Talk:Subhas Chandra Bose/Archive 2

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Disappearance and date of death

The Indian government does not have any record to prove that Bose died on 18 August 1947. Even the Taiwan government deposed to the Mukherjee commission that no plane crash happened on 18 August 1945 that killed Bose. The posthumous Bharat Ratna awarded to Bose was later withdrawn by the Indian government because they did not have any evidence to suggest that Bose in fact died. In view of these, the death date of Bose cannot be established. Please check the article Disappearance of Subhas Chandra Bose for more details. -- XrieJetInfo (talk) 12:56, 6 November 2013 (UTC)

You are attempting to do original research. :Doesn't make any difference whether the Indian government has his death certificate or not, or what the inquiry commissions concluded. Wikipedia is beholden only to secondary reliable sources. When such sources, authored by some of the best-known historians of the day: Christopher Bayly, Stanley Wolpert, Barbara D. Metcalf, Thomas R. Metcalf, Burton Stein, and Sugata Bose say he died in August 1945, he died in August 1945. No amount of make-believe Wikipedia Pages or conspiracy theories will change that. Fowler&fowler«Talk» 13:02, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
(r to XrieJetInfo after ec) If you want to argue the case for mentioning alternate theories for Bose's death, you are welcome to do so here on the talk page and gain consensus. But this edit in which you replaced references to history textbooks with link to a rediff article (which only summarizes what a random website says) was clearly sub-par. Also note that you are edit-warring and liable to breach the three revert rule on the page. Abecedare (talk) 13:08, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
Hope you will approach this issue with an open mind. It is foolish to say that Bose died because someone wrote he died. Isn't that sub-par? A government appointed commission found out that Bose did not die. There is official information from Taiwan government that he did not die in 1945 in the said crash. Based on these, is it not possible to mark the death date as "presumed dead" or "disputed" with the date 18 August 1945. My only point is this - in India there is still dispute as to whether Bose died on that date or note. Since it has been a long disputed issue, isn't it only fair to make that mention rather than giving a one sided version of it? Afterall, it is not just bazaar gossip. -- XrieJetInfo (talk) 15:39, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
By the way, I want to mention it here too that the undoing of another person's edit was not done with the intent to engage in an edit war. Sorry that it happened. Apologies. -- XrieJetInfo (talk) 15:48, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
Wikipedia is not beholden to follow government appointed commissions, especially one whose report was rejected by the government itself (which very well may have been a political move, but illustrates why writing history is not a government's prerogative). Instead, as per WP:IRS and WP:HISTRS, we rely on published scholarship on the subject and give historians published by academic presses the highest weight-age. So if indeed they have given credence to alternate theories of Bose's death, we can include it in the biography section of the article. Else these "popular" theories need be mentioned only when talking of Bose's legacy. Abecedare (talk) 15:59, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
Among researchers, scholars, and historians, there is still dispute about the death of Bose. There are books which endorse these views. I strongly feel that the dispute regarding his death should get proper weightage on his article. If a death date is mentioned without mentioning the dispute, it may not present the complete picture. Can't we write "presumed dead on 18 August 1945" or "Dead: 18 August 1945 (disputed)"? I am neutral and in no way favours one of the views. But since I have been following this issue for the last few years closely, I know a few things. But I welcome the result of the discussion here even if it does not come in agreement with my suggestions. But please don't get personal as someone did on my talk page. I don't appreciate that. -- XrieJetInfo (talk) 16:05, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
Can you (or others) cite the best available sources for these alternate views ? It would be best to focus on recent academic histories, as far as possible, because while I am sure 100s of popular press articles can be cited, they carry little to no weight relative to sources listed by Fowler above. I too will look up what I can find. Abecedare (talk) 16:40, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
The random website mentioned above has an article Mission Netaji written by XrieJetInfo who also created Anuj Dhar. Raised them both at the India wikiproject because I have concerns about NPOV and other issues. Dougweller (talk) 17:06, 6 November 2013 (UTC)

OK, searching jstor for Subhas Chandra Bose throws up reviews for these titles published in the last 10 years. Many of these books post-date the above-mentioned Mukherjee Commission, so if its finding were taken seriously be historians, that should show up in at least some of these works. Note that, I don't know (yet) how much coverage these titles give to Bose, and what they say about his death. I am listing them here solely so that others too can browse through them and see if there is anything useful related to Bose's death that is not already included in the wikipedia article. Abecedare (talk) 17:11, 6 November 2013 (UTC)

More information Recent history texts ...
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I have added quotes from the previously listed texts above. Note that many other popular biographies (example, ones by Marshall J Getz, Mihir Bose and Nilanjana Sengupta) also refer to Bose's death in a Aug 18 1945 plane crash, but I have restricted the list above to academic authors/publishers. I haven't found any comparable work that discusses any of the alternate death or disappearance theories with any seriousness, except as a social phenomenon. Counterexamples welcome. Abecedare (talk) 20:10, 6 November 2013 (UTC)

