Essay on Indian National Army (INA)!
After the close of First World War Indians thought of organising national independence movement outside India, particularly in Far-East countries. Rash Bihari Bose accordingly went abroad and in Japan he founded Indian Independence League.
He continued to work in Japan till Second World War broke out and the League decided to make concerted efforts for freeing India. It was supported in its mission and objectives by Japanese government which decided to provide it all unnecessary facilities for armed struggle for Indian independence.
A conference of representatives of Indians residing in the Far-East was held at Bankok in which Rash Bihari was elected as Leader of the League. Prisoners of war were persuaded to join the League. As the time passed merchants, traders and middle class people joined it, which began to face certain problems as well.
Rash Bihari could not carry different sections of the League with him and keep them under his control. Many who joined it began to mint money for personal use rather than devoting themselves to the noble cause of freeing India from foreign yoke. He also could not win the support of Indian intellectuals.
The result of all this was that groupism increased and no military action could be taken against British government, for which League had given hopes and promises to all. Finding himself unable to do any solid work Rash Bihari decided to invite Subhash Chandra Bose to take command of the League.
He came to Japan via Germany. On 21st October, 1943, he was declared as the leader of the movement and in turn he declared the formation of provisional government of Azad Hind. He also founded Indian National Army. Soon thereafter Rash Bihari retired and in 1944 he also passed away.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s name is associated with the I.N.A. He believed that let the country win freedom for that it was not essential that the means should be only non-violent. If necessary, even military assistance of foreign powers should be sought.
His approach was revolutionary and as such he had wide differences with Gandhiji. By the British government he was considered a dangerous revolutionary and arrested on July 2, 1940 but was released on 5th December, 1940.
He left India in the guise of a Pathan in January, 1941 and reached Kabul, from where he went to Soviet Union, where he got the rare opportunity of meeting top Soviet leader Stalin. But he moved to Berlin on March 28, 1941. His journey from Calcutta to Berlin was historic because in those days it was not easy to escape from the clutches of British police of a person who was considered a dangerous revolutionary.
In Germany this Indian revolutionary with the desire of freedom of his motherland was well received. It was in Germany that he was assured that he would be provided an opportunity to broadcast anti-British propaganda for Berlin, raise free Indian units for Indian prisoners of war in Germany and that Germany, Italy and Japan would jointly declare Indian independence.
Bose was also permitted to broadcast from Berlin radio to India without any censorship.
When, however, Bose came to know about Japan’s successes against Britain and about the fall of Singapur, he felt that instead of Germany far East would provide more advantageous base for India’s freedom struggle.
At that time Rash Bihari Bose was already active in Japan. In a Conference held at Tokyo on March 25-30, 1942, a resolution about the formation of I.N.A. under direct command of Indian officers had already been adopted.
The Indian Independence League of Overseas Indians had also brought into existence throughout Japanese Asia. At a Conference held in Bankok from June 15-23, 1942, it was decided that Subhash Bose be invited to come to East Asia. The decision was once again repealed in April, 1943 at the Conference of Indian Independence League held at Bankok.
It was resolved that leadership of I.N.A. would be offered to him. He reached Singapur on July 2 when all powers were transferred to him by Rash Bihari. He reorganised I.N.A. when in the presence of delegates from all over East Asia Proclamation of Provisional Government of free India was made on 21st October. 1943.
It was assigned the task of launching a struggle that would bang about the expulsion of Britain and its allies from the soil of India and also bring about the establishment of Permanent National Government of Azad Hind on the Indian soil On October 23 of the same year it announced war both on Britain and the U.S.A.
Netaji raised his own regiments after the names of prominent national leaders of freedom movement in India. On June 4, 1944, he reached Singapur and set up his advance headquarters there. It was here that he developed difference with Japanese military personnel over their intention to bombard Calcutta.
He also managed to reached Kohima. But due to circumstances beyond his control because of geographical conditions of the area I.NA. had to move back. LN.A. lost much of its vigour when Netaji disappeared from the scene, according to some because of his death in a plane crash.
One Major activity which Indians took abroad to pressurise British government and take the country towards the path of independence was the formation of Indian Nan anal Army. It is, however, unfortunate that the work done by Netaji and LNJL has not been fully brought to the notice of the in India.
For this one reason is that not much authentic material is available even now on it. Another reason is that after his leaving India Netaji never came back to India and in his absence not much attention was paid to him Moreover, in freedom struggle all attention was paid to Gandhian way of non-violence.
In fact, Gandhi and Nehru and their associates so much dominated the show that those who differed from their view point were pushed in the background. This is what happened with all those who believed in the cult of violence, in spite of the fact that they made supreme sacrifices for the freedom of the country.
Under Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, INA did a remarkable job. It inculcated spirit of nationalism in the minds of Indians and made them patriots burning with love for their country. Head-Quarters of Azad Hind Fauj were transferred from Singapur to Rangoon.
The Fauj hoisted its flag on the Indian soil, when its soldiers reached Manipur. After the surrender of Japan, the INA almost found it impossible to continue its activities. Some of the officers of INA, Sehgal, Dhillon and Shah Nawaz Khan were arrested by British government and tried in Lala Qila at Delhi for organising rebellion against the government.
Subhash Chandra Bose himself left Japan in a plane, which it is believed, crashed. But still mystery surrounds his death.
INA was the last major attempt made by the Indian revolutionaries on a foreign soil in a bid to free India. It was much success in its ultimate objective of creating political awakening in the minds of Indians. At the time of INA trial, almost whole India was united against British government.
Its slogan of Jai Hind’ became and continues to be a very popular slogan among the people of India. Even those leaders who otherwise did not see eye to eye with Subhash Chandra Bose with his programme of action came forward to defend INA prisoners.
Prestige of Indian freedom fighters and in fact that of the whole freedom movement considerably went up and the British government found it almost impossible to justify its continuance in India before the civilised world.
About the work of B. Shiva Rao in his India’s Freedom Movement has said, “Subhash Bose will be gratefully remembered by his country men for his passionate love of freedom and his dauntless courage.”
R.C. Majumdar in his “History of Freedom Movement in India “has also said that, For nation of this force and its historic exploits proved beyond doubt that British could no longer rely upon the Indian sepoys to maintain their hold on India…….. They realised that they were sitting on a volcano which may erupt at any moment”.