SIGNIFICANCE AND FORMATION OF AZAD HIND ARKAR

SIGNIFICANCE AND FORMATION OF AZAD HIND ARKAR

ABSTRACT 

Subhas Chandra Bose is considered as the most influential freedom fighter but with the period of time and dirty politics the country has forgotten a gem like Netaji but fortunately this year 2022 has a special combination of celebrating 75th AZADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV and 125th anniversary of Netaji together, which made Bose as a center of discussion. The man who is jailed for the 11 times for the freedom don’t need anything else to see his patriotism. Neta ji want to see independent India at any cost but everytime he needs to face some problem even from his Congress party but his patriotism made the formation of Azad Hind Fauj and gave “Delhi Chalo” slogan became a famous slogan for the Bose and his army. This research is a attempt to these numerous like how did Netaji ji manage to escape from Britishers? Formation of AZAD HIND SARKAR, what was the need of making provisional government of India? what happened to the Azad Hind Fauj after boss mysterious death. All of these questions have been covered in this research 

INTRODUCTION

On 21 oct 1943 Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose took oath as the prime minister of the AZAD HIND SARKAR in the presence of Hundred of people and swore to fight till the last drop of blood with his word “In the name of God, in the name of bygone generations who have welded the Indian people into one nation and in the name of dead heroes who have bequeathed to us a tradition of heroism and self-sacrifice, we call upon the Indian people to rally round one banner and to strive for India’s freedom. We call upon them to launch the final struggle against the British and all their Allies in India and to prosecute that struggle with valour and perseverance and with full faith in final Victory until the enemy is expelled from India’s soil and. the Indian people are once again a Free Nation.” This was an emotional moment; tears were welling from the eyes of all those who has assemble here to witness this historic and emotional moment even the Bose himself broke down. 

 Bose’s Step For Independence. 

Resignation from Indian National Congress
 Subhas Chandra Bose was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1938., Congress session was held at Haripura (Surat, Gujarat) and Subhas Chandra Bose became the president of the congress and in which Nehru was made the chairman and National Planning Committee was established. Bose was a nationalist leader who wanted that all efforts should be take for independence of the country . He wanted to give a six month notice to the British to leave India but Gandhi was not in favour of such action because the Britishers were involved in Second World II. Bose wanted an armed revolution along with the peaceful political protests of Gandhi. Then in 1939 the Congress session was going to be held at Tripuri (Jabalpur) and for that Congress presidential election need to be conducted. In this situation Subhash Bose again announced his candidature for the post of Congress president. It was found that Subhash secured 1580 Votes whereas Sitaramaya got 1377 votes, thus Subhash won and became the president. But due to the ideological difference of Bose and Gandhi ji. Bose need freedom at any cost even by violence but Gandhi ji was again that and Bose resigned. And formed “Forward Bloc” on 22 june 1939. Britisher again jailed him for the rising voice against British govt. 

Bose To Built Global Alliance 

This was the time of World War II and the main combatants were the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) and the Allies Power (France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and, to a lesser extent, China). Britain was against the India which was a Allies power so thought to take help from Axis Power. Bose thought for help from the Adolf Hitler because India and the Germany have the common enemy British which is Allies Power.