Abecedare - can you elaborate on how you are making the determination of one source being of less academic value than another? It is not necessary that contemporary historians should write up a book simply because the Mukherjee commission was setup. I don't see any Wikipedia policy written that states that only historians can be cited for articles on history or that only peer-reviewed academic works can be used. Judge the source by what it contains, not by his standing amongst academics and amongst Wikipedia senior editors. The accusation of independent research is not true because someone ELSE did the research; the reference cited is the book, not the documents released under RTI. I do see a caution to clearly delineate in the article that the view of Subhas Bose not dying in the air crash (as opposed to not dying at all) is the minority view, not a consensus view. That should take care of due weight concerns. There is a distinction between what Wikipedia policy is on citable sources and what Fowler's own recommended list of citable sources are. The book is listed in the Library of Congress catalog. In fact, all his books are. Again, not a certificate of reliability. But then again, neither is JSTOR.
Subas Bose's not dying in the air crash (again, that's different from him not dying at all) is a controversial topic. Hence, all the more reason to take a closer look at the resource being cited. Popularity of a source is feeble argument to bar a citable source. It is not a mark of reliability. If Fowler is an expert, he should give the book a read and verify himself. Come back with reasons why the claims are untrue. If he doesn't have the time, refrain from making judgements.
I'm also surprised that you gave Fowler's uncivil language a pass. That's the way of the Web I guess, regardless of what Wikipedia 'policy' states.66.162.75.2 (talk) 22:40, 6 November 2013 (UTC) Indradeep
A few quick answers:
  • can you elaborate on how you are making the determination of one source being of less academic value than another? Based on author, publisher, and reviews by peers (hence my reference to jstor above)
  • It is not necessary that contemporary historians should write up a book simply because the Mukherjee commission was setup. True, but historians can be expected to update their work with recent findings that they find relevant and credible. That is the reason I specifically searched for more recent books. And if, as it appears, scholars are ignoring the report then it would be undue for wikipedia to give it any weight. Of course, as I said above, counterexamples from scholarly literature are welcome.
  • I don't see any Wikipedia policy written that states that only historians can be cited for articles on history or that only peer-reviewed academic works can be used. See WP:IRS, and especially WP:SCHOLARSHIP and WP:HISTRS. In general the idea is to use the best available source, and when contemporary scholarly, well reviewed works by qualified historians published by academic press are available they trump all other.
  • The book is listed in the Library of Congress catalog. Not sure what book you are talking about here. But being listed in LoC catalog is a real low bar, given the mandatory deposit requirement in US.
  • ...neither is JSTOR Uh? Good reviews in academic journals definitely help establish reliability of a source.
Hope that helps explain how and why I selected the sources I listed above, and what type of sources we need to give any weight to the "death controversy" in the biographical (as opposed to legacy related) sections of the article. Abecedare (talk) 23:12, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
Thank you Abecedare. It did help in making a determination. I'm also trying to read up more around controversial topics on Wikipedia (Shiva Crater theory for example) to understand better on how to address due weight and reliability of sources. 66.162.75.2 (talk) 20:32, 12 November 2013 (UTC)Indradeep
@Dougweller: As I already stated, I started and contribute to those articles, because I have an interest in them. You are free to read more about those subjects and verify whether the articles maintain NPOV. I also have started many cricket articles, but that does not necessarily mean that I run any cricket board. I will (or for that matter anyone else) write about articles that I am interested in. It is not a crime! These are my areas of interest. As I said, you need not get personal. Hope you understand that. -- XrieJetInfo (talk) 04:57, 7 November 2013 (UTC)
I'm quite happy to withdraw all suggestions of COI if you can confirm that you have no relationship to Maharishi Ayurveda or Anuj Dhar. Dougweller (talk) 10:29, 7 November 2013 (UTC)
Doug, there is no way for me to really know or prove it, but based on his edits and editing history, I trust that Xrie is motivated by his reading and interest in the subject,and not any COI or relationship with Anuj Dhar. Abecedare (talk) 11:12, 7 November 2013 (UTC)
I think you are probably right and he's just someone with an interest in the subject - we are all entitled to our POVs. But I've been bitten before and would just like confirmation that I'm wrong. Dougweller (talk) 15:15, 7 November 2013 (UTC)
But in any case, calling other editors vandals is pretty discouraging. Dougweller (talk) 15:18, 7 November 2013 (UTC)

Dear all, please look at these authentic sources which clearly indicate that the death of Subhas Bose is widely disputed in India and abroad. These are all published history books by noted historians and academicians.

More information Alternate sources ...
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As I said, the alternate theories of Bose's death (rather disappearance) are as strong as his death story. We need to give due weight to this. If you need me to cite more sources, I shall do that. The authors and publishing houses mentioned above are credible and reliable sources. Based on these, I request you to reconsider the death date give in the article. As it is not conclusive, the death date is best given "unknown" and given a reference to this article. -- XrieJetInfo (talk) 06:27, 7 November 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for the source list. Here are my quick comments:
  • The Kanailal Basu book is a self-published work (see here), and not usable as a source on wikipedia.
  • The Mihir Bose is a "popular/amateur history" book, which as I state above is not an preferred source for this article. But even setting that aside, the book clearly sides with those who believe that Bose died in August 1945 after the plane crash and pooh-poohs alternate theories of his death. For example just a few sentences after the quote you cite regarding the letter, the author says, "The letter does not have any bearing on, or contain any information on, Bose's death. But for those in India who relish the conspiracy theory, and cannot believe that Bose died as a result of a plane crash, the fact a letter has been withheld is further reason to flag this very dead horse" (page 301)
  • I couldn't find any bibliographical information about the Reva Chatterjee book to analyze its suitability as a source, although it does appear to be a very obscure title. Can you provide us with information regarding the author and publisher, or link to any reviews of the book, that will help us evaluate it ?
Abecedare (talk) 11:08, 7 November 2013 (UTC)
I shall come back with more details. Currently, I am made to run here and there and enter a lot of explanations on multiple pages regarding this subject. -- XrieJetInfo (talk) 13:26, 7 November 2013 (UTC)
Mostly because pretty much everything you are writing raises WP:REDFLAGS. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 21:54, 12 November 2013 (UTC)

