Political deaths that left a huge question mark behind them

~ Princess Diana and lover Dodi die in a car crash ~ ~ 12 hours after the peace treaty with Pakistan, India’s leader dead ~ ~ Kennedy killed by snipers ~ Sensational headlines like these have created a tremor in the entire world, making one wonder if it was a natural occurrence or a big political agenda. Whether there is more meat to the truth or whether the actual reality is buried down, these questions/thoughts leave an indelible impression on our minds making us scratch our heads. Some people, intrigued by the secretive nature of life and death, dedicate their lives to finding answers. In general terms, we call them conspiracy theorists. And one of the most popular conspiracy theories revolve around sudden, unexpected deaths of people of importance.  How did these eminent personalities die? Was there a bigger conspiracy at play? Why were people kept in the dark? Why does the government hide information? These questions don’t have any answers, and it is this uncertainty that keeps stirring the pot even years after their deaths. Let’s take a look back at political deaths that sparked a wildfire of conspiracies, and still continue to do so. Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri A disciple of Mahatma Gandhi and later a confidante of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri died allegedly of cardiac arrest, in Tashkent on 11th January 1966. There was a media shut-out, and no further information was provided. Till this date, there are no records of any inquiry into the death in the Parliament. Destroyed? Hidden? Or suppressed? It is for us to guess. The fact that the Indian Government and media kept silent about Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death, which occurred hours after he signed the Tashkent Agreement that ended the Indo-Pak war, in itself was a grave sign of something sinister. But his body, when it reached Delhi was blue, which was attributed to the effects of embalming. His family, along with the colour of his body raised questions about certain cuts found on his body, which were never fully answered. Some also believe that his death is in relation to the Nagarwala Incident in 1971, which involved a financial scam involving impersonation of a Gandhi family member. What is the most glaring reason for anyone to doubt it, is that the key witness to the incident, Dr RN Chugh was hit by a truck and died on the spot, while on way to testify in front of the committee. His wife and family members have since then refused to believe he died due to a heart attack, and the conspiracies are still in play as to what actually happened. John F. Kennedy November 22nd, 1963 is when President John. F. Kennedy was assassinated by a gunshot, while he travelled in an open limousine in a motorcade. The prime suspect was Lee Harvey Oswald who was shot dead two days after the incident. But the truth seemed much deeper than just an assassination. The US Government was accused of deliberately covering up information regarding the death, along with conjecture that the CIA was involved in the assassination. Many attribute the killing to the Mafia, and even sitting President Lyndon. B. Johnson. Wild theories about the single bullet that struck the President in the back and exited through his throat are rampant even today. Add to that the discrepancies around the Kennedy postmortem reports, some of which say the brain reports are not actually Kennedy’s. Were there multiple shooters?  What was the bigger conspiracy around the assassination? No one knows, and we never might. Princess Diana She never fit the typical mould that the British Royal Family wanted her to be in. She was opinionated, she was a rebel, and she stood up for herself. The rocky marriage and subsequent separation of Princess Diana and Prince Charles was a matter of national sensation. All of it was eclipsed by the sudden death of Princess Diana and her then-boyfriend Dodi, in a grave car accident. Since then, many have alleged her death to be a part of huge conspiracy to ‘take her out of the picture’. Many claim it was under Prince Philips’ orders, or that the MI6 was involved, or the fact that the royal family was involved with someone allegedly carrying the child of an Egyptian Muslim was a nuisance for them; theories never died. Subhash Chandra Bose India Nationalist Subhash Chandra Bose died on 18th August 1945 due to a plane crash in Japan. The reasons provided were an ‘overloaded plane that led to malfunctioning and the subsequent crash’. According to reports, something ‘fell out’ of the plane during take-off, which eventually led to a blast. In all the mayhem, Subhash Chandra Bose was allegedly doused in gasoline. When medics and authorities rushed to the site, they saw a figure on fire, stumbling out of the wreckage. That figure was Subhash Chandra Bose, who later died of third-degree burns. His followers never agreed to the death reports that were provided. Claims that ‘death’ was being used as a cover-up to his disappearance continue to plague his legacy. He was an extremist nationalist and was at loggerheads with the political parties in India due to his radical approach which could be a reason. There have also been reports of his sightings after his death. People say he faked his death and lived long after that as ‘Gumnaami Baba’, a reclusive sadhu but who knows what was the truth? Dr Homi Bhabha While not strictly a politician, Dr Homi Bhabha’s death just 13 days after Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death was also plagued with a lot of conspiracies. He was a part of the crew that died in a plane crash on January 24th, 1966, along with 117 more people. His death was considered to be in relation to his ongoing association with nuclear device testing, under the guidance of Lal Bahadur Shastri. Theories suggest that both deaths (Lal Bahadur Shastri and Homi Bhabha) were ‘eliminated’ by the US Central Intelligence Agency. The truth is still out there. These are few of the many deaths of important political figures that have left people scratching their heads. The only way to get to the truth is to keep digging and find hard facts and evidence and create awareness around it. And that is exactly what the movie ‘The Tashkent Files’ is aiming to do. Premiering on Wednesday, 2nd October at 12:00 noon on &pictures, which also happens to be Shastri Jayanti apart from being celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti, The Tashkent Files is a political thriller that will shed light on the events of and around Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri’s mysterious death. The movie will try to unearth the mystery, and the attempts to uncover whether his death was due to natural causes, or a meticulously planned assassination. Tune into the World Television Premiere of The Tashkent Files on 2nd October, 12:00 noon only on &pictures. This is a partnered post.