 “The Great Escape : Calcutta – Kabul” –Germany

  Netaji wanted Germany's help for independence from the British. But it was not possible to do this while in the jail of Calcutta. So Netaji found a way. He started a fast strike in jail. His health started deteriorating and under compulsion, the British government had to release him. On 5 December 1940, the British placed Netaji under house arrest. At that time, the British used to constantly monitor the house of Netaji so that he does not run away from there. Meanwhile, under house arrest, Netaji started growing a beard, and without being noticed by the British, he sent a telegram to the leader of his party Forward Block, Mian Akbar Shah. Mian Akbar Shah was in Peshawar at that time, which is presently in Pakistan. On Netaji's call, Mian Akbar Shah reached Calcutta from Peshawar. To execute this plan, Netaji talked to his nephew Shishir. A plan was made to reach Dhanbad by car. Late night 16 January 1941, the night of his escape, he dressed as a Pathan (brown long coat, a black fez-type coat and broad pyjamas) to avoid being identified. Bose escaped from under British surveillance from his Elgin Road house in Calcutta on the night of 17 January 1941, accompanied by his nephew Sisir Kumar Bose, later reaching Gomoh Railway Station (now Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Gomoh Station) in the then state of Bihar (now Jharkhand), India. Dhanbad from where he caught a train to Peshawar. On reaching Peshawar, he disguised as a Muslim Insurance Agent and changed his name to Ziauddin. Netaji wanted to go from Peshawar to Kabul, to mingle with the citizens of Afghanistan, Netaji started wearing Pashtun-like clothes. But the problem was that he did not know the Pashto language. To avoid being caught, he acted dumb and deaf, Bose's guide Bhagat Ram Talwar, unknown to him, was a Soviet agent. And then he went to Russia for seeking Joseph Stalin support but he refused, Stalin believed that Indians cant govern themselves and lacked unity but he granted visa to Germany Then, he reached Germany via Italy from Moscow. This plan of Netaji to reach Kabul from Calcutta is called 'The Great Escape'.    

Bose In Germany And His Relation With Axis powers 

Subhas Chandra Bose arrived on April 3 of 1941. The Germans wanted to weaken their British foes and welcomed Bose, a leader of pan-India stature. The period of his stay in Germany was from April 1941 to February 1943. In Germany, he was attached to the Special Bureau for India under Adam von Trott zu Solz which was responsible for broadcasting on the German- sponsored Azad Hind Radio. Bose met Adolf Hitler and asked him for the to get the independent. However, the German government was wary of Bose and were reluctant to discuss military plans with him. “His movements were under constant surveillance, his telephone was tapped, his letters were opened and censored. He seemed to be locked in an iron cage, an unbearable condition for the Springing Tiger.” Bose did not lose hope and wanted to meet Hitler to discuss plans to advance the cause of India’s Independence. Bose then used his time in Germany and the financial grant of the Fuhrer to recruit the first unit of the Indian National Army (INA). It comprised Indian prisoners of war from North Africa. The legendary freedom fighter understood the significance of sovereignty and wanted to make the Indian legion self-sufficient to fight only against the British army and not for other countries including Germany. During the 2 years period he lived in Germany, Bose focus remained on using the Indian Independence Movement and not carrying out Hitler’s nefarious designs. His followers in Berlin honored him with the name “Netaji” leader of leaders In all, 3,000 Indian prisoners of war signed up for the Free India Legion. But instead of being delighted, Bose was worried. A left-wing admirer of Russia, he was devastated when Hitler's tanks rolled across the Soviet border. Matters were worsened by the fact that the now-retreating German army would be in no position to offer him help in driving the British from India. When he met Hitler in May 1942, his suspicions were confirmed, and he came to believe that the Nazi leader was more interested in using his men to win propaganda victories than military ones. So, in February 1943, Bose boarded a German submarine U-180, around the Cape of Good Hope to the southeast of Madagascar, where he was transferred to the I-29 for the rest of the journey to Imperial Japan. This was the only civilian transfer between two submarines of two different navies in World War II. and left for Japan. This left the men he had recruited leaderless and demoralized in Germany.

 • Formation of AZAD HIND SARKAR 

 The Indian National Army was an armed force formed by Indian nationalists in 1942 in Southeast Asia during World War II. Its aim was to secure Indian independence from British rule. It formed an alliance with Imperial Japan in the latter's campaign in the Southeast Asian theatre of WWII. There were many Indian Revolutionaries working abroad for the country’s cause. Among these was Rashbehari Bose, living as a fugitive from the British since 1915 in Japan. Ras Behari Bose, was an Indian revolutionary who escaped to Japan in 1915 because he conspired the assassination attempt of 'Lord Hardinge' on 23 December, 1912 in Calcutta. The Japanese Government honored him with the 'Order of the Rising Sun'. After Bose went into hiding in Japan, he established the Indian Independence League in 1942. The Azad Hind Fauj, was first formed on 17 February 1942 by Captain General Mohan Singh in Singapore but was disbanded due to the differences that had emerged between Captain Singh and the Japanese. Later, Bose proclaimed the establishment of a provisional independent Indian government and his Indian National Army, which was formed by Indian Nationalists in Southeast Asia during World War 2 to secure Indian Independence from British Rule.

