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Flag of the Provisional Government of Free India.

Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind (Urdu: عارضی حکومت‌ِ آزاد ھند, the Provisional Government of Free India), was a puppet state established by Indian nationalists-in-exile in areas of British India and Southeast Asian British colonial territory occupied by Imperial Japan during the Second World War. It was founded by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on October 21, 1943 in Singapore with the fiscal and political assistance of the Axis Powers, namely Japan. With Bose as its leader, the government of Azad Hind had its own currency, court and civil code, and in the eyes of many Indians its existence gave a greater legitimacy to the independence struggle against the British. However, while it possessed all the nominal requisites of a legitimate government, it lacked both universal political recognition and large and definite areas of sovereign territory until the government assumed theoretical control of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Japan in 1943: even thereafter it remained heavily dependent on Japanese support. ^[1] This article is about the History of South Asia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_India. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Pakistan. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bangladesh. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sri_Lanka. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Nepal. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bhutan. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Maldives. ... The history of India can be traced in fragments to as far back as 9,500 years ago. ... The Palaeolithic and Mesolithic in South Asia. ... Mehrgarh was an ancient settlement in South Asia and is one of the most important sites in archaeology for the study of the earliest neolithic settlements in that region. ... Excavated ruins of Mohenjo-daro. ... The Cemetery H culture developed out of the northern part of the Indus Valley Civilization around 1900 BC, in and around the Punjab region. ... This article tries to compile and classify all the Kingdoms of Ancient India mentioned in the Sanskrit/Vedic literature. ... Mahajanapadas (महाजनपद) literally means Great kingdoms (from Sanskrit Maha = great, Janapada = foothold of tribe = country). ... Magadha was an ancient kingdom of India, mentioned in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. ... The Maurya Empire at its largest extent. ... Middle kingdoms of India refers to the political entities in India from the 6th century BCE through to the Islamic invasions and the related Decline of Buddhism from the 7th century CE. // Kingdoms and Empires The Aryans had invaded India from the Northwest, according to the Aryan Invasion Theory, and... Approximate extent of the Satavahana Empire, circa 150 CE. The Sātavāhanas, also known as the Andhras, were a dynasty which ruled in Southern and Central India starting from around 230 BCE. Although there is some controversy about when the dynasty came to an end, the most liberal estimates... The ancient Tamil country of the classical era extended from River Krishna to the Cape Comorin(Kanyakumari). ... Boundary of the Kushan empire, c. ... The Gupta Empire in 400 CE (not including vassal states) The Gupta Empire was one of the largest political and military empires in ancient India. ... The Chalukya Dynasty was a powerful Indian royal dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th century C.E. They began to assert their independence at the decline of the Satavahana empire and rapidly rose to prominence during the reign of Pulakesi... Buddha and Bodhisattvas, 11th century, Pala Empire. ... The Cholas were the most famous of the three dynasties that ruled ancient Tamil Nadu. ... During the middle ages, several Islamic regimes established empires in South Asia. ... The Delhi Sultanate (دلی سلطنت), or Sulthanath-e-Hind (سلطنتِ ہند) / Sulthanath-e-Dilli (سلطنتِ دلی) refers to the various Muslim dynasties that ruled in India from 1210 to 1526. ... The Deccan sultanates were five Muslim-ruled kingdoms–-Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmednagar, Bidar, and Berar of south-central India. ... The Hoysala Empire ruled part of southern India from 1000 to 1346. ... The Vijayanagara empire was based in the Deccan, in peninsular and southern India, from 1336 onwards. ... // The Mughal Empire Main article: Mughal Empire India in the 16th century presented a fragmented picture of rulers, both Muslim and Hindu, who lacked concern for their subjects and who failed to create a common body of laws or institutions. ... Extent of the Maratha Confederacy ca. ... In 1498, the Portuguese set foot in Goa. ... Britains holdings on the Indian subcontinent were granted independence in 1947 and 1948, becoming four new independent states: India, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and Pakistan (including East Pakistan, modern-day Bangladesh). ... // Introduction The first known use of the word Punjab is in the book Tarikh-e-Sher Shah (1580), which mentions the construction of a fort by Sher Khan of Punjab. The name is mentioned again in Ain-e-Akbari (part 1), written by Abul Fazal, who also mentions that the... The history of South India begins with the Sangam age, from 200 BC to 300 AD. It is called so after the sangam literature. ... The history of Assam is the history of a confluence of peoples from the east, west and the north; the confluence of the Indo-Aryan, Austro-Asiatic and the Tibeto-Burman cultures. ... Tibet is situated between the two ancient civilizations of China and India, but the tangled mountain ranges the Tibetan Plateau and the towering Himalayas serve to distance it from both. ... The historical regions of Pakistan are former states, provinces and territories which mainly existed between 1947 and 1975 when the current provinces and territories were finally established. ... Sindh (Sind) (Sindhi: سنڌ ;Urdu: سندھ) is one of the provinces of Pakistan. ... Bengal had been quite distant and cut off (by the rivers, especially the Ganga and the Brahmaputra) from the mainland of India for ages. ... The following list of Indian monarchs is one of several lists of incumbents. ... Indian literature is generally acknowledged, but not wholly established, as the oldest in the world. ... India has had a maritime history dating back around 5,000 years. ... The chronology of Indian mathematics spans from the Indus Valley civilization (3300-1500 BC) and Vedic civilization (1500-500 BC) to modern India (21st century AD). ... Science and technology in ancient India covered all the major branches of human knowledge and activities, including mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, medical science and surgery, fine arts, mechanical and production technology, civil engineering and architecture, shipbuilding and navigation, sports and games. ... This is a timeline of Indian history. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The phrase Zaban-e Urdu-e Mualla written in () is an Indo-European language of the Indo-Aryan family that developed under mainlyPersian influence in Central and South Asia during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire (1200-1800). ... A puppet state is a state whose government, though notionally of the same culture as the governed people - owes its existence (or other major debt) to being installed, supported or controlled by a more powerful entity, typically a foreign power. ... British India (otherwise known as The British Raj) was a historical period during which most of the Indian subcontinent, or present-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, were under the colonial authority of the British Empire (Undivided India). ... The ensign of Imperial Japanese Navy was a prominent symbol of Imperial Japan. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Netaji poster in Thiruvananthapuram Subhas Chandra Bose (January 23, 1897 - August 18, 1945) also known as Netaji, was a Orissa born and Bengal based Indian leader of the movement to win independence from British rule. ... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Map of Andaman and Nicobar Islands with an extra detailed area around Port Blair The Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Tamil: அந்தமான், Hindi: अंडमान और निकोबार द्वीप) is a union territory of India. ...

