‘It was at an exhibition’: ASI denies claims of Netaji’s cap going missing from museum in Delhi

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has dismissed allegations that a historic cap belonging to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had gone missing from the Red Fort Museum in Delhi, clarifying on Friday that the artefact is in safe custody.

The controversy began when Netaji’s grandnephew, Chandra Kumar Bose, raised concerns on X, claiming the relic—personally handed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019—was nowhere to be found.

In his post, Mr Bose addressed the Prime Minister directly: “Dear Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, you may recall that I, along with members of my family, our friend Shri @SuparnoSatpathy and many others from the Open Platform for Netaji (OPN), had handed over Netaji’s cap to you. You had personally dedicated it at the Netaji Museum, Red Fort, Delhi on January 23, 2019 — Netaji Jayanti (Patriots’ Day of India).”

He noted that a recent visit by an OPN member found the display empty, adding that "this is highly embarrassing" and would amount to an act of sacrilege if misplaced.

The ASI swiftly moved to calm the situation, explaining that the cap had been temporarily moved for an exhibition in Port Blair (recently renamed Sri Vijaya Puram).

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In a statement on X, the ASI clarified: “The original cap of Netaji housed at Red Fort, Delhi was taken to Sri Vijaya Puram from 19-25 January 2026, for an exhibition during Parakram Divas celebrations. After its return, an issue with the lock of display required the cap to be kept in safe custody. The lock has now been repaired and the cap has been placed back on display.”

This is not the first such scare; in 2021, a similar misunderstanding occurred when the cap was loaned to the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata.