Subhash Chandra Bose & the Indian National Army

§1 — Early Life

Early Life and Career

Subhas Chandra Bose (1897–1945) — born 23 January 1897 at Cuttack, Odisha, the ninth of fourteen children of Janakinath Bose, a wealthy lawyer. Mother: Prabhavati Devi.

Education and ICS

• Schooling at Ravenshaw Collegiate School, Cuttack and Presidency College, Calcutta.
• Expelled from Presidency College after slapping Professor E.F. Oaten for racist remarks (1916).
• BA in Philosophy from Scottish Church College, Calcutta (1918).
• Sent to Cambridge by his father; passed the Indian Civil Service exam in 1920 at 4th rank.
• Resigned from the ICS on 22 April 1921 — refusing to serve "the foreign government." Returned to India.

Early Political Career

On returning to India in July 1921, Bose was guided to Gandhi by his brother Sarat. Gandhi sent him to C.R. Das in Calcutta — who became Bose's lifelong political guru. Bose worked under C.R. Das in Bengal Provincial Congress, the Swaraj Party, the Calcutta Corporation (Chief Executive Officer 1924; Mayor 1930). He was imprisoned multiple times — 1921, 1924–27 (Mandalay), 1930–32 (after CDM), 1932–33 (Vienna for treatment of TB), 1939–40, 1941 (escape).

"All India Youth Movement"

Bose became the leading youth voice of the Congress, with Jawaharlal Nehru. He was President of the AICC at Calcutta in 1928 (jointly with Nehru). He always represented the radical left within the Congress — demanding immediate independence (rather than dominion status) and socialist economic policy.

§2 — Congress President (1938, 1939)

Congress President: Haripura 1938 & Tripuri 1939

Haripura Session (February 1938)

The 51st annual session of the INC was held at Haripura, Gujarat (Surat district), in February 1938. Bose was elected President at age 41 — Gandhi's choice. Bose entered the venue in a procession of 51 bullocks. The session is famous for:

• Bose's call for a National Planning Committee — established October 1938 with Jawaharlal Nehru as Chairman; the basis for India's later planning system.
• Resolution on linguistic provinces.
• Discussions on Indian role in princely states' agitations.

Tripuri Session (March 1939) — The Crisis

Bose sought re-election in 1939 against Gandhi's preferred candidate Pattabhi Sitaramayya. Bose won by 1580 to 1377 votes. Gandhi's terse comment: "Sitaramayya's defeat is more mine than his."

The Tripuri session was held in March 1939 at Tripuri (near Jabalpur), Madhya Pradesh. Bose presided despite high fever (104°F). The session was bitterly divided. The Working Committee resigned in protest; Govind Ballabh Pant tabled a resolution effectively requiring Bose to follow Gandhi's wishes ("Pant Resolution"). Without active cooperation, Bose's presidency was unworkable.

Resignation (29 April 1939)

Frustrated, Bose resigned the Congress Presidency on 29 April 1939. Rajendra Prasad took over.

§3 — Forward Bloc and Disqualification

Forward Bloc and Disqualification (1939)

Forward Bloc (3 May 1939)

On 3 May 1939 at Calcutta, Bose founded the Forward Bloc initially as a party WITHIN the Congress, to consolidate the left wing. He toured the country giving incendiary speeches against Gandhian "compromise." Stalin's USSR and Hitler's Germany were ascending; Bose increasingly believed only an external force could overthrow British power.

Disqualification (August 1939)

Bose's Forward Bloc and Bose himself opposed Indian participation in WWII. The Congress Working Committee, in line with Gandhi, opposed direct Indian war involvement BUT was unwilling to launch immediate satyagraha. Bose advocated immediate civil disobedience to exploit the British war predicament. The CWC disqualified Bose from holding any Congress office for three years (29 August 1939). The Forward Bloc became a separate party.

House Arrest (July 1940)

Bose was arrested at Calcutta on 2 July 1940 and held under detention. Around the same time, he organised the demolition of the Holwell Monument (the Black Hole memorial) — a symbol of British propaganda about 1756. The Holwell Monument was indeed removed by the British government in late 1940 in response to widespread agitation.

§4 — The Great Escape (January 1941)

The Great Escape (16-17 January 1941)

Released from jail on 5 December 1940 (after a hunger strike), Bose was kept under house arrest at his Calcutta residence (38/2 Elgin Road, now Netaji Bhawan). Police were stationed outside.

The Escape

Bose planned an audacious escape:

• Pretended to be in spiritual seclusion; grew a beard.
• On the night of 16-17 January 1941, disguised as a Pathan insurance agent named "Ziauddin", he slipped out of his Calcutta home in his nephew Sisir Bose's car.
• Drove to Gomoh railway station (Bihar), boarded a train to Peshawar.
• From Peshawar, with the help of underground Forward Bloc workers (Mian Akbar Shah, Bhagat Ram Talwar), he crossed into Afghanistan.
• Reached Kabul, then Moscow (March 1941), then Berlin (April 1941) via the Soviet network.

Berlin (April 1941 – February 1943)

In Berlin, Bose set up the Free India Centre (November 1941) and the Azad Hind Radio — broadcasting in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Pashtu. His German interactions:

• Met Hitler in May 1942 (Hitler was vague about supporting Indian independence).
• Helped form the "Indian Legion" from Indian POWs in Europe (~3,000 strong) — formed 26 August 1942.
• Ribbentrop initially supportive; Foreign Office bureaucracy obstructive.

Disillusioned with German half-heartedness and recognising that the war's centre was shifting to the Pacific, Bose decided to move to Asia.

Submarine Voyage (February-May 1943)

On 8 February 1943, Bose left Kiel, Germany on the German submarine U-180. After 90 days, in Indian Ocean, he transferred to the Japanese submarine I-29 on 26 April 1943. Reached Japanese-held Sabang (Sumatra) on 6 May 1943; Tokyo on 13 May 1943.

In Tokyo, Bose met Prime Minister Hideki Tojo. Tojo was sympathetic. Bose was given Japanese support to take over Indian movements in Southeast Asia.

§5 — First INA (Mohan Singh, 1942)

The First INA (Captain Mohan Singh, 1942)

The Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) originated independently in Singapore. After Japan captured Singapore on 15 February 1942, about 45,000 Indian POWs from the British Indian Army surrendered. The Japanese Major Fujiwara Iwaichi (Liaison F-Kikan, "Fujiwara organisation") encouraged Indian officers to form a national army to fight for Indian independence.

Formation

On 17 February 1942 (the day of Singapore's surrender) at Farrer Park, Singapore, the F-Kikan handed over the Indian POWs to Captain Mohan Singh. The First INA was formed in late February-March 1942 from approximately 40,000 Indian POWs. Mohan Singh became C-in-C; Niranjan Singh Gill, J.K. Bhonsle and others officers.

Bangkok Conference (June 1942)

The Bangkok Conference (15-23 June 1942) brought Indian leaders from Southeast Asia together. Rash Behari Bose — the older revolutionary now exiled to Tokyo (since the Delhi Bomb Conspiracy 1912) — presided. The Conference set up the Indian Independence League (IIL) with Rash Behari Bose as President. The League and INA worked together.

Mohan Singh's Disagreements with Japan

By December 1942, Mohan Singh had increasing concerns:

• Japan refused to formally recognise the IIL or treat the INA as a sovereign army.
• INA personnel were being used as labour for Japanese military projects, not as combatants.
• POW conditions deteriorated; some were tortured.

Mohan Singh ordered the INA's disbandment on 29 December 1942. Japan arrested him; he was held until 1945. The First INA effectively dissolved.

§6 — Second INA & Azad Hind Government (1943)

Second INA & the Provisional Government of Free India (1943)

Bose's Arrival at Singapore (July 1943)

Bose reached Singapore on 2 July 1943. On 4 July 1943 at the Cathay Building, Singapore, Rash Behari Bose handed over the leadership of the Indian Independence League to Subhas Chandra Bose. Subhash addressed the Indian community: "Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azaadi doonga" ("Give me blood, and I will give you freedom") — said at a public rally on 4 July 1944 at Burma (the slogan is sometimes dated to 1943 Singapore but most sources confirm Burma 1944).

Reconstitution of INA (21 October 1943)

On 21 October 1943 at Singapore, Subhas Chandra Bose reconstituted the INA and proclaimed the Provisional Government of Free India (Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind). Bose was Head of State, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Supreme Commander.

Recognition

The Provisional Government was immediately recognised by 9 nations:

• Japan, Germany, Italy.
• Croatia, Manchukuo (Japanese puppet state in Manchuria).
• Burma (Ba Maw's government), Thailand (Phibun), Philippines (Laurel — Japanese puppet).
• Nationalist China (Wang Jingwei's Japanese puppet government).

The Government declared war on Britain and the USA on 23 October 1943.

Andamans & Nicobar (December 1943)

On 30 December 1943, the Japanese formally handed over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (occupied by Japan since March 1942) to the Provisional Government. Bose visited Port Blair on 29-30 December 1943 and renamed:

• Andamans → Shaheed (Martyr) Islands.
• Nicobars → Swaraj Islands.

(Though in practice Japanese administration continued; the renaming was nominal.)

INA Composition

The Second INA (1943-45) reached a peak strength of about 40,000-50,000 troops:

• Three divisions: Subhas Brigade, Gandhi Brigade, Nehru Brigade; later Azad Brigade.
• Rani of Jhansi Regiment — the women's combat unit, founded 12 July 1943, commanded by Captain Lakshmi Sahgal (later a leftist activist in independent India). The first all-women combat unit in Asian colonial history.
• Recruits from Indian POWs (about 25,000) and Indian civilians in Southeast Asia (about 20,000 — Tamils, Telugus, Bengalis, Punjabis from the diaspora).

National Symbols of Azad Hind

• Flag: tricolour (saffron, white, green) with a leaping tiger in the centre — adopted 21 October 1943.
• National Anthem: "Subh Sukh Chain Ki Barkha Barse Bharat Bhag Hai Jaaga" — a Hindustani version of Tagore's "Jana Gana Mana" by Mumtaz Hussain.
• Salutation: "Jai Hind!" (Victory to India!) — coined by Major Abid Hasan Safrani.
• "Netaji" ("Respected Leader") — title formally adopted from October 1943.
• "Chalo Delhi!" — march call.
• "Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azaadi doonga" — speech at Burma, 4 July 1944.

§7 — Imphal-Kohima Campaign (1944)

Imphal-Kohima Campaign (March–July 1944)

The Japanese-INA joint offensive into India proper began in March 1944. Operation U-GO targeted the British supply hubs at Imphal (Manipur) and Kohima (Nagaland).

The Attack

• The INA's 1st Division (Subhas Brigade) with the Japanese 15th Army under General Mutaguchi Renya advanced from Burma into Manipur.
• The INA was the FIRST to plant the Indian flag on Indian soil at Moirang (Manipur) on 14 April 1944 — flag hoisted by Colonel Shaukat Malik. Moirang remained under INA control until June 1944.
• Battle of Kohima (4 April – 22 June 1944) — the "Stalingrad of the East" — turned in British favour after fierce fighting.
• Battle of Imphal (8 March – 3 July 1944) — Japanese-INA besieged Imphal but failed to take it; British-Indian forces broke the siege.

Defeat

The campaign collapsed by July 1944. Reasons:

• Monsoon turned roads to mud.
• Allied air supremacy disrupted Japanese supply lines.
• Japanese underestimated logistics — soldiers starved, disease spread.
• British commanders (Slim, Stopford, Scoones) responded effectively.

