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In these columns I had written about Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, who was a true and fearless nationalist. He died under mysterious circumstances on 23 May 1953 while under illegal detention without a trial in a private home in Srinagar, Kashmir. It is a known fact that Nehru had unconcealed contempt for the Hindus of India in general and the Hindus of Bengal in particular. On the other hand his infatuation for the Muslims of both India and Pakistan was total and indivisible. Further, he had a special regard and consideration founded on unrequited love for Sheik Abdullah for a lifetime.

On 1 April 1950, Dr S P Mookerjee, who was Minister for Industry and Supply, resigned from the Jawaharlal Nehru Ministry as a mark of angry protest against the Indian government's appeasement policy towards Pakistan. In a Cabinet meeting held in the afternoon of that day, Dr S P Mookerjee told Nehru: "When Muslims in Kashmir were attacked you sent the Indian Armed Forces and spent corers of rupees. What do you care for us Bengali Hindus? What do you care for the criminal assaults on our women?" This is quoted in a book called "Soundings in Modern South Asian History" edited by D A Low, published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London in 1968. In the same book it has also been reported that Pundit Nehru stood up and began to advance towards Dr S P Mookerjee. For a moment it looked as if the Cabinet meeting would become a battle field. The other Ministers present tried to pacify Dr S P Mookerjee and Pundit Nehru. When things came to such a pass, Sardar Patel cleverly left the meeting. He was soon followed by other Ministers. Nehru reacted with relief in the following manner: "Half the Cabinet has gone away. I think the meeting should be adjourned". Thus ended another comically great pseudo-secular episode in modern Indian history.

In his capacity as president of the Jan Sangh, Dr S P Mookerjee was elected as leader of the National Democratic Group in the Lok Sabha when he entered Parliament after the general elections in 1952. In January-February 1953, by-elections were held in four constituencies in Delhi and Jan Sangh won three seats and the Congress party could win only one seat. Nehru was known for his violent bursts of temper and cherished the hallucination that any gregarious "loss" of his temper meant a glorious "gain" for India! Sharp words were exchanged between Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr S P Mookerjee on 17 February, 1953 in the Lok Sabha. I am giving below the words exchanged by them during the Parliamentary debate:

Nehru shouted: "Disgraceful!"

Dr S P Mookerjee: "It was nothing but disgraceful!"

Nehru said indignantly: "It was disgraceful to have brought in the course of this debate these wild, irresponsible and fantastic charges. This itself shows the nature of the entire speech and the mentality behind it".

Dr S P Mookerjee: "His temper shows more than anything else his incapacity to rule over this country".

Nehru: "I ask the gentleman on the other side to prove that or withdraw his remarks about wine and women".

Dr Mookerjee retorted: "I never said "women". I never used that word. I only said "money and wine".

Nehru: "I ask the member to prove his irresponsible statement".

Dr Mookerjee: "It is no use losing your temper".

Nehru: "It is the hon"ble member"s right".

Dr Mookerjee: "It is Jawaharlal Nehru"s eternal right to lose temper"!

Dr S P Mookerjee became a cult figure among all the Hindus of India who had undergone the horrors of partition in 1947-48 in North Western and North Eastern India. His burning patriotism, shining idealism and stark realism had naturally made him a front rank national leader. As he was only in his early 50s at that time, many had hoped that sooner than later he would emerge as the Prime Minister of India. But that was not to be. I cannot help suspecting that he was put to death with the full knowledge and political blessings of Sheik Abdullah and Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru. I am led to this sad conclusion by the letters which Lady Jogmaya Devi Mookerjee, wife of Sir Ashutosh Mookerjee and mother of Dr S P Mookerjee, exchanged with Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru soon after the death of her son in Srinagar in Kashmir while on illegal detention in May 1953. I have obtained copies of these letters from my esteemed friend V Kalyanam, who worked as personal secretary to Mahatma Gandhi for nearly four years from 1944 to 1948. After a detailed discussion with him I have gathered the following facts which will stand any judicial scrutiny.

In her letter dated 4 July, 1953, Lady Jogmaya Devi Mookerjee wrote to Nehru about her son"s death as follows: "His death is shrouded in mystery. Is it not most astounding and shocking that ever since his detention there, the first information that I, his mother, received from the government of Kashmir was that my son was "no more", and that also at least two hours after the end? And in what a cruel, cryptic way the message was conveyed! ". A fearless son of free India has met his death while "in detention without trial" under most tragic and mysterious circumstances. I, THE MOTHER OF THE GREAT DEPARTED SOUL, DEMAND THAT AN ABSOLUTELY IMPARTIAL AND OPEN ENQUIRY BY INDEPENDENT AND COMPETENT PERSONS BE HELD WITHOUT ANY DELAY. I know nothing can bring back to us the life that is no more. But I do want is that the people of India must judge for themselves, the real causes of this great tragedy enacted in a free country and the part that was played by your government".
Nehru gave a confused and guarded pseudo-secular reply on 5 July 1953: "l did not venture to write to you before without going into the matter of Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee"s detention and death fairly carefully. I have since enquired further into it from a number of persons who had occasion to know "some facts". I can only say to you that I arrived at the clear and honest conclusion that there is no mystery in this and that Dr Mookerjee was given every consideration".

Deeply hurt by the callous and insensitive reply from Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, Lady Jogmaya Devi Mookerjee wrote back the following rejoinder in her letter dated 9 July, 1953: "Your letter dated 5th July reached me on the 7th. It is a sad commentary on the whole situation. Instead of helping to clear up the mystery, your attitude deepens it. I demanded an open enquiry. I did not ask "for your clear and honest conclusion". Your reaction to the whole affair is now well-known. The people of India and I, the mother, have got to be convinced. There is a rooted suspicion in the mind of many. What is required is "an open, impartial, immediate enquiry". The various points raised in my letter remain unanswered. I had clearly told you that I had positive evidence to prove certain very relevant and important facts. You do not care to know or look into them. You say that you had enquired from a number of persons who had occasion to know some facts. It is strange that even we, the members of his family, are not regarded as persons who can at least throw some light on the matter and yet you call your conclusion to be honest".

"Your experience in jails is known to all. It was at one time a matter of great national pride with us. But you had suffered imprisonment under an alien rule and my son has met his death in detention without trial under a national government. It is futile to address you further. You are afraid to face facts. I hold the Kashmir government responsible for the death of my son. I accuse your government of complicity in the matter". As was his wont, Nehru totally ignored this simple request from the mother of Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee who had been his Cabinet colleague just three years earlier and who was a sitting Member of Parliament.

Government of India, some years ago, appointed the Justice Mukherjee Commission in 1999 to enquire into the mystery concerning the death in 1945 of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose. Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, also a great Bengali, died under mysterious circumstances, as claimed by his own mother soon after his suspicious death. Nehru turned a deaf ear to her because of his romantic passion for Kashmir and Sheik Abdullah on the one hand and his cavalier contempt for the Bengali Hindus on the other. All responsible citizens in India should appeal to the government of India to reopen the issue by appointing a Commission of Enquiry to enquire into the mysterious circumstances relating to the death of Dr S P Mookerjee while in illegal detention without any trial in May 1953. The nationalist Bengalis of West Bengal today cannot expect the CPI (M) government to speak on their behalf in this matter. CPI (M) would go out of its way to speak on behalf of Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka! And, of course, they would not hesitate to launch an (international!) militant movement for and on behalf of the grandsons and granddaughters of Lenin and Stalin!

V Sundaram

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