Netaji's Iconic Cap Allegedly Missing from Red Fort Museum Days Before PM Modi's Kolkata Visit
In a startling revelation just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Kolkata, Chandra Kumar Bose, the grandnephew of legendary freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, has raised serious allegations regarding the disappearance of Netaji's personal cap from the Netaji Museum at Delhi's historic Red Fort. The issue, which Bose describes as "a matter of national importance," came to public attention through his social media posts, where he detailed the cap's mysterious absence and the lack of official explanation.
Family Heirloom Handed Over to Prime Minister in 2019 Ceremony
According to Chandra Kumar Bose, the cap in question is not merely an artifact but a cherished family heirloom. He explained to media sources that the cap originally belonged to Netaji and was passed down to his father, Amiya Nath Bose. In a significant gesture, the Bose family decided to entrust this precious item to the nation. The formal handover occurred on January 23, 2019, during a special function held inside the Red Fort to commemorate Netaji's birth anniversary.
"Members of my family, our friend Suparno Satpathy, and many others from The Open Platform for Netaji (OPN) had handed over Netaji's cap to the Prime Minister," Bose stated. He vividly recalled that Prime Minister Modi personally placed the cap inside a glass display box positioned right at the entrance of the Red Fort Museum, an act witnessed by Bose and other family members present at the ceremony.
Temporary Display in Kolkata and Subsequent Disappearance
The cap's journey took another turn in 2022 when it was transported to Kolkata for display at a temporary museum set up inside the Victoria Memorial. This exhibition was part of the grand celebrations marking Netaji's 125th birth anniversary, an event also attended by Prime Minister Modi. Following the Kolkata display, the cap was reportedly returned to Delhi. However, Bose claims it was never reinstated at its original prominent location within the Red Fort Museum.
The matter came to a head on March 8, 2024, when Naveen Bamal, a Supreme Court advocate and active member of The Open Platform for Netaji, visited the Red Fort Museum. Accompanied by Vikrant Jakhar, a research scholar from Delhi University, Bamal immediately noticed the cap was missing from its designated display case. "The first thing we noticed was that Netaji's cap was not there. When I asked the guards posted there, they told me that it might have been transferred to some other exhibition elsewhere," Bamal recounted.
Official Silence and Calls for Intervention
Chandra Kumar Bose expressed deep concern over the museum staff's apparent inability to provide clear information about the cap's current location. "The cap was placed by the PM right at the entrance to the museum in a glass box. How can it go missing and the staff be so callous about sharing information about its current whereabouts?" he questioned. He emphasized that the issue was formally brought to light on March 10, 2024, following Bamal's visit, and has since been escalated.
In his public appeal, Bose has urgently called upon the Central Government and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to intervene and provide a definitive clarification regarding the exact status and whereabouts of Netaji's cap. He stresses that as a symbol of India's freedom struggle and a personal relic of one of its greatest leaders, the cap holds immense historical and emotional value for the nation.
The timing of these allegations, just before Prime Minister Modi's visit to Netaji's home city of Kolkata, adds a layer of political and symbolic significance to the controversy. The Bose family and associated organizations await an official response and action to locate and secure this important piece of national heritage.
