Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s niece-in-law Krishna Bose on Friday said India must face the “truth” of the revolutionary’s death in the 1945 air crash and the national focus should henceforth shift to his life and ideals.

Bose was referring to the Union Home Ministry’s statements on Tuesday in reply to a query under the Right To Information Act, accepting that Netaji had died in an air crash in 1945.

“Given the available documents and eyewitness accounts, we know from a very long time that this is true. After all, this is true. It is a tragedy for us, we lost him, but we are a mature nation and we must be able to face it,” Bose told IANS.

Attesting to the RTI response, the former Trinamool Congress MP said it is imperative to talk about his ideals and his life rather than deliberate on his death.

“If you ask a little boy who was Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and if he says that he was somebody about whose death there is ‘mystery’, then I am sorry, if that is the case,” Bose said.

“We must all think and talk about his ideals and not always go on talking about his death. This must be presented before the youth of our nation,” she said.

Asked about a section of people and politicians denouncing the RTI response, Bose said: “I thought this will bring this matter to an end. That’s what we expect.”

The All India Forward Bloc, founded by Bose, has said that the Centre should apologise to the nation and immediately withdraw the statement.

It has also called for a three-day protest against the statement.