Article about his death or alleged disappearance.

there is now no link, as far as i can see, to the article about his death and the plane crash. Incidentally, someone has improved that article a little by adding a general introduction.  Preceding unsigned comment added by PTSN (talkcontribs) 16:46, 13 November 2013 (UTC)

Photos of Sikh abuse

I removed the two photos (one showing the Japanese shooting blindfolded Sikhs and the other showing some of them bayoneted) which were added to the Subhas Chandra Bose article. Essentially, these do not belong there, because there is no Bose relevance in them. You may discuss it here. -- XrieJetInfo (talk) 05:33, 13 November 2013 (UTC)

It seems the user Fowler has reverted the edit. Please explain how the photos become relevant on Bose's page.
  • The originally uploaded photograph does not have a description saying the people were murdered because they hesitated to join INA.
  • INA was not founded by Subhas Bose. He was later invited to join the INA and take leadership.
  • There is no historic data or evidence that suggests Bose ordered any killing of the Sikhs. The truth is that he had many Sikhs in the INA and one entire regiment was named Sikh regiment.
  • The Sikh abuse photos do not have any connection with the subject of the article and they don't deserve to be on this page. -- XrieJetInfo (talk) 06:51, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
I agree with XrieJetInfo, these pics have nothing to do with Bose.-sarvajna (talk) 17:33, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
Yes, I too am not convinced that the pictures are relevant to this page. If the INA members under Bose were the shooters, I could see the point; but given that the pictures show Japanese troops shooting and bayoneting non-INA members possibly before Bose even joined INA, the link to Bose seems a stretch. The pictures would be better placed in the Indian National Army or the First Indian National Army (depending upon their date) with proper discussion in the article's text. Abecedare (talk) 17:58, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
It might not be most relevant to this page. I too was unsure whether the INA article or the Bose article was the best place for it. But, after 7 years of people urging me to revise this article, could they cut me some slack (and I don't mean you Abecedare)? I'd put the text (see below) and the pictures in the Bose article until I determined, whether it is the best place or not. The source, Aldrich, Richard J. (2000), Intelligence and the War Against Japan: Britain, America and the Politics of Secret Service, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-64186-9, retrieved 6 November 2013, explicitly names Bose:

"Despite the systematic attempts of the Japanese, Germans and others to destroy archives, these field security teams had some notable successes in apprehending suspects and in securing material evidence, especially in Singapore (see plate 20). Mountbatten noted in his diary on 13 September 1945 that security services had captured a set of the 'most revolting pictures' showing the fate of some of the Indians who refused to join with Chandra Bose and the INA: 'The first photo shows two dozen Indian soldiers kneeling upright in front of the graves they had dug, with their eyes bandaged ... in the last photo one can see the Japanese soldiers finishing off the living with a bayonet.' page 370."

There are four pictures in all. The "first picture" Aldrich refers to was not the first picture in the Bose article. The latter picture, however, is the one that appears as plate 20 on page 371 of Aldrich's book, with the same caption as that currently in the article, viz. "Captured Sikh soldiers of the British Indian Army who refused to join the INA are executed by the Japanese." (I was aware that this might be controversial, so I played by the book.) Aldrich is about as reliable a source as one gets on Wikipedia. People, who upload pictures, are often unaware about the details of the picture. Given that all sorts of unreliable, untrue, and fringe material had (and has) remained in this article for 7 years, why am I not surprised that the same people who didn't bat an eye, and I don't mean you again Abecedare, when the article was lay steeped in the nonsense, are now, within a week of my editing the article, appearing from every direction and attempting to block my every path. Here are the four pictures in chronological order:
Picture 3 appears in this article, and also on page 371 of Aldrich's book, to illustrate the text, which explicitly names Bose. These pictures might or might not be most relevant to this article, but there is plenty of evidence, sourced to high-quality scholarly sources, that the INA under Bose themselves committed acts of cruelty. I have removed the pictures and the text for now. Fowler&fowler«Talk» 20:11, 13 November 2013 (UTC)

A mention of 'people refusing to join Chandra Bose and INA' does not mean that Bose ordered the killings or the killings were done with Bose's knowledge. Only if that is proved, we can consider any connection of these photos to this page. Fowler removed my mention of the Bharat Ratna controversy in Bose's case. That deserves a mention in the article (simply because it is the highest civilian honour in India) and not these photos. -- XrieJetInfo (talk) 04:50, 14 November 2013 (UTC)