Immediately after the formation of the government-in-exile, Azad Hind declared war against the Anglo-American allied forces on the Indo-Burma Front. ^[2].Its army, the "Azad Hind Fauj", (Indian National Army or the INA) went into action against the British Indian Army and the allied forces alongside the Imperial Japanese Army in the Imphal-Kohima sector. The INA was to make its mark in the battle of Imphal where along with the Japanese 15th Army it breached the British defences in Kohima, reaching the salient of Moirang before Allied air dominance and compromised supply lines forced both the Japanese and the INA to lift the siege. ^[3] It survived in a limited legal form until the collapse of the Japanese war effort, and Japan's surrender, in 1945. A government in exile is a political group that claims to be a countrys legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. ... The flag used by Indian National Army during World War II. The Indian National Army (I.N.A) or Azad Hind Fauj was an auxiliary force to the Imperial Japanese Army in its southern mainland campaign during the Second World War. ... The Imperial Japanese Army (: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国陸軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun) was the official ground based armed force of Japan from 1867 to 1945 when it was Imperial Japan. ... The Battle of Imphal took place in Manipur district of North East India from April until June 1944. ... Moirang is a district situated in the south of India, 45 km from Imphal, Manipur. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ...

The existence of Azad Hind was essentially coterminous with the existence of the Indian National Army. While the government itself continued until the civil administration of the Andaman Islands was returned to the jurisdiction of the British towards the end of the war, the limited power of Azad Hind was effectively ended with the surrender of the last major contingent of INA troops in Rangoon. The supposed death of Bose is seen as culmination of the entire Azad Hind Movement. Yangôn, formerly Rangoon, population 4,504,000 (2001), is the capital of Myanmar. ... The Death mystery of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose concernes the mysterious circumstances of the alleged death of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, a prominent leader of the Indian Independence Movement against the British Raj of India. ...

The legacy of Azad Hind is, however, open to judgement. After the war, the Raj observed with alarm the turnaround in the perception of Azad Hind and its army as traitors and collaborators to the greatest among the patriots. ^{[4] [5]} Given the tide of militant nationalism that swept through India and the resentment and revolts it inspired, it is arguable that its overarching aim- to germinate public resentment and revolts within the Indian forces of the British Indian Army to overthrow the Raj was ultimately, if belatedly for Azad Hind, successful. ^[6] Flag of the Provisional Government of Free India. ... In many Indian languages, Raj literally means Prince or Royalty though is often used to mean something more like the English term of empire and as such is often used in reference to the Mughal Raj and the British Raj: the period of direct colonial rule of India by the...

Establishment

The direct origins of Azad Hind can be linked to two conferences of Indian expatriates from across Southeast Asia, the first of which was held in Tokyo in March of 1942. At this conference, convened by Rash Behari Bose, an Indian expatriate living in Japan, the Indian Independence League was established as the first move towards an independent Indian state politically aligned with the Empire of Japan. Rash also moved to create a sort of liberation army that would assist in driving the British from India - this force would later become the Indian National Army. The second conference, held later that year in Bangkok, invited Subhas Chandra Bose to participate in the leadership of the League. Bose was living in Germany at the time and made the trip to Japan via submarine. Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Tokyo , literally eastern capital) is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. ... This article is about the year. ... Rashbehari Bose (1885-1945) was a revolutionary leader against the British Raj in India and was one of the organisers of the Indian National Army. ... Official language Japanese Capital Tokyo Area 7. ... Netaji poster in Thiruvananthapuram Subhas Chandra Bose (January 23, 1897 - August 18, 1945) also known as Netaji, was a Orissa born and Bengal based Indian leader of the movement to win independence from British rule. ...

Rash Behari Bose, who was already aging by the time the League was founded, struggled to keep the League organized and failed to secure resources for the establishment of the Indian National Army. He was replaced as president of the Indian Independence League by Subhas Chandra Bose; there is some controversy as to whether he stepped down of his own volition or by pressure from the Japanese who needed a more energetic and focused presence leading the Indian nationalists. ^{[citation needed]}

Bose arrived in Tokyo on June 13, 1943, and declared his intent to make an assault against the eastern provinces of India in an attempt to oust the British from control of the subcontinent. Bose arrived in Singapore on July 2nd, and in October of 1943 formally announced the establishment of the Provisional Government of Free India. In defining the tasks of this new political establishment, Subhas declared: “It will be the task of the Provisional Government to launch and conduct the struggle that will bring about the expulsion of the British and their allies from the soil of India.” [1] Bose, taking formal command of the demoralized and undermanned Indian National Army from Rash Bose, turned it into a professional army with the help of the Japanese. He recruited Indian civilians living in Japanese-occupied territories of South-east Asia, and incorporated vast numbers of Indian POWs from British forces in Singapore, Malaya and Hong Kong to man the brigades of the INA.

A stamp released by the Azad Hind government.

Image File history File links The stamp was created during second world war. ... Image File history File links The stamp was created during second world war. ...

Government Administration and the War

Main articles: Indian National Army, India during World War II, and Invasion and Occupation of the Andaman Islands during World War II

The same night that Bose declared the existence of Azad Hind, the government took action to declare war against the United States and Britain. The government consisted of a Cabinet ministry acting as an advisory board to Subhas Bose, who was given the title "Netaji" (translating roughly to "leader") and was no doubt the dominant figure in the Provisional Government. He exercised virtual authoritarian control over the government and the army. With regards to the government's first issuances of war declarations, the "Cabinet had not been unanimous about the inclusion of the U.S.A. Bose had shown impatience and displeasure - there was never any question then or later of his absolute authority: the Cabinet had no responsibility and could only tender advice..." [2] The flag used by Indian National Army during World War II. The Indian National Army (I.N.A) or Azad Hind Fauj was an auxiliary force to the Imperial Japanese Army in its southern mainland campaign during the Second World War. ... The Indian National Congress led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was opposed to Fascism, Nazism and colonialism. ... The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (8,293 sq km on 139 islands), are a group of islands situated in the Bay of Bengal at about 780 miles from Kolkata, 740 miles from Chennai and 120 miles from Cape Nargis in Burma. ...

At the end of October of 1943, Bose flew to Tokyo to participate in the Greater East Asia Conference as an observer to Japan's Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere; it could not function as a delegate because India had technically fallen outside the jurisdiction of Japan's definition of "Greater East Asia", but Bose gave speeches in opposition to Western colonialism and imperialism at the conference. By the end of the conference, Azad Hind had been given a limited form of governmental jurisdiction over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which had been captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy early on in the war. Poster of Manchukuo promoting harmony between Japanese, Han Chinese and Manchu. ... Map of Andaman and Nicobar Islands with an extra detailed area around Port Blair The Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Tamil: அந்தமான், Hindi: अंडमान और निकोबार द्वीप) is a union territory of India. ... The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) (: 大日本帝國海軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国海軍 or 日本海軍 Nippon Kaigun) or sometimes referred to as the Combined Fleet was the Navy of Empire of Japan (Dai Nippon Teikoku) from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japans constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling...

