose’s grandnephew Ashis Ray, and he has been steadily releasing files on Bose.
According to the website, on August 17, 1945, Bose departed from Bangkok and arrived in Saigon before midday. As Saigon was in the immediate aftermath of Japan’s surrender in World War II a few days earlier, no plane was straightaway available to carry Bose to North-East Asia, as was the plan.
It goes on to add "Ultimately, General Isoda, of Hikari Kikan – the liaison body between Japanese authorities and the PGFI and INA – conveyed to Bose only two seats would be available on a plane heading for Tokyo. This meant a majority of his advisers and officers would not be able to accompany him."
Bose then is said to have accepted the offer and selected his ADC Col Rahman to go with him. However, the aircraft was overloaded and the Committee recorded that Bose “discarded a part of his baggage containing books, clothes, etc.”.
(Colonel Habib Ur Rahman on the Ex-Saigon flight seating plan)
The plane was a 97-2 (Sally) twin-engined heavy bomber belonging to the Japanese Air Force and the route charted for it was: Saigon-Heito-Taipei-Dairen-Tokyo. However, it was also noted that the plane needed almost the entire length of the runway to get airborne when taking off at Saigon.
Bose spent the night at a hotel in Tourane, after the pilot decided on an unscheduled halt for the night on the Indo-China coast instead of going as previously planned all the way to Taiwan.
You can read more details on what happened on that day here.
The website also adds that the Chinese government rubbished claims of Bose being in Beijing in 1949.
"A telegram dated 21 July 1956 from the Indian Embassy Beijing to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in Delhi conveyed that the Chinese Foreign Ministry had contradicted claims in India about Subhas Bose being in Beijing," it said.
The website plans to lay facts for the reader to build up for the events of Bose's last day on August 18. It also plans to release more documents tracing the freedom fighter's last day later this week.