Question

Write an account of the formation of the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj).

Answer 1

1. The Indian National Army (INA), also known as the Azad Hind Fauj, was formed during the Second World War to fight for India’s independence from British rule.
2. The Japanese took Captain Mohan Singh, an Indian commander in the British Indian Army, prisoner in Malaya, and he founded the INA in 1942.
3. To create a military force that would combat British colonial control in India, he enlisted Indian prisoners of war with Japanese assistance.
4. When Subhas Chandra Bose became its commander in 1943, the INA really took off. Bose gave the army new life and a defined military and ideological mission, to use force to free India.
5. In addition, he declared war on the British Empire and created the Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind) in Singapore.
6. The INA expanded to over 40,000 soldiers under his command, including the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, a women’s regiment commanded by Captain Lakshmi Sahgal.
7. Together with the Japanese army, the INA participated in the Imphal and Kohima campaigns and moved through Burma towards India.
8. However, a lack of local support, difficult logistical conditions, and unfavourable weather caused the campaign to fail.
9. Following the war, a large number of INA soldiers were taken prisoner and put on trial by the British in the Red Fort trials, which led to massive nationalist demonstrations throughout India.
10. Despite its lack of military success, the INA played a crucial role in igniting nationalist sentiments and eroding the legitimacy of British rule in India, which ultimately paved the way for the nation’s eventual independence.