Once under the jurisdiction of Azad Hind, the islands formed the government's first claims to territory. The islands themselves were renamed "Shaheed" and "Swaraj", meaning "martyr" and "self-rule" respectively. Bose placed the islands under the governorship of one Lieutenant-Colonel Loganathan, and had limited involvement with the official governorship of the territory, instead involving himself largely with the leadership of the INA and assisting in Japan's plans for the invasion of India. In theory the government itself had the power to levy taxes on the local populace, and tomake and enforce laws: in practice they were enforced by the police force under Japanese control. Indians were willing to pay these taxes at first, but became less inclined to do so towards the end of the war when the Provisional Government enacted legislation for higher war-time taxes to fund the INA. During his interrogation after the war Loganathan admitted that he had only had full control over the islands' vestigial education department, as the Japanese had retained full control over the police force, and in protest he had refused to accept responsibility for any other areas of Government. He was powerless to prevent the Homfreyganj massacre of the 30th January 1944, where forty-four Indian civilians were shot by the Japanese on suspicion of spying. Many of them were members of the Indian Independence League, whose leader in Port Blair, Dr. Diwan Singh, had already been tortured to death in the Cellular Jail after doing his best to protect the islanders from Japanese atrocities during the first two years of the occupation. ^[7] Port Blair is the largest town in the Andaman Islands and the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory of India. ... The Cellular Jail (also known as Kalapani) was built in 1906 on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India). ...

Azad Hind's military forces in the form of the INA saw some successes against the British, and moved with the Japanese army to lay siege to the town of Imphal in eastern India. Plans to march towards Delhi, gaining support and fresh recruits along the way, stalled both with the onset of monsoon season and the failure to capture Imphal. British bombing seriously reduced morale, and the Japanese along with the INA forces began their withdrawal from India. Imphal is the capital of Manipur, India. ... It has been suggested that National Capital Territory of Delhi be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about explosive devices. ...

In addition to these setbacks, the INA was faced with a formidable challenge when the troops were left to defend Rangoon without the assistance of the Japanese in the winter of 1944-1945. Loganathan was relocated from the Andaman Islands to act as field commander. With the INA garrison about 6,000 strong, he manned the Burmese capital in the absence of any other police force or troops during the period between the departure of the Japanese and the arrival of the British. Due to his experience administering the limited sovereign territory of Azad Hind with the Japanese troops, he was successful in maintaining law and order to the extent that there was not a single case of dacoity or of loot during the period from April 24th to May 4th, 1945. Yangôn, formerly Rangoon, population 4,504,000 (2001), is the capital of Myanmar. ... Dacoity is a term used in the Indian subcontinent for armed robbery. ...

The Defeat of the INA and the Collapse of the Provisional Government

Left to defend Rangoon from the British advance without support from the Japanese, the INA was soundly defeated. Bose had fled Burma and returned to Singapore before the fall of Rangoon; the government Azad Hind had established on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands collapsed when the island garrisons of Japanese and Indian troops were defeated by British troops and the islands themselves retaken. Bose himself was killed in a plane crash departing from Taiwan attempting to escape to Russia. The Provisional Government of Free India ceased to exist with the deaths of the Axis, the INA, and Netaji Bose in 1945. 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ...

The troops who manned the brigades of the Indian National Army were taken as prisoners of war by the British. A number of these prisoners were brought to India and tried by British courts for treason, including a number of high ranking officers such as Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon. The defense of these individuals from prosecution by the British became a central point of contention between the British Raj and the Indian Independence Movement in the post-war years. Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon (born 18 March 1914 died 06 February 2006), popularly known as Col. ... Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of law that regulates governmental sanctions (such as imprisonment and/or fines) as retaliation for crimes against the social order. ... The British Empire at its zenith in 1919. ... The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by India to obtain political independence from British, French and Portuguese rule; it involved a wide spectrum of Indian political organizations, philosophies, and rebellions between 1857 and Indias independence on August 15, 1947. ...

Contributions to the Indian Independence

The true judgment of success or failure of the movement remains open to historians. However, the true extent to which the INA's activities influenced the decesion to leave India is mirrored by the views of Clement Atlee, the British Prime Minister at the time of India's Independence. Attlee cites several reasons, the most important of which were the INA activities of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, which weakened the very foundation of the British Empire in India, and the RIN Mutiny which made the British realise that the support of the Indian armed forces could no longer be relied upon ^[8] Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, FRS (January 3, 1883 - October 8, 1967) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951. ... The Bombay Mutiny was the mutiny of the Royal Indian Navy in Bombay (Mumbai) harbour on 21 February 1946. ...

