Khosla Commission

The Khosla Commission, named after G. D. Khosla, was one of many commissions set up by the Indian government to investigate the death of Subash Chandra Bose. Although the official narrative was that he died in a plane crash on the way to Japan, many of his supporters still believed that he did not perish. 

Conspiracy theories appeared within hours of his death and have persisted since then. As such many commissions were set up by the government to investigate the validity of these theories. 

This article will give brief details about the Khosla Commissions within the context of the IAS Exam.

Speculations surrounding Subash Chandra Bose’s Death

Even though there were official records from attesting to the fact that Subash Chandra Bose died to form the third-degree wounds sustained due to injuries following the plane crash, many of his officers refused to believe them as according to them, no photographs were taken when he was injured or when he died.

Already speculation was rife that he was still alive due to the almost mythical status as a nationalist hero. To put these speculations to rest many commissions were set up by post-independence governments.

Findings of previous Commissions

The following is the findings of commissions before the Khosla Commission

1. Figges Report, 1946: The British authorities naturally took an interest in the death of their dogged foe. Knowing that Subahs Chandra bose had hoodwinked them before during his house arrest in Calcutta, they wanted to be sure if he had perished.

The report submitted by John Figges confirmed four facts:

• The crash near Taihoku airport on 18 August 1945 of a plane on which Subhas Chandra Bose was a passenger
• Bose’s death in the nearby military hospital on the same day;
• Bose’s cremation in Taihoku; and
• Transfer of Bose’s ashes to Tokyo

2. Shah Nawaz Commission 1956: With the goal of quelling the rumours about what happened to Subhas Chandra Bose after mid-August 1945, the Government of India in 1956 appointed a three-man committee headed by Shah Nawaz Khan. Shah Nawaz Khan was considered ideal to lead the commission as he had been part of the Indian National Army. Subahs Chandra Bose’s elder brother Surendra Bose was also part of the commission.

Interviewing 67 witnesses from Thailand, Vietnam, India and Japan including Dr Yoshimi who treated Bose at the hospital in Tokyo and Habib ur Rahman, who accompanied Bose on the flight, the commission found that Bose had indeed perished. But Surendra Bose did file a dissenting opinion due to alleged discrepancies in the witness testimonies, a charge denied by other members of the commission.

Khosla Commission – UPSC Notes:- Download PDF Here

Findings of the Khosla Commission 1970

The Indian government later set up a one-man inquiry commission, consisting of Justice GD Khosla, a retired judge of the Punjab High Court. He only submitted his report in 1974, as he had other legal duties to fulfil at the time. 

Justice Khosla, who brought his legal background to bear on the issue in a methodical fashion, not only concurred with the earlier reports of Figes’s and the Shah Nawaz Committee on the main facts of Bose’s death but also evaluated the alternative explanations of Bose’s disappearance and the motives of those promoting stories of Netaji sighting.

Find the list of Indian Government Commissions in the linked article

Khosla reportedly showed remarkable patience in listening to a range of stories, some of which were far too unrealistic to be believed. But he seems to have been curiously lacking in curiosity about other aspects of the investigation.

Aspirants can find complete information about upcoming Government Exams through the linked article. More exam-related preparation materials will be found through the links given below

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