 In July, the General Assembly of the Indian Independence League was held and Rash Behari Bose not only gave up his position of head of the League in favour of Subhas Chandra Bose, but made him the commander of the INA. 

 On 21st October 1943, Subhash Chandra Bose announced the formation of the Provisional Government of Azad Hind (Free India) in Singapore Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose took oath as the prime minister of the AZAD HIND SARKAR in the presence of Hundred of people and swore to fight till the last drop of blood with his words 

“In the name of God, in the name of bygone generations who have welded the Indian people into one nation and in the name of dead heroes who have bequeathed to us a tradition of heroism and self-sacrifice, we call upon the Indian people to rally round one banner and to strive for India’s freedom. We call upon them to launch the final struggle against the British and all their Allies in India and to prosecute that struggle with valour and perseverance and with full faith in final Victory until the enemy is expelled from India’s soil and. the Indian people are once again a Free Nation.”

 Azad Hind was recognized as a legitimate government by a countries, mostly the Axis powers and their allies. At its height, Azad Hind had diplomatic ties with Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, the Italian Social Republic, Independent State of Croatia and Wang Jingwei Government, Thailand, the State of Burma, Manchukuo and the Second Philippine Republic. Bose chose Indian tri-colour as a national flag and “JANA GANA MANA ” as the national anthem. The government even participated in the Greater East Asia Conference in November 1943. 

The government of Azad Hind had its own currency, postage stamps, court ,civil code, bank named Azad Hind Bank this bank also printed 1 lakh rupee note with his photo on the currency. The also have stamp named Azad Hind Bank. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose named the regiments of INA after Gandhi brigades, Nehru brigades, Maulana Azad brigades, and Bose brigades. INA had a separate women's unit, the Rani of Jhansi Regiment (named after Rani Lakshmi Bai) headed by Capt. Lakshmi Swaminathan, which is seen as a first of its kind in Asia. From Japanese-controlled Singapore in July 1943, issued from there his famous call, 'Delhi Chalo' 

The Japanese also took possession of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 1942 and a year later, Japan handed over Andaman and Nicobar Island to Bose. Provisional Government and the INA were established in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with Lt Col. A.D. Loganathan appointed its Governor General. Bose visits islands and renamed Shaheed dweep and Swaraj dweep respectively. On December 30, 1943, Netaji hoisted the Indian flag at the Gymkhana Ground (now named Netaji stadium) at Port Blair, Andaman. It is a moment of immense pride for our country, which was then trying to liberate itself from the yoke of British rule. 

On the Indian mainland, an Indian Tricolour, modelled after that of the Indian National Congress, was raised for the first time in the town of Moirang, in Manipur, in north- eastern India. The adjacent towns of Kohima and Imphal were then encircled and placed under siege by divisions of the Japanese Army, working in conjunction with the Burmese National Army, and with Brigades of the INA, known as the Gandhi and Nehru Brigades. This attempt at conquering the Indian mainland had the Axis codename of Operation U- Go.

 During this operation, On 6 July 1944, in a speech broadcast by the Azad Hind Radio from Singapore, Bose addressed Mahatma Gandhi as the "Father of the Nation" and asked for his blessings and good wishes for the war he was fighting. This was the first time that Gandhi was referred to by this appellation. After several month of training, subhas Chandra Bose felt that the INA was ready to free India. His plan was to enter to north-east India through Burma. By January 1944, the INA began moving to Burma. The INA headquarters was shifted to Rangoon (in Burma) in January 1944, and the army recruits were to march from there with the war cry “Chalo Delhi. Bose in his speech “Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom” was made in Burma in 1944to the Indian National Army. 