Relations with Japan and View of Azad Hind as Axis Collaborator

Bose with Gandhi in 1938

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, while an ally of Japan throughout the war, has become a controversial figure for his stances against racism and imperialism which would run in opposition against what was generally recognized as Japanese imperialism in Asia during World War II. Bose himself opposed all manner of such colonial practices, but saw Britain as hypocritical in "fighting a war for democracy" but refusing to extend the same respect for democracy and equal rights to their colonial subjects in India. As such, he is sometimes cited by revisionist Japanese historians as proof of the legitimacy of Japanese assertions that their brand of imperialism was in the best interests of Asian nations oppressed by Western colonialists. Criticism of Bose remains, with some accusing him of fascism, citing his strict control over the Provisional Government as evidence of this; some accused him of wanting to establish a totalitarian state in India with the blessings of the Axis powers. It is inaccurate to term Bose solely as a fascist, but it is true that Bose openly admired fascism in the Axis countries and used it as a way to organize the Provisional Government; he believed that parliamentary democracy was unsuitable for India, and that a centrally organized, self-sufficient, semi-socialist India under the firm control of a single party was the best course for Indian government. Some of his ideas would help shape Indian governmental policy in the aftermath of the country's independence from Britain. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1020x529, 250 KB) Gandhi at the Indian National Congress annual meeting in Haripura in 1938 with Congress President Subhas Chandra Bose. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1020x529, 250 KB) Gandhi at the Indian National Congress annual meeting in Haripura in 1938 with Congress President Subhas Chandra Bose. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... An African-American man drinks out of the colored only water cooler at a racially segregated street car terminal in the United States in 1939. ... Imperialism is a policy of extending control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires. ... Hypocrisy is the act of pretending to have beliefs, virtues and feelings that one does not truly possess. ... Revisionism is a word which has several meanings. ...

The fact that Azad Hind was aligned politically with Japan may have little to do with explicit agreement and support for Japanese policy in Asia, and more with what Bose saw as a pragmatic approach to Indian independence. Disillusioned with Gandhi's philosophies of non-violence, Bose was clearly of the camp that supported exploiting British weakness to gain Indian independence. Throughout the existence of Azad Hind, Bose sought to distance himself from Japanese collaboration and become more self-sufficient, but found this difficult since the existence of Azad Hind as a governmental entity had only come about with the support of the Japanese, and on whom the government and army of Azad Hind were entirely dependent. Bose, however, remains a hero in present-day India and is remembered as a man who fought fiercely for Indian independence. [3] Pragmatism is a school of philosophy which originated in the United States in the late 1800s. ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) (Devanagari: मोहनदास करमचन्द गांधी, Gujarati મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી), called Mahatma Gandhi, was the charismatic leader who brought the cause of Indias independence from British colonial rule to world attention. ...

Although Japanese troops saw much of the combat in India against the British, the INA was certainly by itself an effective combat force, having faced British and allied troops and making their mark in the Battle of Imphal. On 18 April 1944 the suicide squads led by Col. Shaukat Malik broke through the British defence and captured Moirang in Manipur. The Azad Hind administration took control of the this independent Indian territory.^[9]. Following Moirang, the advancing INA breached the Kohima road, posing a threat to the British positions in both Silchar and Kohima. Col. Gulzara Singh's column had penetrated 250 miles into India. The Azad Brigade advanced, by outflanking the Anglo-American positions. However, INA's most serious, and ultimately fatal, limitaltions were the reliance on Japanese logistics and supplies and the total air-dominance of the allies, -which, along with a supply line deluged by torrential rain, frustrated the INA'S and the Japanese bid to take Imphal. The Battle of Imphal took place in Manipur district of North East India from April until June 1944. ... April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ... Moirang is a district situated in the south of India, 45 km from Imphal, Manipur. ... Manipur (Hindi: मणिपुर) is a state in northeastern India making its capital in the city of Imphal. ... Silchar (Xilsôr) is the headquarters of Cachar district in the state of Assam in India. ... Kohima is the hilly capital of Indias north eastern border state of Nagaland which shares its borders with Burma. ... Imphal is the capital of Manipur, India. ...

With the siege of Imphal failing, the Japanese began to shift priority for resource allocation from South Asia to the Pacific, where they were fighting United States troops advancing from island to island against Japanese holdings there. When it had become clear that Bose's plans to advance to Delhi from the borders of Burma would never materialize due to the defeat of the INA at Imphal and the halt of Japanese armies by British aerial and later naval superiority in the region, Japanese support for Azad Hind declined. South Asia is a southern geopolitical region of the Asian continent comprising territories on and in proximity to the Indian subcontinent. ... For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ... Imphal is the capital of Manipur, India. ... Look up Aerial in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Aerial may refer to— a dance move. ... Navy is also:- shorthand for Navy Blue the nickname of the United States Naval Academy A navy is the branch of the armed forces of a nation that operates primarily on water. ...