The INA suffered enormous casualties — out of perhaps 6,000 frontline troops, more than half died from combat, starvation, or disease. The Japanese 15th Army lost 30,000 of 65,000.

Retreat (1944-45)

The Japanese-INA retreated through Burma. Rangoon fell to the British in May 1945. INA personnel surrendered or escaped; some 25,000 INA POWs were captured.

§8 — Red Fort INA Trials (November 1945 – April 1946)

Red Fort INA Trials

After the war, the British faced the question of how to handle 25,000 INA prisoners. Initial decision: try them for treason, mutiny, and murder. The choice of Red Fort, Delhi — symbol of British power — was inflammatory. Worse, the British chose to try first three officers deliberately representing three communities:

• Major General Shah Nawaz Khan (Muslim, Punjabi).
• Captain Prem Kumar Sahgal (Hindu, Punjabi).
• Captain Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon (Sikh).

The Defence

The Indian National Congress formed an INA Defence Committee with stellar legal talent:

• Bhulabhai Desai — chief defence counsel (his last great case).
• Tej Bahadur Sapru.
• Asaf Ali.
• K.N. Katju.
• Jawaharlal Nehru — donned barrister's gown for the first time in 25 years.
• Bhulabhai Desai's defence: the INA was a regular army of a recognised provisional government; international law applied; trying them as traitors was illegal.

The Trial (November 1945 – December 1945)

The court martial began on 5 November 1945 at the Red Fort. The trial galvanised India. Mass demonstrations in Calcutta on 21 November 1945 left 30+ dead. Strikes erupted across India. The slogan "Lal Quile Se Aayi Awaaz, Sahgal-Dhillon-Shah Nawaz" became universal.

On 31 December 1945, the court convicted all three of "waging war against the King-Emperor" — sentenced to transportation for life and dismissal.

Auchinleck's Commutation (3 January 1946)

British Commander-in-Chief General Sir Claude Auchinleck commuted the sentences to dismissal only on 3 January 1946. He recognised that executing the trial sentences would have catastrophic consequences. The three officers were released.

Aftermath

The British abandoned plans to try most other INA officers. About 11,000 INA personnel were quietly released; only senior officers and those accused of specific war crimes (about 200) faced courts martial. The INA Trials are widely considered one of the most direct triggers of British departure — they convinced both the Indian Army (whose loyalty had hitherto been certain) and the British Government that India could no longer be held by force.

§9 — Death and Inquiries

Death of Subhash Bose and Subsequent Inquiries

The Taipei Crash (18 August 1945)

After Japan's surrender (15 August 1945), Bose decided to seek refuge with the Soviet Union. He flew from Bangkok via Saigon. The Mitsubishi Ki-21 (a Japanese bomber) took off from Taipei (Taihoku) airport, Taiwan, on 18 August 1945. Shortly after takeoff, the plane crashed. According to Japanese and other survivors' accounts, Bose was severely burned in the crash and died of third-degree burns at the Nanmon Military Hospital, Taipei, that evening (18 August 1945).

His ashes were brought to Tokyo and placed at the Renkoji Temple, where they remain.

Inquiries and Disputes

Despite the official record, Bose's death has been contested:

The Government of India in 2006 rejected the Mukherjee Commission's findings and reaffirmed the official Taipei plane crash version. The Indian Government in 2015-16 declassified hundreds of files (the "Netaji Files") at the National Archives, but no definitive evidence overturning the official version has emerged.

Theories

Various theories about Bose's fate include:

• Plane crash death (official; supported by 3 of 4 inquiries).
• Soviet Gulag death (Mukherjee Commission's suggestion — based on possible Soviet imprisonment).
• Living incognito as Gumnami Baba in Faizabad, UP (died 1985) — a popular but unverified theory.
• Various other survival theories.

The "Netaji mystery" remains a politically charged topic in India. Officially, Bose died on 18 August 1945 at Taipei.

§10 — Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions