Monday, September 19 2005 17:39 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: The one-man Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry into the disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose left for Delhi today (Sept 19, 2005) enroute Moscow to ascertain if he had ever stayed in Russia after he went missing in August 1945.

The Russia visit of the Commission, the first ever attempt by any such probe panel set up by the Centre, assumes special significance in view of the demands placed by most of the deponents, including Netaji's family members.

Justice M K Mukherjee, heading the probe panel, would be accompanied by his Principal Private Secretary N K Panja, Commission Secretary M Roy told sources today.

He said that eight deponents, including Netaji's two nephews Subrata Bose, MP and Dwarakanath Bose, besides historian and researcher Purabi Roy, Nandalal Chakraborty and Keshav Bhattacharya, advocate of the All-India Forward Bloc, would also leave for Moscow from Delhi in the same flight.

Roy said the Commission would visit state archives of Russian Federation in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Paddosk, Omsk and Irkutsk before returning to India on October One.

The Commission, given a six-month extension upto November 14 for Russia visit, had earlier planned to go in July but postponed the tour till September on account of holidays in Russian offices and establishments during July and August, Roy said.

Commission Secretary said that it was yet to decide on a visit to Vietnam, but added that a decision on that would be taken only after returning from Russia.

''Such a visit will depend on the outcome of Russia visit'', he said.

The Commission, which earlier urged External Affairs Ministry to approach the Russian government to facilitate the visit and enable it to examine archival documents and Russian deponents, had already been informed by the MEA of the availability of relevant records and witnesses in Russia during the panel's visit.

Stating that the Commission had a tight schedule in view of the November deadline for submission of final report, Justice Mukherjee had earlier urged the Centre to expedite the formal procedure of undertaking visit to Russia.

The Russian foreign office had earlier confirmed that the Commission would be given access to the archives, particularly in Moscow, Poddosk, Omsk and Irkutsk.

The Russia visit has gained importance in view of the submission of a number of deponents urging the Commission to visit that country to verify if the arguments put forward before it about Netaji's stay there after 1945, had any basis.

The Commission had earlier observed that submissions of some deponents about Netaji's reported presence in Russia some time after August 18, 1945, could not be ascertained without visiting that country.

His observation came in the wake of a deposition on behalf of Purabi Roy, a researcher of the Asiatic Society and visiting lecturer of St. Petersburg University, that Netaji was present in Russia after August 18, 1945.

With the six-month extension granted to the Commission, it would now have to submit its final report to the government by November 14, 2005.