Recognition

Azad Hind was recognized as a legitimate and independent successor state to British rule in India by only a small number of countries, limited almost solely to Axis powers and their affiliate states and puppet regimes. Azad Hind had diplomatic relations with nine countries: Nazi Germany, the Empire of Japan, Fascist Italy, the Independent State of Croatia, Wang Jingwei's Government in Nanjing, Thailand, Burma, Manchukuo and the Philippines. On the declaration of its formation in Singapore, President Eamon de Valera of the Irish Free State sent a note of congratulations to Bose. Vichy France, however, although being an Axis collaborator, never gave formal political recognition to Azad Hind. Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Official language Japanese Capital Tokyo Area 7. ... Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, refers to the right-wing authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Manchukuo (1932 to 1945) (Simplified Chinese: 满洲国; Traditional Chinese: 滿洲國; Pinyin: MÇŽnzhōu Guó Kanji: 満州国) was a former country in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia under the leadership of the Emperor Puyi, the last emperor of Qing Dynasty. ... Eamon de Valera (born Edward George de Valera, sometimes Gaelicised Éamon de Bhailéara; October 14, 1882 – August 29, 1975), was an Irish politician, best known as a leader of Irelands struggle for independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the early 20th century, and... The Irish Free State (Irish: Saorstát Éireann) (1922–1937) was the name of the state comprising the 26 of Irelands 32 counties that were separated from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Irish Free State Agreement (or Anglo-Irish Treaty) signed by British and... Presidential flag of Vichy France For other uses of Vichy, see Vichy (disambiguation). ...

Unreleased postage stamps of the Azad Hind Government.

Image File history File links Azadhindpostage. ... Image File history File links Azadhindpostage. ...

Ministers

The Provisional Government of Free India consisted of a Cabinet headed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as the Head of the State, The Prime Minister and the Minister for War and Foreign Affairs.

Captain Doctor Lakshmi Swaminathan (later married as Lakshmi Sehgal) was the Minister in Charge of Women's Organization. She held this position over and above her command of the Rani Jhansi Regiment, a brigade of women soldiers fighting for the Indian National Army. For a regular Asian army, this women's regiment was quite visionary; it was the first of its kind established on the continent. Dr. Lakshmi was one of the most popular and prosperous gynecologists in Singapore before she gave up her fabulous practice to lead the troops of the Rani Jhansi Regiment. Captain Doctor Lakshmi Sehgal, an India doctor and politician. ...

Other public administration ministers of the Provisional Government of Free India included:

• Mr. S. A. Ayer - the Minister of Broadcasting and Publicity
• Lt. Col. A. C. Chatterji - the Minister of Finance

The Indian National Army was represented by Armed Forces ministers, including:

• Lt. Col. Aziz Ahmed
• Lt. Col. N. S . Bhagat
• Lt. Col. J. K. Bhonsle
• Lt. Colonel Guizara Singh
• Lt. Col. M.Z. Kiani
• Lt. Col. A. D. Loganathan
• Lt. Col. Ehsan Qadir
• Lt. Col. Shahnawaz Khan

The Provisional Government was also constituted and administered by a number of Secretaries and Advisors to Subhas Chandra Bose, including:

• A.N. Sahay - Secretary
• Karim Ghani
• Debnath Das
• D.M. Khan
• A. Yellapa
• J. Thivy
• Sirdar Isher Singh
• A. N. Sarkar - the government's official Legal Advisor

All of these Secretaries and Advisory officials held Ministerial rank in the Provisional Government. The extent of the Provisional Government's day-to-day management of affairs for Azad Hind is not entirely well-documented, so their specific functions as government officials for the state outside of their positions as support ministers for Subhas Chandra Bose is not entirely certain.

Indian areas under the Administration of the Provisional Government

Almost all of the territory of the Provisional Government lay in the Andaman Islands, although the Provisional Government was allowed some authority over Indian enclaves in Japanese-occupied territories. Provisional Government civil authority was never enacted in areas occupied by the INA; instead, Japanese military authority prevailed and responsibility for administration of occupied areas of India was shared between the Japanese and the Indian forces.

What Indians feel about Azad Hind, The Azad Hind Fauj and its legacy

During the war, Indians had only intermittent information (through radio broadcasts) about the activities of Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army. The Azad Hind Radio broadcasts were estimated to have regularly been received by 30,000 Indians who possessed the requisite receiver. ^[10]However, it was during the trials of the INA's officers in 1945-6 that they really burst upon the public consciousness, and Congress and the Muslim League allied for the last time to secure their release ^[11]. Independent India's attitude to the soldiers remain however, mired in controversy within its own population. The ex-soldiers of the INA were not allowed to enlist in the Indian Army of independent India, ostensibly at Nehru's decision on the advice of Mountbatten ^[12] A pension was awarded to the ex-soldiers of INA only in 1972 ^[13]. Bose himself remains a cult figure in India, widely seen as a man whose leadership of the INA was a crucial factor in shaking the foundations of the British Empire in India.[4] Had India been under Bose's leadership during and after Independence in 1947 the history of modern India and its society would have been very different [5] ^[14] Netaji poster in Thiruvananthapuram Subhas Chandra Bose (January 23, 1897 - August 18, 1945) also known as Netaji, was a Orissa born and Bengal based Indian leader of the movement to win independence from British rule. ... The flag used by Indian National Army during World War II. The Indian National Army (I.N.A) or Azad Hind Fauj was an auxiliary force to the Imperial Japanese Army in its southern mainland campaign during the Second World War. ... Radio Service wich was started in leadership of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Germany to unite Indians to fight for freedom. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ...

Those who experienced the rule of the Provisional Government of Free India, namely the population of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, had largely bitter memories of the Japanese occupation, during which 2,000 people, or 10% of the population of the Andamans, died, about half of whom were tortured and killed by the Japanese. The Arzi Hukumat-e Azad Hind was powerless to prevent this, which gives a true sense of its impotence. ^[15]

Many historians have, however, argued that it was the INA and the mutinies it inspired among the British Indian Armed forces that was the true driving force for India's independence ^{[16][17] [18]}. The stories of the Azad Hind movement and its army, that came into public limelight during the trials of soldiers of the INA in 1945 were seen as so inflammatory that, fearing mass revolts and uprisings- not just in India, but across its empire, the British Government forbade the BBC from broadcasting their story.^[19]. Newspapers reported at the time of summary execution of INA soldiers held at Red Fort ^[20]. During and after the trial, mutinies broke out in the British Indian Armed forces, most notably in the Royal Indian Navy which found public support throughout India, from Karachi to Bombay and from Vizag to Calcutta. ^[21]. ^[22].A wave of nationalist sentiments swept through the Indian troops who had fought with the allies and were in the process of being de-mobillised. The navy mutiny was followed up by another among the ground crew in the Royal Indian Air Force. Another Army mutiny took place at Jabalpur during the last week of February 1946, soon after the Navy mutiny at Bombay. This was suppressed by force, including the use of the bayonet by British troops. It lasted about two weeks. After the mutiny, about 45 persons were tried by court martial. 41 were sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment or dismissal. In addition, a large number were discharged on administrative grounds.^[23] Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon (born 18 March 1914 died 06 February 2006), popularly known as Col. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC, sometimes also known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, founded in 1922. ... The Bombay Mutiny was the mutiny of the Royal Indian Navy in Bombay (Mumbai) harbour on 21 February 1946. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Karachi Towns. ... This article or section should be merged with Mumbai Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) is the worlds most populous conurbation, and is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world. ... Visakhapatnam (Also Vishākhapatnam, shortened and Anglicized: Vizag) is a large city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. ... This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ...

In the after-effect of the mutiny, Weekly intelligence summary issued on the 25th of March, 1946 admitted that the the Indian army, navy and air force units were no longer trust worthy, and, for the army, "only day to day estimates of steadiness could be made". ^[24]. It was decided that; if wide-scale public unrest took shape, the armed forces (including the airforce- for Quit India had shown how it could turn violent) could not be relied upon to support counter-insurgency operations as they had been during the Quit India movement of 1942, and drawing from experiences of the Tiger Legion and the INA, their actions could not be predicted from their oath to the King emperor ^[25]. The Quit India Movement (Bharat chhodo) was a call for immediate independence of India from British rule. ... The Quit India Movement was a call for immediate independence for India issued by MK Gandhi on August 8, 1942. ...

These suggest that the ultimate goal of the Azad Hind Movement, to germinate public resentment and revolts within the Indian forces of the British Indian Army to ultimately overthrow the Raj was , if belatedly for Azad Hind, successful. In many Indian languages, Raj literally means Prince or Royalty though is often used to mean something more like the English term of empire and as such is often used in reference to the Mughal Raj and the British Raj: the period of direct colonial rule of India by the...

