A quiet museum corner inside Delhi’s historic Red Fort suddenly became the centre of a national conversation this week. A simple cap, believed to belong to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, sparked confusion and finally clarification after family member publicly questioned its whereabouts. (Also Read: Family wants Netaji ashes back, daughter may file petition)
The controversy began when Netaji’s grandnephew raised an alarm online, claiming the iconic cap had vanished from the Netaji Museum at the Red Fort. Within hours, officials stepped in to explain what had actually happened.
Below is the full story of how a historic artefact briefly became the subject of public debate.
A family member raises alarm
The issue surfaced when Chandra Kumar Bose, Netaji’s grandnephew and a former BJP leader, posted a message on X expressing concern about the missing cap.
In his post, he reminded Narendra Modi that the cap had been personally handed over to him several years ago by members of Netaji’s family and supporters.
Dear Hon’ble-Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, you may recall I along with the 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, which you had personally dedicated at the… pic.twitter.com/MNpmqLqfg1
— Chandra Kumar Bose (@Chandrakbose) March 12, 2026
According to Bose, the handover took place on January 23, 2019, during celebrations marking Netaji Jayanti, also known as Patriots’ Day. The Prime Minister had then formally placed the cap in the Netaji Museum inside Red Fort.
Bose said the family had presented the cap along with other members of the Open Platform for Netaji (OPN), including Suparno Satpathy and several supporters.
Visitor finds display case empty
The concern escalated after a member of the Open Platform for Netaji visited the museum recently.
According to Bose, advocate Naveen Bamel from the organisation went to see the artefact but noticed that the cap was missing from its display.
He said that when questions were asked at the museum, officials could not immediately explain where the historic item had gone.
Calling Netaji “our tallest leader,” Bose described the situation as embarrassing and urged the Prime Minister to look into the matter. He warned that if the artefact had truly been misplaced, it would amount to a serious act of disrespect toward the legacy of the freedom fighter.
ASI steps in with clarification
Soon after the concerns spread, the Archaeological Survey of India issued a clarification.
According to the ASI, the cap had not gone missing at all.
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… https://t.co/Kc6VUjc1Mw pic.twitter.com/cI5IeZX56D
— Archaeological Survey of India (@ASIGoI) March 13, 2026
Officials explained that the artefact had recently been taken out of the Red Fort museum for a special exhibition in Port Blair. The display was organised as part of the Parakram Divas celebrations held from January 19 to January 25, 2026.
During that period, the cap was exhibited in Sri Vijaya Puram as part of the commemorative programme.
After the exhibition ended, the artefact was brought back to Delhi.
A lock problem added to the confusion
ASI officials said the cap was returned safely to the Red Fort museum. However, another unexpected issue soon followed.
The display case where the cap was kept developed a problem with its lock. Because of this technical issue, the museum authorities temporarily removed the cap and kept it in safe custody to protect the artefact.
Once the lock was repaired, officials confirmed that the cap would be placed back on display again.
Similar confusion happened earlier
Interestingly, this is not the first time the cap has triggered questions about its location.
Back in 2021, reports had also circulated claiming that the artefact had disappeared from the museum.
At that time, the ASI clarified that the cap had simply been loaned out along with around two dozen other artefacts for an exhibition at Victoria Memorial in Kolkata.
The museum authorities had stressed then that the items were part of a temporary display and had not been lost.
Bose questions travelling exhibitions
After the ASI released its explanation this week, Chandra Kumar Bose acknowledged the clarification but raised fresh concerns.
He thanked the organisation for explaining the situation but questioned why such a small and valuable personal item was being transported to multiple exhibitions.
Thank you ASI for the clarification! However- I would like to state: How can a personal cap of Netaji presented to the Prime Minister,who placed it in the display box at the Red Fort Museum be taken all over the place for display? A small item like the cap can easily be… pic.twitter.com/cMccN5S19x
— Chandra Kumar Bose (@Chandrakbose) March 13, 2026
Bose pointed out that the cap had originally been presented to the Prime Minister and placed in a dedicated display box at the Red Fort museum. According to him, a small artefact like the cap could easily be misplaced during travel.
He also questioned why visitors at the museum were not informed about the cap’s temporary absence or where it had been sent.
Bose suggested that the museum should clearly notify visitors whenever the artefact is taken elsewhere for exhibitions. Such transparency, he said, would help prevent confusion like the one that has been occurring since 2021.