To the best of my knowledge, the said photographs were taken when the British India soldiers (Sikhs) were captured and tortured by Japan after the Battle of Muar. This was in the year 1942. Bose joined INA in 1943. -- XrieJetInfo (talk) 05:09, 14 November 2013 (UTC)
Fowler, your source still doesn't explain how these pictures are connected to Bose, I understand that you hate Bose for whatever reasons, we have seen it in the past. I respect you for everything that you are doing but if you are expecting no scrutiny on your additions then I am afraid that's not going to happen.Mountbatten noted in his diary on 13 September 1945 still doesn't explain whether these pics were taken before 1943 or after 1943. I hope you would get a better source.-sarvajna (talk) 19:28, 14 November 2013 (UTC)

Chattopadhyay

@User:Abecedare: Gautam Chattopadhyay is a notable historian. His biography of Bose is listed in the Digital Library of India. In his book Race War!: White Supremacy and the Japanese Attack on the British Empire, historian Gerald Horne wrote the following:

Bose was "extremely friendly" with local Communists despite their hostility toward Tokyo and support for the Allies during the war. It would be "utterly wrong" says Gautam Chattopadhyay, to see him - and by implication other victims of white supremacy - as a "kind of quisling of the Axis powers". There was his "refusal" to fight the Soviet Union or the Burmans who turned against Japan in 1945. Chattopadhyay argues that "Aung San in Burma, Soekarno... in Indonesia, in fact all anti-imperialist leaders of Southeast Asia with the solitary exception of Ho Chi Minh... followed [Bose's] strategy."

In his book Communalism in Modern India, noted Indian historian Bipan Chandra refers to the 4th chapter of Gautam Chattopadhyay's book Role of Bengal Legislature in the Freedom Struggle and writes in page 87:

According to Gautam Chattopadhyay, the Swarajist support, including that of Subhash Chandra Bose, to the pro-landlord Bengal Tenancy (Amendment) Bill of 1928, led to the alienation of Congress, pro-Congress, and pro-peasant Muslim leaders and opinion from the National Congress.

I don't think we need to treat only foreign sources as authentic or scholarly. -- Xrie (talk) 09:55, 6 December 2013 (UTC)

As I said on your talkpage: I do not think the source you cited (Subhas Chandra Bose, the Indian Leftists and Communists, by Gautam Chattopadhyay) is reliable, let alone comparable to the scholarly sources being used otherwise in the article. The book is published by "People's publishing house", which seems to be the in house label for this bookstore, known for its "non-mainstream" wares. If that is incorrect, or you have other information about the author or the book itself (such as positive reviews in academic journals etc) feel free to bring it up on the article talk page.
Gerald Horne is hardly a authoritative source on Bose either, and in any case he is not even citing the work you quoted from (ditto for Bipan Chandra's quote). Can you clarify why you think the specific work you cited meets the reliability standards?
Finally, not sure why you raise the issue of "foreign [sic] sources"... did I or anyone else on this page, propose that as a standard ? To me it just comes across as an diversionary straw man, which is hardly conducive to continued good-faith discussion. Abecedare (talk) 10:24, 6 December 2013 (UTC)
@Abecedare: Apologies if you thought it was a targeted remark; it wasn't targeted or diversionary. From my little experience in Wikipedia, I have seen people asking for only foreign sources to cite something, on many occasions.
You asked me whether I had other information on the author and that's why I produced Horne's and Chandra's remarks about him, although the context was different. Just wanted to point out that Chattopadhyay is notable. I am surprised no article on him exists on Wikipedia. -- Xrie (talk) 10:32, 6 December 2013 (UTC)

I found a reference to the Chattopadhyay's Subhas Chandra Bose, the Indian Leftists and Communists in Haye's bibliographical review, where he says that it "offers a valuable, if distorted, Marxist perspective on Bose". Given that, and the dubious credibility (and obvious bias) of its publisher, I am wary of using it directly unmediated by scholarly evaluation of the specific claim it is being cited for.

But stepping back a bit, lets evaluate what the quote that was included and the one refernced by Horne above are intended to say about Bose's ideology. As I read them, they evidence that Bose was, at least per some historians, (1) not an uncritical supporter of the Axis-forces individual projects/goals (as in the Russian and Burmese campaigns), and (2) that he was not anti-communist, even though the communists were allied with the Allies.

I think these claims are not themselves false, and we should be able to find better sources to support them (at least broadly), including probably the Gordon and Hayes bio themselves. The wikipedia article already hints at this when it says:

His political views and the alliances he made with Nazi and other militarist regimes at war with Britain have been the cause of arguments among historians and politicians, with some accusing him of fascist sympathies, while others in India have been more sympathetic towards the realpolitik that guided his social and political choices.

Unfortunately this paragraph, though likely accurate, is currently unreferenced and in any case should be considerably expanded. So I would suggest that instead of getting hung up about one particular iffy source, the efforts would be better spent simply outlining what the available sources say about the (mis?)-match between Bose and Axis/fascist/anti-communist ideology.

