Indian National Army

We have now reached one of the most fascinating and dramatic episodes in India’s freedom struggle: the rise of Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army (INA), also known as the Azad Hind Fauj.
To explain this part clearly, we’ll move through three layers — Bose’s ideological evolution, his symbolic actions in India, and his global quest for freedom.

⚡ Subhas Chandra Bose

🌟 The Making of a Revolutionary Leader

Subhas Chandra Bose was born on 23 January 1897 in Cuttack, Odisha. Brilliant, disciplined, and idealistic, he ranked 4th in the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination — but soon realized that serving the British Empire went against his conscience.
So, on 23 April 1921, he resigned from the ICS — a step that symbolized his lifelong spirit of defiance.

Bose once said:

“Only on the ashes of the present civilization can the future be built.”

This statement captures his revolutionary impatience. He believed that freedom must be seized, not begged for.

⚙️ Within Congress: Rise and Conflict

• Bose rose rapidly within the Indian National Congress, admired for his energy and organizational talent.
• He was elected Congress President twice — at Haripura (1938) and Tripuri (1939).

At Haripura, he foresaw an approaching Second World War and urged Congress to prepare for a final struggle if Britain refused to grant independence.
He famously proposed giving the British six months to quit India, failing which a national revolt should be launched.

However, this militant view clashed with Gandhi’s gradualist, moral-political approach.
At the Tripuri session (March 1939), Bose was re-elected but faced strong opposition from Gandhi’s followers, especially Sardar Patel and Rajendra Prasad. Unable to work under those constraints, he resigned in April 1939.

Soon after, in May 1939, he formed the Forward Bloc, a faction within Congress aimed at consolidating the left-wing, socialist, and radical elements of the national movement.

🇮🇳 The Holwell Monument Agitation (1940)

To understand Bose’s political thinking and his secular vision, this episode is highly symbolic.

Background:

• In 1760, John Zephaniah Holwell, a British official, built a monument in Calcutta to commemorate the alleged “Black Hole Tragedy” — an event in which, according to British accounts, 146 English prisoners were locked in a small cell by Siraj-ud-Daulah’s soldiers, and most died of suffocation.
• The monument portrayed Siraj-ud-Daulah, Bengal’s last Nawab, as a barbaric villain.
  To Indian nationalists, it was an insult to Indian history — a deliberate British propaganda tool that justified colonial rule.

Bose’s Response:

• In 1940, Bose launched an agitation demanding removal of the Holwell Monument, calling it a symbol of colonial slander.
• Importantly, he joined hands with the Muslim League for this cause — a bold and visionary act to unite Hindus and Muslims on a shared nationalist platform.
• The resolutions adopted on 3 July 1940 included:
  • Paying homage to Siraj-ud-Daulah.
  • Condemning the false British narrative.
  • Urging schools to remove derogatory references to the Nawab.
• The Muslim League Student Organization attended the meeting — a rare moment of communal unity.
• The plan was to start Satyagraha on 16 July, but the British pre-emptively arrested Bose on 15 July, fearing that a joint Hindu-Muslim protest might threaten their wartime stability.

Thus, even before the INA, Bose had shown that true nationalism transcended religion — he wanted an Indian nationalism, not Hindu or Muslim nationalism.

🏛️ The Black Hole Incident — A Historical Note

According to Holwell’s account, in June 1756, Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah’s army captured Fort William and confined 146 British prisoners, of whom 123 allegedly died.
But later historians, both Indian and Western, have questioned these figures and accused Holwell of exaggeration to vilify Indians and glorify British conquest.

Bose exposed this distortion to awaken national pride and historical self-respect.

🕊️ House Arrest and the Great Escape (1940–41)

After multiple imprisonments, the British finally placed Bose under house arrest in December 1940 at his home on Elgin Road, Calcutta, restricting all visitors and surrounding the house with CID guards.

But Bose’s determination was unbreakable. With the help of his nephew Sisir Bose, he staged one of the most daring escapes in modern history.

The Great Escape — Step by Step:

1. For 40 days, he pretended to live quietly under surveillance.
2. On the night of 16–17 January 1941, disguised as a Maulavi named Muhammad Ziauddin, he slipped out of his house in a car driven by Sisir.
3. Travelling through Delhi and Rawalpindi, he reached Peshawar.
4. There, with help from Mian Akbar Shah, a Forward Bloc leader in the North-West Frontier Province, he crossed into Afghanistan, disguised as a deaf-and-mute Pathan, since he didn’t know Pashto.
5. From Kabul, through Soviet and Italian contacts, he managed to reach Germany, travelling on an Italian passport under the name Orlando Mazzotta.

This journey symbolized not just a physical escape but a strategic shift in the Indian freedom struggle — from peaceful resistance to international armed collaboration.

🌍 Bose in Germany — “A Global Pursuit for India’s Freedom”

Initially, Bose hoped to reach the Soviet Union, believing its anti-imperialist stance might help India.
However, when the Soviets joined the Allied side in June 1941, he turned to Germany, which was then at war with Britain.