Notes

1. ^ C. Bayly & T. Harper Forgotten Armies. The Fall of British Asia 1941-45 (London: Allen Lane) 2004 pp323-327
2. ^ Pandit, HN. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’’ Sterling Publishers, New Delhi, 1988, p.331
3. ^ Das S. Indian National Army in South East Asia. The Hindustan Times. Special Edition. http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/Netaji/enlisting3.htm. URL Accessed on 13 Aug 06.
4. ^ Edwardes, Michael, The Last Years of British India, Cleveland, World Pub. Co.,1964, p. 93.

   The Government of India had hoped, by prosecuting members of the INA, to reinforce the morale of the Indian army. It succeeded only in creating unease, in making the soldiers feel slightly ashamed that they themselves had supported the British. If Bose and his men had been on the right side — and all India now confirmed that they were — then Indians in the Indian army must have been on the wrong side. It slowly dawned upon the Government of India that the backbone of the British rule, the Indian army, might now no longer be trustworthy. The ghost of Subhas Bose, like Hamlet’s father, walked the battlements of the Red Fort (where the INA soldiers were being tried), and his suddenly amplified figure overawed the conference that was to lead to independence.

5. ^ Encyclopedia Britannica. Article on Indian National army. After returning to India the veterans of the INA posed a difficult problem for the British government. The British feared that a public trial for treason on the part of the INA members might embolden anti-British sentiment and erupt into widespread protest and violence.http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-9311795. URL Accessed on 19 Aug 06.
6. ^ ibid.
7. ^ Jayant Dasgupta Japanese in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Red Sun over Black Water (Delhi: Manas Publications) 2002 pp67, 87, 91-5; L.P. Mathur Kala Pani. History of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands with a study of India's Freedom Struggle (Delhi: Eastern Book Corporation) 1985 pp249-51.
8. ^ Majumdar, R.C., Jibanera Smritideepe (Bengali), Calcutta, General Printers and Publishers, 1978, pp. 229-230
9. ^ The Hindustan Times.http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/Netaji/enlisting9.htm
10. ^ James L. Raj; Making and unmaking of British India. Abacus. 1997. p555.
11. ^ Nirad C. Chaudhuri "Subhas Chandra Bose-His Legacy and Legend" Pacific Affairs Vol. 26, No. 4 (Dec. 1953), pp. 349-350
12. ^ The Tribune, India, Spectrum Suppl. June 12, 2005. Interview with Col Lakshmi Sahgal
13. ^ Rediff news article What we are seeing today is not the country of our dreams, it is some injustice of God.It was only in 1972, after many of their comrades-in-arms had died in abject poverty, that INA veterans were awarded a pension
14. ^ Sisir K. Bose & Sugata Bose, The Essential Writings of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Delhi: Oxford University Press 1997 pp319-20.
15. ^ Dasgupta Red Sun over Black Water pp131-3; Mathur Kala Pani pp254-5, p77
16. ^ "RIN mutiny gave a jolt to the British" by Dhanjaya Bhat, The Tribune, February 12, 2006, retrieved July 17, 2006
17. ^ Majumdar, R.C., Three Phases of India's Struggle for Freedom, Bombay, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1967, pp. 58-59.
18. ^ Edwardes, Michael Op. Cit/
19. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3684288.stm, Last Section: Mutinies
20. ^ Many I.N.A. men already executed, Lucknow . The Hindustan Times,November 2, 1945. http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/Netaji/images/nov_2_45.gif URL Accessed 11-Aug-06.
21. ^ Wikipedia entry on the RIN mutiny.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_Mutiny#Legacy_and_assessments_of_the_effects_of_the_Mutiny. Legacy and assessment of the effects of the mutiny.
22. ^ Wikipedia Entry on the Indian National Army. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_National_Army#Consequences_of_the_I.N.A._Trials. Consequences of the I.N.A. Trials http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060212/spectrum/main2.htm.URL accessed on 17-Jul-2006
23. ^ India Office Library and Records, London, Letters, War Staff, 1/1/1029,71;234; James L. Raj; Making and unmaking of British India. Abacus. 1997.p597
24. ^ Public Relations Office, London. War Office. 208/761A; James L. Raj; Making and unmaking of British India. Abacus. 1997. p598.
25. ^ Public Relations Office, London. War Office. 208/819A 25C;James L. Raj; Making and unmaking of British India. Abacus. 1997. p571, p598

External links

• The Last Straw That Broke the Back of the British Empire
• Subhas Chandra Bose, the Indian National Army and India's War of Liberation
• Netaji Subhas
• Lecture notes on Bose

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