The Victoria Memorial Hall has conceded that pictures that it said were images of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose disguised as Md Ziauddin are “recreated images” based on an “artistic impression”.

The clarification comes following allegations by Sugata Bose, the chairman of Netaji Research Bureau and grand-nephew of the freedom fighter, that some items on display at Nirbhik Subhas, an exhibition being held at the Memorial, were “fake”.

Sugata Bose had in his letter to the Memorial authorities on February 6 said images of Md Ziauddin were fake since no photographs of Netaji were taken or allowed to be taken during his “mahanishkraman” or “Great Escape”.

In response to Sugata Bose’s letter, Victoria Memorial secretary and curator Jayanta Sengupta has said: “This is obviously an artistic impression. However, a disclaimer to this effect has been added to the exhibition.”

The source of these recreated images, Sengupta has written to Sugata Bose, were scans from the Abhyuday newspaper compiled in the form of a book, published in 1998. “Pages 54 and 67 of the compilation have sketches of Netaji in disguise.”

Sugata Bose had also said that the display showing Netaji’s letter of resignation from the Indian Civil Service was fake because the handwriting was not the leader’s and there were errors in salutation and spelling,

Sengupta has written: “Currently, the exhibition places a facsimile of the original letter along with an enlarged and recreated transcript for easier reading, because the original facsimile was thought to be possibly a little difficult to read for the ordinary visitor to the exhibition.”

Asked about the Memorial’s response, Sugata Bose said he was “pleased that the handwritten fake has been taken down”.

He feels the letter in Netaji’s handwriting is perfectly legible and should have been enlarged with an accompanying printed version, if needed. He is also pleased that a disclaimer has been added to the Ziauddin images.

“VMH has listed 10 books, on nine of which NRB holds the copyright. I wish they had shown the courtesy of seeking permission in return of acknowledgement,” Sugata Bose said.

Metro reported on Monday that the Memorial had corrected the spelling mistake and salutation error in a recreated transcript and acknowledged that the original letter was published in Netaji: A Pictorial Biography.

Sengupta says in his letter that the agency that has executed the exhibition has sourced many photographs and facsimiles of letters and documents from books published by Netaji Research Bureau and other publishers. He lists 10 books including Netaji: A Pictorial Biography, His Majesty’s Opponent, The Essential Writings of Subhas Chandra Bose and others.

The exhibition, the curator says, “was aimed at arousing curiosity among the youth about Netaji’s contribution to India’s nation-making…. We sincerely hope you will kindly appreciate the sincerity of the effort”.