In Germany:

• He established the Free India Centre in Berlin (1941) to promote the Indian independence cause internationally.
• He set up the “Azad Hind Radio” and began broadcasting messages to India in multiple languages — Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, and English — urging Indians to rise up.
  These broadcasts began in 1942 and often began with his salutation:

“This is Subhas Chandra Bose speaking to you from the Free India Centre in Berlin.”

• He organised the Free India Legion — a military unit composed of Indian prisoners of war captured by the Axis powers (Germany and Italy) in North Africa.
• The Legion wore the tricolour with a springing tiger emblem, symbolizing India’s awakening.

Political Objective:

Bose’s purpose was clear — to raise an Indian Army on foreign soil that could march into India and help overthrow British rule by force.

✈️ Journey to Japan — February 1943

By 1943, the war situation changed: Germany’s fortunes were declining, while Japan had emerged as the dominant power in Asia.
Bose decided to shift his base to the East, where thousands of Indian POWs were already under Japanese control in Singapore and Burma.

In February 1943, he left Germany and travelled by submarine — a perilous journey that took him across continents — to reach Japanese-held Southeast Asia.

This move laid the foundation of the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army), which would soon declare war on the British Empire and raise the slogan:

“Chalo Dilli!” (March to Delhi!)

⚙️ Indian Nationalists and Wartime Broadcasting

During World War II, two key radio voices represented the underground and the overseas phases of India’s struggle:

Radio Station	Operator	Objective
Secret Congress Radio (India)	Usha Mehta	Broadcast messages of resistance inside India during Quit India Movement.
Azad Hind Radio (Berlin)	Subhas Chandra Bose	Propaganda and mobilization for armed struggle abroad.

Thus, radio waves became a new battlefield for the Indian freedom movement — one symbolic, one strategic.

⚔️ Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj)

When the Quit India Movement was being brutally suppressed in India (1942–43), a parallel, armed front of the Indian freedom struggle was emerging in Southeast Asia — under Subhas Chandra Bose.

This was the phase when India’s independence was being fought not in slogans and speeches, but in battlefields of Burma and Manipur.

🌏 Origin: The Idea in Southeast Asia

When the Japanese defeated the British in Malaya and Singapore (1942), they captured thousands of Indian soldiers serving in the British Indian Army.

Among them was Captain Mohan Singh, who refused to fight for the British any longer. Instead, he saw a new possibility:

“Why not create an Indian Army that fights for India’s freedom — not for its colonisers?”

With Japanese support, Mohan Singh began organizing these Indian prisoners of war (POWs) into a new military force — the Indian National Army (INA) — or Azad Hind Fauj.

⚙️ Formation of the First INA

• Date: February 1942
• Place: Singapore
• Founder: Captain Mohan Singh
• Objective: To wage an armed struggle for India’s liberation, with Japanese assistance.

Thousands of Indian soldiers from British regiments — disillusioned after Britain’s defeats — joined.
Also, Indian civilians living in Southeast Asia (traders, workers, students) offered manpower and money for the cause.

This created a new kind of nationalism — transnational Indian patriotism, born outside India’s borders.

🏛️ The Bangkok Conference (June 1942)

To coordinate political and military efforts, a conference was held in Bangkok in June 1942.

Key Outcomes:

• The INA was placed under the Indian Independence League (IIL) — the political body of Indian nationalists in East Asia.
• Rashbehari Bose, an old revolutionary (active since the 1915 Ghadar days), was made President of the IIL.
• Mohan Singh became Commander of the INA.
• A decision was made to invite Subhas Chandra Bose to take full charge of the movement.

This was significant because it represented a fusion of two generations — the old revolutionary (Rashbehari) and the modern nationalist (Subhas).

👤 Rashbehari Bose: The Connecting Link

• Rashbehari Bose had escaped to Japan in 1915 after the failed Ghadar–Mutiny conspiracy.
• He became a Japanese citizen, founded the Indian Club of Tokyo, and worked tirelessly to gather Japanese sympathy for India’s freedom.
• When the INA was formed in Singapore, he travelled to Southeast Asia to unite all nationalist groups under the Indian Independence League.

When Subhas Chandra Bose arrived in July 1943, Rashbehari gracefully handed over full command of both the INA and the League to him — recognizing him as the most capable leader of the new phase.

✈️ Arrival of Subhas Chandra Bose in Asia (1943)

After his incredible escape from India and his stay in Germany, Subhas Chandra Bose reached Singapore on 2 July 1943, travelling by German and Japanese submarines — a feat of extraordinary courage and secrecy.

His arrival electrified the Indian community. He combined political vision, military discipline, and emotional charisma — transforming the INA from a symbolic force into a true army of liberation.