On 14 April 1944, he led the Azad Hind Fauj on an offensive against the British in India. Crossing the Burmese border. Colonel Shaukat Ali malik commander of the Bahadur group of Indian National Army (INA), hosted the Indian National tri-colour flag at Moirang, Manipur. It was a symbol of claiming Indian soil from the British. This was the first time when Indian National tri-colour flag hosted. Indian National Army (INA) liberated Moirang in Manipur from British empire. Colonel Shoukat Ali Malik, who was honoured by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose with ‘Sardar-e-Jung’ for his gallantry shown in the war INA were about 45 km away from Imphal, the capital of Manipur. Thereafter, the Japanese decided to capture Kohima, a strategic point in the mountainous border region between India and Burma. The battle for Imphal and Kohima has been adjudged as “Britain’s greatest battle”. In the short list for the greatest battles fought by the British, the Imphal campaign polled nearly 25 per cent of the votes, much more than the Battle of Waterloo and the D-Day landings at Normandy. British forces had fought the combined armies of Netaji’s Azad Hind Force or INA and the Japanese. It is estimated that the British lost 16,500 lives while the INA and the Japanese lost 53,000 soldiers. The fight for Imphal lasted nearly six months while the Kohima battle was on for three months. The INA and Japanese took longer than expected to capture it. the INA failed to capture Imphal due to two reasons: Japanese failed to supply the necessary material and air cover to the INA and the Monsoon prevented their advance. They were forced to retreat. The tide of war had turned. America dropped the bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, which broke the Japan. This impact is seen in as they were stop to help bose. 

 

On 15 August 1945, Japan surrendered. Meanwhile in Singapore, Bose received the devastating news of the Japanese surrender . Since their occupation of Southeast Asia, the Japanese had supported Bose’s fight for an independent India. On 17 August 1945, Bose left Singapore for Bangkok.With the loss of the Japanese ally, Bose immediately looked to the Soviet Union for support. However, on 18 August 1945, while in route to the Soviet Union via Taiwan, his plane crashed. It was later alleged by various sources that the plane did not crash and Bose safely reached the Soviet Union. However, there are still many conspiracy theories regarding his death. The INA prisoners were then repatriated to India and some tried for treason. 

The Red Fort Trial 

After World War Two, the British captured some 23, 000 INA soldiers and charged them with treason. The Red for trial is also called as Indian National Army Trial, were the British Indian trial by courts-martial of a number of officers of the Indian National Army between November 1945 and May 1946, for charges variously for treason, torture, murder, and abetment to murder during World War II. The first, and most famous, of the approximately ten trials held in the Red Fort in Delhi. In total, approximately ten courts-martial were held. The first of these, and the most celebrated one, was the joint court-martial of Colonel Prem Sahgal, Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon, and Major General Shah Nawaz Khan. The 3 had been officers in the British Indian Army and were taken as prisoners of war in Malaya, Singapore, and Burma. They had, like a large number of other troops and officers of the British Indian Army, joined the Indian National Army and later fought in Imphal and Burma alongside the Japanese forces in allegiance to Azad Hind. These 3 came to be the only defendants in the INA trials who were charged with "waging war against the King-Emperor" (the Indian Army Act, 1911 did not provide for a separate charge for treason) as well as murder and abatement of murder. Those charged later only faced trial for torture and murder or abatement of murder. The trials covered arguments based on Military Law, Constitutional Law, International Law, and Politics.

Impact of INA

The INA had failed to achieve its goal, but it made a significant impact on the freedom struggle:

• It gave a major boost to the mainstream nationalist morale and it also motivates the effort of non-violence

The trial's progress also resulted in mutiny within the British Indian Army, most notably in the Royal Indian Navy.

o It became clear to the British that, they could no longer depend on the loyalty of Indian Soldiers and treat them as mercenaries

• Protests against the trials took place and in February and March 1946, the Royal Indian Navy and Royal Indian Air Force mutinied. By then, the end of British India was clearly apparent and on 15 August 1947, India was free from colonial rule

 COMMENTARY 

Gandhi launched the Quit India movement in 1942, which was similar to what Bose had demanded in 1939. The movement was launched in the right earnest. But unfortunately, it was crushed within three weeks and, in a few months, it was all over. Gandhi did a lot for India is true. But to say that the Quit India movement led to Independence would not be fair justice to the history. A most logical explanation for this was given by Babasaheb B R Ambedkar. In a no- holds-barred interview with BBC’s journalist Francis Watson in February 1955, the father of the Indian Constitution, B. R. Ambedkar says : "I don't know how Mr. Attlee suddenly agreed to give India Independence. In reality it has everything to do with the national army that was raised by Subhash Chandra Bose. The British had been ruling the country in the firm belief that whatever may happen in the country or whatever the politicians do, they will never be able to change the loyaltyofBritish Indian soldiers. That was one prop on which they were carrying on the administration. And that was completely dashed to pieces. They found that soldiers could be seduced to form a party - a battalion to blow off the British. I think the British had come to the conclusion that if they were to rule India, the only basis on which they would rule was the maintenance of the British Army. The Red Fort Trials demolished that belief." 

 Subhash Chandra Bose Timeline

 

1 Feb 1941 Subhas Chandra Bose arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan. 
 8 Feb 1943 Subhash Chandra Bose departed Germany for Japan via submarine.
 2 Jul 1943 Subhash Chandra Bose arrived in Singapore.
 30 Dec 1943 Subhas Chandra Bose declared an independent India at Port Blair, Andaman Islands; his Azad Hind government was heavily reliant on Japan.
 18 Aug 1945 Subhash Chandra Bose boarded a Japanese passenger aircraft at Matsuyama Airfield (now Songshan Airport) at Taihoku (now Taipei), Taiwan for a trip to Japan. The aircraft crashed immediately after takeoff and Bose was seriously burned. He was rushed to a military hospital near the airfield, but the doctors were not able to save him. 
 23 Aug 1945 Japanese news agency Do Trzei announced the death of Subhash Chandra Bose. 
8 Sep 1945 Rama Murti, president of the Tokyo Indian Independence League, received Subhash Chandra Bose's ashes in Tokyo, Japan. 

CONCLUSION 

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose want to see independent India at any cost even through the violence. Bose was quite visionary while other freedom fighter were performing operation within India, Bose decides to make global alliances for which he planned the escape to the Germany to make geo-political relations, For this, he wanted to support his fascists, to establish contact with influential leaders like Hitler. This was the time of world war II therefore he was building relation with Axis Power as both has the common enemy Britain. India-Japan shares a good friendship. Japan was also highly influenced by Bose and gifted Andaman and Nicobar Island to him. Not only this, but Japan also took responsibility for his wellbeing after 1945 and took him to Russia with great secrecy. Japan always considered Netaji as its own, due to which the responsibility of protecting him was held by the Japanese military commander till the last moment. Netaji’s global alliance was so strong that when he formed AZAD HIND SARKAR in Singapore on 21 October 1945. This government got recognition from nine countries namely Nazi Germany, the Empire of Japan, Italian Social Republic, Independent State of Croatia and Wang Jingwei Government, Thailand, the State of Burma, Manchukuo and the Second Philippine Republic. The Provisional Government not only enabled Bose to negotiate with the Japanese on an equal footing but also facilitated the mobilization of Indians in East Asia to join and support the INA. The government recently on 8 september unveiled a large statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate to commemorate his 125th birthday and as part of the year-long celebrations. On January 23rd, his Jayanti is celebrated as 'Parakram Diwas.' An attempt was made by the research paper to show role of AZAD HIND SARKAR in India’s independent. 

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