The Indian National Army was a collaborationist armed unit of Indian collaborators that fought under the command of the Japanese Empire. It was founded by Mohan Singh on 1 September 1942 in Southeast Asia during World War II.
The Provisional Government of Free India or, more simply, Azad Hind, was a short-lived Japanese-supported provisional government in India. It was established in Japanese occupied Singapore during World War II in October 1943 and has been considered a puppet state of the Empire of Japan.
Moirang is a town in the Indian state of Manipur, best known for the tentatively listed UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Keibul Lamjao Conservation Area (KLCA), covering Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP), the world's only floating national park, the buffer of Loktak Lake and Pumlen Pat. It is best known for the being the place of origin of the ancient epic legend of Khamba and Thoibi, one of the seven epic cycles of incarnations of Meitei mythology and folklore. Nationwide, it is also famous for the INA War Museum in the INA Martyrs' Memorial Complex, where Colonel Shaukat Malik of the Indian National Army hoisted the Tricolour for the first time on Indian soil on 14 April 1944. It is situated approximately 45 km (28 mi) south of the state capital Imphal. It has an area of 269 km2 (104 sq mi) with a population of 62,187 in 67 villages. There are 12 Panchayats in this block.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero is a 2004 Indian epic biographical war film, written and directed by Shyam Benegal. The film starred an ensemble cast of Sachin Khedekar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajit Kapur, Arif Zakaria, and Divya Dutta, among others. The film depicts the life of the Indian Independence leader Subhas Chandra Bose in Nazi Germany: 1941–1943, and In Japanese-occupied Asia 1943–1945, and the events leading to the formation of Azad Hind Fauj.
The Indian Legion, officially the Free India Legion or 950th (Indian) Infantry Regiment, was a military unit raised during the Second World War initially as part of the German Army and later the Waffen-SS from August 1944. Intended to serve as a liberation force for British-ruled India, it was made up of Indian prisoners of war and expatriates in Europe. Due to its origins in the Indian independence movement, it was known also as the "Tiger Legion", and the "Azad Hind Fauj". As part of the Waffen-SS it was known as the Indian Volunteer Legion of the Waffen-SS.
Shah Nawaz Khan was an Indian politician who served as an officer in the Indian National Army (INA) during World War II. He was profoundly influenced by Subhas Chandra Bose's speeches asking POWs to join the Indian National Army and to fight for a free India, Khan led the army into North-Eastern India, seizing Kohima and Imphal which were held briefly by the INA under the authority of the Japanese. In December 1944, Shah Nawaz Khan was appointed Commander of the 1st Division at Mandalay. After the war, he was tried, convicted for treason, and sentenced to death in a public court-martial carried out by the British Indian Army. The sentence was commuted by the Commander-in-chief of the Indian Army following unrest and protests in India. After the trial, Khan declared that he would henceforth follow the path of non-violence espoused by Mahatama Gandhi and joined the Congress party. Having successfully contested the first Lok Sabha in 1952 from Meerut, Khan had an illustrious parliamentary career. He was elected four times to the Lok Sabha from Meerut constituency in 1951, 1957, 1962 and 1971. He lost in the 1967 and 1977 Lok Sabha election from Meerut.
Mohan Singh was a British Indian Army officer, and later member of the Indian Independence Movement, best known for founding and leading the Indian National Army in South East Asia during World War II. Following Indian independence, Mohan Singh later served in public life as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha of the Indian Parliament.
The Indian National Army trials was the British Indian trial by court-martial of a number of officers of the Indian National Army (INA) between November 1945 and May 1946, on various charges of treason, torture, murder and abetment to murder, during the Second World War.
The Sardar-e-Jung was the second highest military decoration by the awarded by the Azad Hind Government. First instituted by Subhas Chandra Bose in Germany, it was later also awarded to troops of the Indian National Army in South East Asia. The award could be conferred with swords for valour in combat, and without swords for non-combat awards. At least three awards were made, one to Colonel Shaukat Ali Malik for the capture of Moirang, to Capt Shangara Singh Mann and to Lt Kunwar Balwant singh for capturing British Army Post at Modak. Capt. Mann was also awarded the Vir-e-Hind medal. Colonel Pritam Singh was awarded Sardar-e-jung, he captured a hill named Pritam Hill in Myanmar, Burma & Palel Airport.
The Bahadur Group, or the Special Services Group as it was initially formed, was a Special Forces unit within the Indian National Army that was tasked with frontline intelligence as well as subversion and sabotage operations behind enemy lines. This was the INA's second special forces unit besides the Intelligence group led by Colonel Shaukat Hayat Malikof Bhawalpur Regiment who is credited with raising the flag of Azad Hind in Moirang in 14 April 1944, an event accepted as one of the first instances of the liberation of Indian soil by an independent Indian government. They were two parts to the organization: the Special Service Group and the Secret Service Group. Both of these groups were trained in commando tactics, sabotage,intelligence collection and deep penetration missions in India while some members received training in Linguistics in order to liaison with local Japanese units. Usually operating in groups of 8 to 10 members of the Bahadur group were attached to local Japanese divisions in order to spread propaganda among Indian troops in the British Indian army and to act as pathfinders.
Major General Arcot Doraiswamy Loganadan was an officer of the Indian National Army, and was also a minister in the Azad Hind Government as a representative of the Indian National Army there. Loganadan also served briefly as the Governor of the Andaman Islands while these islands were occupied by the Japanese during the war, and afterwards moved to Burma for the duration of the war.
Mohammed Zaman Kiani was an officer of the British Indian Army who later joined the Indian National Army (INA), led by Subhas Chandra Bose, and commanded its 1st Division.
The Battles and Operations involving the Indian National Army during World War II were all fought in the South-East Asian theatre. These range from the earliest deployments of the INA's preceding units in espionage during Malayan Campaign in 1942, through the more substantial commitments during the Japanese Ha Go and U Go offensives in the Upper Burma and Manipur region, to the defensive battles during the Allied Burma campaign. The INA's brother unit in Europe, the Indische Legion did not see any substantial deployment although some were engaged in Atlantic wall duties, special operations in Persia and Afghanistan, and later a small deployment in Italy. The INA was not considered a significant military threat. However, it was deemed a significant strategic threat especially to the Indian Army, with Wavell describing it as a target of prime importance.
The decorations of Azad Hind were instituted by Subhas Chandra Bose while in Nazi Germany, initially for the Indian Legion, to be awarded for gallantry in the field of battle. Both Indians and Germans were eligible for the decorations. Later, the same awards were instituted by the Azad Hind provisional government for the Indian National Army during its campaign in South-East Asia.
Major General Jaganath Rao Bhonsle, also known as Jagannathrao Krishnarao Bhonsle was an Indian military officer, independence activist, and politician. As a member of the Indian National Army, Bhonsle served as the Azad Hind's minister for armed forces in the Azad Hind. After the war, he was a minister and MP in India after independence.
Habib ur Rahman (1913–1978) was an army officer in the Indian National Army (INA) who was charged with "waging war against His Majesty the King Emperor". He served as Subhas Chandra Bose's chief of staff in Singapore, and accompanied Bose on his alleged last fatal flight from Taipei to Tokyo, sharing the last moments of his life. Rahman also played an important role in the First Kashmir War. Convinced that Maharaja Hari Singh was out to exterminate the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir, he joined Major General Zaman Kiani, in launching a rebellion against the Maharaja from Gujrat in Pakistani Punjab. Rehman and his volunteer force launched an attack on the Bhimber town. But, the records of the 11th Cavalry of the Pakistan Army indicate that their efforts did not succeed, and eventually the Cavalry was responsible for conquering Bhimber.
Mairembam Koireng Singh (1915–1994) also known as Moirang Koireng was the first Chief Minister of Manipur, India. Coming from the Indian National Congress, Mairembam Koireng Singh achieved the honor of becoming the first Chief Minister of Manipur and he governed the state for 5 years and 266 days in three terms between 1963 and 1969.
The Indian National Army (INA) and its leader Subhash Chandra Bose are popular and emotive topics within India. From the time it came into public perception in India around the time of the Red Fort Trials, it found its way into the works of military historians around the world. It has been the subject of a number of projects, of academic, historical and of popular nature. Some of these are critical of the army, some — especially of the ex-INA men — are biographical or autobiographical, while still others historical and political works, that tell the story of the INA. A large number of these provide analyses of Subhas Chandra Bose and his work with the INA.
The INA Martyrs' Memorial complex is a war memorial at Moirang, 45 km south of Imphal, in Manipur state of India, dedicated to the soldiers of the Indian National Army. The main feature of the complex is a reconstruction of the INA's memorial to its fallen soldiers as it stood in Singapore, before its demolition at the hands of British Indian Army sappers in 1945. The complex also contains a museum dedicated to the INA along with a library and an auditorium and a statue of Subhas Chandra Bose. Work on the cenotaph itself began in October 1968 and was completed in September 1969, when it was unveiled by Indira Gandhi. Work on expanding the monument complex to present-day size was completed in 2005, when it was unveiled. The total cost in building the memorial was Rs 6.23 crores. A stone monument has also been erected at the historic Moirang Kangla, where Colonel S. A. Malik leading an INA unit raised the flag of Azad Hind in April 1944. The Imphal state government has administered the site since 1985. Close to the complex is the peace memorial at Lotpaching, raised by the Japanese government. 205 km north of Moirang & 55 km west of Kohima is another monument at Chesezu related to INA, with a statue of Subhash Chandra Bose marking the last camp where Neta ji Subhash Chandra Bose camped for 2 months.
The Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre (India), or CSDIC (I) for short, was the Indian branch of the CSDIC, established during World War II. Established along with the parent section at the start of hostilities in Europe, the branch developed as an important tool for interrogation of enemy troops and informant from November 1942, when the first information emerged of the nascent Indian National Army. The organisation formed a part of the Jiffs campaign, and was initially tasked with identifying Indian troops at risk of defecting to the INA. By the end of the war its task had evolved into interrogating INA soldiers captured in Burma, Malaya and Europe, interrogating them regardless of rank and identifying soldiers as whitegrey or black on the basis of their commitment to Subhas Chandra Bose and Azad Hind. The classifications were to be important in rehabilitating INA soldiers into the British-Indian Army. Col. Hugh Toye, who worked with the unit, later went on to write the first substantive history on the INA in his book 1959 book The Springing Tiger.