⚔️ Reorganisation of the INA Under Bose

Bose revitalized the INA with structure, symbolism, and a sense of purpose:

Regiments	Named After	Significance
Gandhi Regiment	Mahatma Gandhi	Non-violent ideals integrated with sacrifice
Nehru Regiment	Jawaharlal Nehru	Symbol of youth and modern nationalism
Azad Regiment	For general volunteers	“Azad” = Free India
Rani Jhansi Regiment	Led by Captain Lakshmi Sehgal	All-women combat unit, inspired by Rani Laxmibai

🔥 Bose’s Inspiring Calls

• “Jai Hind!” — became the national greeting and slogan.
• “Tum Mujhe Khoon Do, Main Tumhe Azadi Dunga!” — “Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom.”
  This was not just rhetoric — it was a moral contract between leader and soldier.

🌐 Provisional Government of Free India (October 21, 1943)

To give legitimacy to the struggle, Bose proclaimed the Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind Government) at Singapore on 21 October 1943.

Key Highlights:

• Declared war against Britain and the United States.
• Recognized by nine countries, including Japan, Germany, Italy, and Myanmar.
• Issued its own currency, postage, and diplomatic mission — acting as a de facto government in exile.
• INA was declared the army of the Provisional Government, and its national slogan was “Jai Hind.”

This was the first Indian government to declare India’s independence by force of arms — before 1947.

🛡️ The March to India — “Chalo Dilli”

The INA headquarters moved to Rangoon (Burma) in January 1944.
In alliance with the Japanese army, INA forces began their campaign towards India with the rallying cry:

“Chalo Dilli!” — March to Delhi!

The Campaign:

• 4 February 1944: INA reached the Arakan front (Burma-India border).
• 18 March 1944: INA troops crossed into Indian soil for the first time.
• 14 April 1944: Colonel Shaukat Malik of the Subhas Regiment hoisted the Tricolour at Moirang (Manipur) — the first Indian flag raised on liberated Indian territory.

This moment, though brief, carried immense symbolic power — it showed that India could fight for and reclaim her own land.

🌧️ The Setback — Imphal And Retreat

Despite early successes, the INA–Japanese offensive faced major logistical problems:

• Poor air and supply support from the Japanese.
• Harsh weather — the torrential monsoon rains of Burma flooded roads and supply lines.
• Exhaustion and disease among soldiers.

The attempt to capture Imphal failed. Bose then ordered a strategic retreat.
With Japan’s defeat in 1944–45, the INA’s campaign collapsed.

Thousands of INA soldiers were captured by the British and later brought back to India as prisoners.

💔 The End of the Campaign and Bose’s Death

• On 18 August 1945, Japanese news agencies reported that Subhas Chandra Bose had died in a plane crash in Taihoku (now Taipei, Taiwan) while trying to reach Manchuria.
• His alleged death created a storm of disbelief in India — many refused to accept it.
• Over decades, various inquiries and commissions were held:
  1. Shah Nawaz Committee (1956)
  2. Khosla Commission (1970)
  3. Mukherjee Commission (1999)

None could produce conclusive evidence, leaving the mystery of Netaji’s death unresolved to this day.

🕊️ Impact and Legacy of the INA

Even though the INA failed militarily, its psychological and political impact on India’s freedom struggle was enormous.

1. Erosion of British Authority in the Army

• The INA proved that Indian soldiers could rebel against their colonial masters.
• The British realized that the loyalty of Indian troops — the foundation of their empire — could no longer be trusted.
• This realization was a key factor behind Britain’s hurried decision to leave India in 1947.

2. Communal Unity

• INA soldiers — Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs — fought and died under the same tricolour, shouting “Jai Hind.”
• This deeply countered the League’s narrative that Hindus and Muslims could not coexist in one nation.

3. Women’s Empowerment

• The Rani Jhansi Regiment under Captain Lakshmi Sehgal shattered stereotypes about women’s roles in the struggle.
• It symbolized that Indian women were ready to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with men for independence.

4. Global Solidarity

• The INA revealed the support of overseas Indians for the nationalist cause.
• From Singapore to Rangoon, Indians abroad saw themselves as part of India’s destiny.

🧭 Historical Reassessment

At the time, many nationalists (including Gandhi and Nehru) criticized Bose’s alliance with Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan).
They feared that fascist imperialism could not bring genuine freedom.

However, history judges Bose differently today.
His courage, his organizational genius, and his unflinching patriotism inspired millions — especially the Indian armed forces, youth, and diaspora — to believe that freedom could be fought for, not merely negotiated.

As Gandhiji himself later said:

“The greatest among the patriots, Subhas Bose, though misguided, was a lion-hearted man who loved India with intense passion.”

🕯️ A Special Note — Gandhi as “Father of the Nation”

In his Azad Hind Radio broadcast of 6 July 1944, Subhas Chandra Bose addressed Gandhi as:

“Father of the Nation.”
“Give me your blessings for victory.”

This was the first recorded instance of Gandhi being publicly called “Father of the Nation.”
It reflects Bose’s humility and his emotional connection with India’s moral centre — despite their ideological differences.

In essence, Subhas Chandra Bose and the INA transformed India’s freedom struggle from a moral-political movement into a national war for liberation.
They reminded both India and the world that freedom is not granted — it is earned through courage, sacrifice, and belief in one’s destiny.