Also pinging @Fowler&fowler: to check if I am barking up the wrong tree with respect to the sources or Bose's ideology; and since he may already have the ideology section scheduled for rewrite. Cheers. Abecedare (talk) 17:33, 6 December 2013 (UTC)

Emilie Schenkl merge

Per the AfD, I have done a hamfisted merge by incorporating the LEAD from the stand alone article. It is probably UNDUE to call it out in its own section, and most of the content actually appears to be duplicate content about Bose himself and could be cut. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 16:01, 31 December 2013 (UTC)

I have undone the merge as someone at Emilie Schenkl claims the article has been rewritten and the AfD results no longer apply. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 16:17, 31 December 2013 (UTC)
(edit conflict) And I have reverted you. The previous AFD "consensus" whatever it was, is not valid since the article significantly differs from the past version. A new nomination is required, for deletion/merge/whatever. Solomon7968 16:19, 31 December 2013 (UTC)
I agree with Solomon. Post the result of 13th Nov, F&f started his work of expansion on 17th Nov. §§Dharmadhyaksha§§ {T/C} 17:47, 31 December 2013 (UTC)
This is an awkward one. The present version is a stub and cannot possibly amount to anything more significant than the prior AfD'd version. Nothing has happened on it for a while and Fowler is on one of their periodic absences. When Fowler is around, content tends to develop quickly but unless someone is willing/able to take on the burden right now, I think we have to merge & redirect. Should things develop in future then, of course, the redirect from Schenkl to this article can be reverted. I've little doubt that Fowler will take up the task but the duration of their absences can vary considerably and it is not uncommon for the period to be extended after an initial announcement of impending return etc. D'oh - I was looking at an old diff, presented above. - Sitush (talk) 02:36, 5 January 2014 (UTC)

A thoroughly poor article that does not keep with encyclopedic principles and/or rules

A general comment here. This article is very poorly written and includes numerous statements that are opinion-based and/or subjective in nature. Furthermore, it appears that much of the article is written by contibutors whose first language is not English. There are numerous grammatical errors throughout the article. For those following this article, please work toward making it a more concise and fact-based description of this man's life. Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.103.223.52 (talk) 16:48, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

In support of my general comment, here is an example of a statement that has no place in an encyclopedic article. Moreso considering that there is no citation whatsoever associated to it : "In all 3,000 Indian prisoners of war signed up for the Free India Legion. But instead of being delighted, Bose was worried. A left-wing admirer of Russia, he was devastated when Hitler's tanks rolled across the Soviet border"

These articles are meant to inform about basic facts not relay flowery narratives that are based on potentially biased or subjective views about a particular subject.

The article is misleading and suffers from the practice of omission or twisting of historical facts. a look at the citations listed below the main article will give anybody a fair idea that research studies conducted by European authors have been deliberately referred to justify the misleading information given in the page. There are other research materials which gives a neutral view of Netaji's life. His lifelong unselfish struggle for freedom has been blatantly undermined in this page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.112.75.158 (talk) 12:20, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

"Lifelong unselfish struggle" suggests it is you who has trouble editing with a neutral point of view. --NeilN talk to me 12:35, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

Just look at the Legacy section of the page. There is no mention of the Mass Uprising during the trial of INA soldiers in the Red Fort in Delhi. No mention of Navy and Army uprising subsequent to that. It's a shame even after more than half a century after the supposed death of Netaji, people are still trying to deny him his due in this way.115.112.75.158 (talk) 12:41, 5 February 2014 (UTC)Dibyendu Das

If you'd like to write an expansion (with sources) to the Legacy section other editors could look at it and comment. --NeilN talk to me 13:14, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

Dear NeilN, can I ask how you have concluded my remark "Lifelong unselfish struggle" is an impediment to neutrality? Even M.K Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore had praised Netaji in much decorated phrases than this.115.112.75.158 (talk) 12:46, 5 February 2014 (UTC)Dibyendu Das

That's the point. We're not here to "praise" any subject. --NeilN talk to me 13:14, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

Dear NeilN. You and your coterie of Merry Men (Editors of this page) may not praise Netaji. But as a matter of pure fact you could have at least mentioned some of the initiatives taken by Subhas Chandra Bose when he was the Mayor of Calcutta. That was a vital part in his political career.

Suggested text and sources? Instead of just complaining, it's much more constructive to say "I want to add these sentences and here are the sources:" --NeilN talk to me 14:12, 7 February 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 28 February 2014

2602:306:38E0:3B69:28AF:EF68:334:E232 (talk) 16:55, 28 February 2014 (UTC) You depiction is based on Western History and defining Bose as fascist while he only was trying to save his country India, which suffered a 200 year holocaust by terrorist occupiers who then rewrite history to make themselves look honorable and civil. Though Hitler was a horrible man, if it wasn't for the Germans bombing the shit out of Britain, I would be stuck serving tea to some British fascist in my birth country. So semi protect your lies Wikipedia

Not done: as you have not requested a change.
If you want to suggest a change, please request this in the form "Please replace XXX with YYY" or "Please add ZZZ between PPP and QQQ".
Please also cite reliable sources to back up your request, without which no information should be added to any article. - Arjayay (talk) 17:09, 28 February 2014 (UTC)

Add Ravenshaw Collegiate School to alma mater.

Add Ravenshaw Collegiate School to alma mater.  Preceding unsigned comment added by Jdnsyn (talkcontribs) 11:47, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

Poorly written and highly biased

The article is highly biased against him and demonizes him in every possible way. Nearly all the so-called "academic references" cited are those by British Imperialist historians. This sort of quality in entirely unexpected from wikipedia. I have never had to criticize wikipedia in such terms, even after having read hundreds of articles on Indian history. This article has no place in a quality site such as this. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.30.25.192 (talk) 10:08, 9 May 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 25 May 2014

I would like to add the Netaji's name in bengali: Bengali: সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু 94.205.102.166 (talk) 02:51, 25 May 2014 (UTC)

We dont do that WP:INDICSCRIPT.-- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 03:05, 25 May 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 28 October 2014

Dear Editor, Subject: Correction of date of death mentioned for Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose I will be looking for presentation of correct information on legandary freedom figter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The information provided in wiki at the starting as - Subhas Chandra Bose ( listen (help·info); 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945(1945-08-18) (aged 48)[1]) was an Indian nationalist I would like to inform there is no official records on the date Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose died. The information has been provided based on news published by Japanese newpaper without verifying the authenticity of the news. Please look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anuj_Dhar or Mission Netaji Site for more details. In absence of authentic record I will suggest either you keep the date of death blank or give a citation ' The date is having controversies'.

I request you to understand the sentiment of million of Bengali people who do not want to see any miss presentation of their legandary hero without proper authenticity check of the information.

Your faithfully Saumya Panda Representing 'Amar Bangla' - A focussed group dedicated to Bengal welfare and development Date:28 /11/2014

Saumyapanda (talk) 10:01, 28 October 2014 (UTC)

 Not done Hi and thanks for your request. Unfortunately, the date is well cited and cannot be changed. Do note that Wikipedia relies on scholarly sources (like the cited work) rather than on official sources. The controversy regarding his death is well noted in the article and is appropriately footnoted in the lead. --regentspark (comment) 14:59, 28 October 2014 (UTC)

Death

How can you put a death section for him when there is dispute about the death? The following links will justify my comments.

  1. Unveil mystery behing Subhash Chandra Bose's death
  2. ‘Netaji was not dead but in Russia, and the govt knew it
  3. SC cancels note on Bharat Ratna for Subhash Bose
  4. Did Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose end up in Russia?

Until this issue is solved, please dont remove the neutrality disputed tag. Thanks! RRD13 (talk) 04:04, 31 January 2014 (UTC)

because a few fringe conspiracy theorists that have fed mass public misconceptions do not rate when compared to the mainstream academic view. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 04:47, 31 January 2014 (UTC)
Agree with TRPOD. This has been raised recently and answered; for instance, just read the above post. To summarise the consensus, his death in the plane crash is supported by all mainstream historians and it has been presented that way; however, this dispute is a conspiracy theory propounded by non-academics and the public--it has been given due weight. Since only non-academic sources, i.e. news reports, support this theory (see WP:HISTRS), we can present it only because of its notability as a conspiracy theory. There isn't any dispute among historians...just the public, so it has been shown in Death of SCB page. -Ugog Nizdast (talk) 04:58, 31 January 2014 (UTC)

There are so many academic research papers which does not support Netaji's death at the said air crash. there is a deliberate and blatant attempt to discard these research works as non academic. the entire page on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is a creation of somebody with a vested interest to undermine HIS contribution in Indian Independence. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.112.75.158 (talk)

Can you please cite these many academic research papers written by mainstream historians? --NeilN talk to me 12:38, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

Roy, Purabi. The Search for Netaji: New Findings. Kolkata. Sanyal, Narayan. Netaji Rahasya Sandhaney. Kolkata. Both Purabi Roy (Eminent academician, Jadavpur University, Kolkata) and Narayan Sanyal (Eminent Author) actually travelled to the locations for their research work. I have read these two that's why I am only giving the names of these two authors. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.112.75.158 (talk) 13:24, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

There are many conspiracy theories about his death. The "death" section should note a summary of the theories. Britannica cautiously says "A few days after Japan’s announced surrender in August 1945, Bose, fleeing Southeast Asia, reportedly died in a Japanese hospital in Taiwan as a result of burn injuries from a plane crash." Historians and academics say that he died in 1945, note that the theories exist. For example, this biography notes the fact of his death, but presents a summary of the theories. --Redtigerxyz Talk 04:59, 3 May 2014 (UTC)
The death section is the lead of the page Death of Subhas Chandra Bose. The section refers to the conspiracy theories in Wikipedia WP:Summary style. The details of the legends, conspiracy theories, and enquiries are in the parent page. Britannica treats Bose in a number of places, perfunctorily in the page Britannica: Subhas Chandra Bose written by anonymous editor of Britannica. This page uses the expression "reportedly." The more important Britannica reference is in the page India, in the history section, a signed article written by historian Stanley Wolpert, (see India: History: Impact of World War II, which says,

It was also in 1941 that Bose fled to Germany, where he started broadcasting appeals to India urging the masses to “rise up” against British “tyranny” and to “throw off” their chains. There were, however, few Indians in Germany, and Hitler’s advisers urged Bose to go back to Asia by submarine; he was eventually transported to Japan and then to Singapore, where Japan had captured at least 40,000 Indian troops during its takeover of that strategic island in February 1942. These captured soldiers became Netaji (“Leader”) Bose’s Indian National Army (INA) in 1943 and, a year later, marched behind him to Rangoon. Bose hoped to “liberate” first Manipur and then Bengal from British rule, but the British forces at India’s eastern gateways held until the summer monsoon gave them respite enough to be properly reinforced and drove Bose and his army back down the Malay Peninsula. In August 1945 Bose escaped by air from Saigon but died of severe burns after his overloaded plane crashed onto the island of Formosa.

Signed articles in encyclopedias are more reliable per longstanding WP policy than perfunctory articles written by editors, especially now when any one can comment in Britannica. There is nothing "reported" about his death on August 18, 1945. The Death of Subhas Chandra Bose article has reliable references to his death, including those of major historians of decolonization, Second World War, and Bose studies: Christopher Bayly, Stanley A. Wolpert, Leonard A. Gordon, Joyce Lebra, Peter W. Fay. Sugata Bose, Barbara D. Metcalf, Thomas R. Metcalf and many others. They all state definitively that Bose died on August 18, 1945. This discussion should be carried on the Death of Subhas Chandra Bose page after the doubting editors have had a chance to examine the quality of the sources uses. Best regards, Fowler&fowler«Talk» 07:16, 3 May 2014 (UTC)
Due weightage

The following lines represent the view of a Govt. of India enquiry. The weightage of the same cannot be equated with one-two text books cited. The very fact that files are still unclassified suggests there is more to be known than in public domain as of now. Thus the lines which are [sourced] should remain to maintain and [point of view]: That he did not die in Taipei in 1945 has been confirmed by the Mukherjee Commission instituted by the Indian Government. The truth probably lies in the unclassified files [1] with the PMO which the government has refused to reveal under various pretexts, despite its own promises.[2]

SP 04:42, 12 February 2015 (UTC)   Preceding unsigned comment added by Pramanick (talkcontribs) 

Death

Should we call it mysterious, rather than providing extra material on lead? Bladesmulti (talk) 03:27, 30 January 2015 (UTC)

Please read the above section, your issue has already been discussed there. Komchi 16:40, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

Quote authentication and context

Do we have good sources authenticating, and tracing the provenance of, the quotes in the last paragraph of Ideology section? Namely, ""Give me blood and I will give you freedom"", "Dilli chalo", "Ittefaq, Etemad, Qurbani". While I am reasonably confident that those quotes are genuine, and have thus not removed them from the article, they need scholarly sources that provide context as to when and where he said tham, rather than generic news articles/websites that repeat them ad nauseam. Abecedare (talk) 18:41, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

Lead section too long

The length and detail of this lead is simply excessive. Unschool 04:45, 17 May 2015 (UTC)

It is within the WP:LEAD "5 paragraph" guidelines.
As a summary of the subject, what in the lead is of lesser importance that you think should be removed? -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 23:43, 24 May 2015 (UTC)

Please change the name of the section "Death on 18 August 1945" to "Disappearance on 18 August 1945"

Since independence, three commissions had been setup by the Indian Government to solve the mystery of disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Each of the commission's report remained inconclusive due to unwillingness of the ruling political party of those times, to give adequate powers to the commissions, in order to proceed with their investigations. It's a well-known fact that the so called plane crash death claim is far from truth.

Therefore changing the name of the section "Death on 18 August 1945" to "Disappearance on 18 August 1945" would be more appropriate for a neutral reference site like Wikipedia.  Preceding unsigned comment added by Hi partha (talkcontribs) 05:00, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

"In the consensus of scholarly opinion, Subhas Chandra Bose's death occurred from third-degree burns on 18 August 1945 after his overloaded Japanese plane crashed in Japanese-occupied Formosa (now Taiwan)." We follow scholarly opinion, not conspiracy theories. --NeilN talk to me 05:09, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

I have noticed the comment of the user NeilN. Before terming something as conspiracy theoriy, I would like to ask this person to study the reports submitted by the three commissions setup by Government of India. The latest in this was the Justice Manoj Mukherjee Commission of Enquiry, which had clearly said in his report that Netaji was dead but he did not die in the plane crash over Taiwan and the ashes in a Japanese temple are not of Netaji’s.  Preceding unsigned comment added by Hi partha (talkcontribs) 15:45, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

To rephrase NeilN, we follow scholarly sources, not government reports, official or unofficial. --regentspark (comment) 16:01, 21 February 2015 (UTC)
Thanks regentspark. The conspiracy theories I was referring to was, "It's a well-known fact that the so called plane crash death claim is far from truth." --NeilN talk to me 16:06, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

What scholarly articles?How do so called scholars pass judgement over things like death or disappearance of someone when those scholars dont have the authority to interrogate a witness?How many of the scholarly sources you mention have been to any of the places associated with the disappearance?So because "we" dont follow government reports we will also throw away the Taiwanese govt.report which acknowledges that there was no plane crash.Also do the scholars have access to the DNA tests done on the so called bones of Netaji?If scholars were to be the authority on judgement then there would be no need of investigating agencies and judges and courts.sunny.......... 22:27, 24 May 2015 (UTC)  Preceding unsigned comment added by Sunnyji 2k (talkcontribs)

The highest court in India in 1992 declared that Subhash Chandra Bose's death in the plane crash was not confirmed.And that court had access to far more evidence then so called scholars.sunny.......... 22:30, 24 May 2015 (UTC)

Scholars have access to the judgement of the courts as well as the evidence that the court has seen. They can interpret and comment on those judgments which is why we rely on scholarly sources. --regentspark (comment) 00:34, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
When one looks for "Scholarly articles", one cannot be biased towards one school of thought. The facts that people have been denied access to 'classified' files and reports like US confirmation and Sinha's statement cannot be simply wiped under the carpet. There are scores of other 'scholarly articles'. Tinkswiki (talk) 05:32, 31 May 2015 (UTC)
Tinkswiki, if you can point us to the "scores of other 'scholarly articles'", we can certainly discuss and cite them in this and related articles. However, newspaper reports of what some MP (and relative of Bose) says are not an appropriate substitute. Abecedare (talk) 15:12, 31 May 2015 (UTC)

The latest commision report of 2006 has catagorically stated that Bose didnt die of the plane crash and that the ashes in Renkoji Temple are of a Taiwanese man Ichiro Okura.Is there any SCHOLARLY ARTICLE after that which deals with the topic?sunny.......... 20:48, 15 June 2015 (UTC)  Preceding unsigned comment added by Sunnyji 2k (talkcontribs)

Semi-protected edit request on 7 July 2015

Reportedly, at his funeral on September 18, 1985, one of the 13 attendants cried out, "…there should have been 13 lakh people here!"

In 2005, the Taiwan government provided emails to Dhar that it has no records of a plane crash during the period of 14 August to 25 October 1945, at the old Matsuyama Airport (now Taipei Domestic Airport).

Counter claims[edit]

The scholarly view is that Bose died in the air crash and that theories that he did not are incorrect, speculative, mythical, and possibly fabricated However, Mission Netaji claims that Dhar's research will prove that Bose actually escaped to the Soviet Union after the war. Justice Mukherjee Commission which probed the death of Subhas Bose later concurred with Dhar's claim that Bose was not killed in Taiwan, although the Indian government rejected the findings.

In the book No Secrets, Dhar claims that, according to a newspaper article published by Bose's elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose in The Nation, Bose was in China in October 1949. Jithinpm10 (talk) 16:09, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

 Not done You have not made any specific edit request. (Please use a format such as "In the WHATEVER section, please change XXX to YYY") Also please provide a reliably published source with a reputation for fact checking and editorial oversight that supports your suggested change. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 16:15, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 27 July 2015

please correct the spelling of Bose's name in Bengali in the infobox. it should be "সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু" instead of "সুভাস চন্দ্র বসু". the signature provided in the infobox clearly mentions the right spelling as well as the article in bengali. Anupam207 (talk) 10:12, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

Done, but please check my work. I checked against the Bengali article. Ivanvector 🍁 (talk) 21:14, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 9 August 2015

Subhash Chandra Bose was one of the leaders whose role in obtaining Indian independence is often neglected or sometimes even ignored . Warrior12344 (talk) 12:54, 9 August 2015 (UTC)

Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. No edit has been requested. Ivanvector 🍁 (talk) 12:56, 9 August 2015 (UTC)

Heavily biased section named as Death on 18 August 1945

The bias in the section named as Death on 18 August 1945, is very much conspicuous, very much unbecoming of Wikipedia. There is a literary effort to establish unconfirmed events in the veil of so-called "scholarly opinion". It appears the page is intentionally silent on the report of the last commission and the inquiry commission by Taiwan Government, the country in which the air crash was alleged to take place. It is another matter, but quite relevant, that Taiwan itself has denied this crash having ever taken place. But what is most irritating is the last paragraph, where there is a emphasis on shock, disbelief at so-called death in India, which gives a lead into a suspicion that everything (even an Inquiry Commission report perhaps!) are all babies of this disbelief. There are pictures like Renkoji temple, or newspapers reports published at that time which unsuccessfully try to uphold the the death theory, but keeping silent on the other theories, increases the suspicion of a using this page as a tool to publish own opinions rather than information.Biswa roop (talk) 14:49, 8 September 2015 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 18 September 2015

Today's declassification of more than 12400 pages of info on Bose from secret state archives clearly displays most governments did not believe that he died on 18th of August 1945. Should Wikipedia not reflect this uncertainty? 117.194.45.196 (talk) 19:45, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

  •  Not done That's not a fair representation of the documents as far as I know. In any case, lets wait for scholars and experts to chew over the new documents and opine. Abecedare (talk) 21:22, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

Article fully protected

It appears that the recent news about classified docs has resulted in undiscussed changes and edit warring so I am fully protecting the article. Please gain consensus for content on this talk page and request they be made. This is not an endorsement of the version protected. SpacemanSpiff 19:02, 19 September 2015 (UTC)

Controversy regarding Subhas Chandra Bose's death

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Citations, notes and references.

Death Of Subhash Chandra Bose

Fowler's edit re:Atlee urban legend

Repeated deletions on Bose's legacy with WP:UNDUE and WP:FRINGE argument

The Clement Attlee remark

On the stated date of Netaji's death

Misrepresentation of politics

References, citations and quotations

New Declassified Information

grew a beard overnight?

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Lead

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Bibliography

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"The real fault, however, must attach to the Japanese commander-in-chief Kawabe. Dithering, ill and decisive, prostrated with amoebic dysentery, he ... "

Talk:Including the Subhas Chandra Bose death controversy

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Regarding the sudden disappearance of netaji in 1945

deleted images

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The picture included

RAMA KRISHNAN

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Images

Matter given here is not entirely correct.

Wrong information about death

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