Origins and Foundation
- Foundational Role of Rash Behari Bose: Years after escaping from India to Japan following revolutionary activities, Rash Behari Bose laid the foundation of the Indian National Army.
- Ideological Shift of Subhas Chandra Bose: Subhas Chandra Bose, a radical nationalist with socialist leanings and a former Congress leader, broke away from Mahatma Gandhi’s ideal and policy of non-violence (ahimsa), though he respected Gandhi as the “Father of the Nation”. Bose was convinced that India’s freedom would come only through armed struggle.
- Bose’s Journey to the Axis Powers:
- Believing that raising an army within India was unrealistic, Bose decided to seek assistance from Britain’s enemies during World War II.
- In January 1941, he secretly escaped house arrest from his Calcutta residence.
- He journeyed through Afghanistan and Russia to reach Germany, where he spent almost two years seeking support from anti-British forces.
- Concluding that he stood a better chance with Japan (Germany’s ally against Britain and most European nations), he travelled through Indonesia and Japan, arriving in Singapore.
- Formation and Reorganization in Singapore (1943):
- In Singapore in 1943, Bose raised and reorganized the Indian National Army (also known as the Azad Hind Fauj).
- The army was formed from Indian prisoners of war (POWs) and volunteers.
- In 1943, Bose also proclaimed the formation of the provisional government of Azad Hind (“Free India”).
Military Campaigns and Operations
- Allied Offensives with Japan: As Japan expanded World War II into Southeast Asia, the INA fought alongside the Japanese army.
- The 1944 Invasion Campaign: In 1944, the INA launched campaigns to enter India and free it from British control, advancing through Burma into northeastern India, particularly targeting Imphal and Kohima in Manipur and Nagaland.
- Defeat: The northeast India campaigns failed; the INA was militarily defeated and could not establish a base inside India.
Reception, Trials, and Historical Impact
- Public Perception of Bose’s Strategy: While many within India admired Bose for his courageous defiance, others criticized his wartime alliance with Nazi Germany and Japan.
- Imprisonment and the INA Trials: Following the failure of the campaign, INA members were taken prisoner by the British and placed on trial.
- Mass Public Outrage: Across India, people from all walks of life rose up and participated in widespread protest movements against the INA trials.
- Erosion of British Authority: The 1946 INA trials, alongside the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny and the Cabinet Mission Plan, severely weakened British colonial authority in India.
- Role in Indian Independence: Historians recognize that the actions of the INA, the widespread public movements surrounding the trials, and the subsequent unrest in the armed forces demonstrated that Britain could no longer depend on the Indian military to maintain its empire, serving as a key factor in Britain’s eventual exit from India.
