Evening star., 1942-03-30
Gandhi Pays Tribute
To Bose, Reported
Dead in Air Crash
Story Of Passing Of
Indion Leader Denied
By Axis Agencies
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
NEW DELHI, India, March 80
Accepting at face value reports of
the death in a Japanese plane crash
of their one-time Nationalist COL
league, Subhas Chandra Bose. Mo-
handas K Gandhi and Congress
Party President Azad yesterday paid
tribute to the man rated by the
British as q potential fifth columnist.
Gandhi telegraphed to Bose's
mother:
"The whole nation mourns with
you the death Of your and her brave
son. I share your sorrow to the full.
May God give you courage to bear
this unexpected loss"
Maulana Abdul Kalan Azad, with
q note of qualification, said:
THE tragic end of Subhas Chan
dra Bose while he was still in the
prime of life (he was 49, will cause
deep sorrow to all those who knew
him. In spite of differences with
him regarding the means OF attain
ing India's freedom, 1t must be recog-
nized that he lived and died for q
cause to which he dedicated his life"
Followers in Bengal.
Bosses underground followers are
known to honeycomb Bengal. stra-
tegic northeastern area. where SUBJ
versive activities might prove ex-
tremely upsetting in the coming
struggle with Japan.
His influence with the masses was
regarded by the British, however,
as all but vanished in recent years.
Axis agencies, emphatically de-
nying the report Of Bose's death
which apparently originated with
them, heaped melodramatic mys-
terry about the incident, as intr1gu-
ing as any oriental fiction.
Stefani. Italian news agency,
quoting Hindu political circles IN
Bangkok, Japanese-occupied Thai
land, said that at the same instant
the New Delhi radio was broadcast
ing the report of the death Bose
was making an anti-British speech
from a clandestine radio.
The report that Bose was among
II persons, all presumably killed in
an accident to plane carrying
delegates to a Toxic conference on
Indian Independence" which was
being organized to compete with
Sir Stafford Grips promises OF In
dian freedom, was said by Stefani
to be the product Of wishful British
thinking.
II dead, Bose's name was being
kept alive by the Axis for its propa-
ganda value and the truth might
be long time coming out. If Bose
is alive it is possible the report
arose from a confusion Of identities.
Plane Long Overdue.
The merry -go-round OF reports
concerning Bose began last Friday
when japanese broadcast admit
ted that the army plane en- route to
Toxic had been overdue since Tues
day. When last reported the plane
was battling q windstorm over the
Bay Of Ise, southwest Of Toxic, the
broadcast said.
Saturday Vichy broadcast, heard
in London, said it was reported
from Toxic that the Indian Ma
tionalist Leader Bose died in an air
crash"
This broadcast said the crash took
place off Japan and that Boses
principal aide. unidentified, also was
killed.
A Vichy broadcast, as picked up
by c. B. S., identified the dead In
dian leader as Subhas Chandra
Bose.
A German broadcast of a Bang
kok dispatch the same day said
thousands Of Indians here deeply
mourn the early death of Swami
Satyananda Puri, president of the
Indian National. Council in Thai
land who died in an airplane acci-
dent when en- route to Toxic where
he intended to participate in
meeting of free Indian leaders In
East Asia"
Bose, once head of the All-India
Congress Party and former Mayor
Of Calcutta, has been a fountain
head of Axis propaganda toward the
Indian masses.
An appeal from Berlin on March
IA for Indians to revolt was at
tributed to him.