Saquib Salim

“We all lived like brothers,.... We proved that there was no Hindu-Muslim question in the absence of the British,” General Shah Nawaz had said this while addressing a rally after the historic INA trials held at the Red Fort in Delhi.

Subhas Chandra Bose-led Azad Hind Fauj was different from other movements during the Indian Freedom Struggle as its members kept the Indian Nation above their creed, caste, language or region. The same cannot be said about the other groups that invoked religion, caste or language to fight the British. Jamiat-i-Ulema, Hindu Mahasabha, and even Mahatma Gandhi used religious arguments to fight British imperialism. Azad Hind Fauj fought the war of independence without invoking any other symbol.

Abid Hasan, a secretary of Subhas Chandra Bose, says, “No one had asked us to cease to be a Tamilian or Dogra, a Punjabi Muslim or a Bengali Brahmin, a Sikh or an Adivasi. We were all that and perhaps more fiercely so than before, but these matters became personal affairs. We ceased belonging to groups like that because India became our goal, and with it our endeavour to establish India to greatness due to her. We, in separate groups, did not count. We, however, did count the moment we became a part of the whole.” 

Arzi Hukumat-i-Azad Hind Sarkar(The Provisional Government of Free India), led by Subhas and its army, Azad Hind Fauj, never faced the question of the representation of communities. This was in contrast with Congress and the Muslim League squabbling over it. The reason being that Subhas believed, “our objection should not be to Muslims getting a majority of seats on the Executive Council. The moot question is what type of Muslims will come into the Executive Council. If we have Muslims of the type of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Asaf Ali and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, the destiny of India will be safe. And I personally believe that it is only right to give all the freedom to such patriots. There is no difference between a patriotic Hindu and a patriotic Muslim.”

Subhas Chandra Bose, with Arzi Hukumat-i-Azad Hind Sarkar, presented a model for an Indian nation where people of different religions, castes and linguistic groups could live in harmony. Here, Muslims were part of the government and army, not because they sought ‘representation’ but because they were Indian nationals. I believe that these soldiers of the Azad Hind Fauj (or the INA) would turn in their graves knowing that a person is classifying them as Muslims in 2026.

Some of the Muslims who were in the INA:

Abid Hasan Safrani

Subhas Chandra Bose undertook a 90-day submarine journey during the Second World War from Germany to Japan. His personal secretary, Abid Hasan, accompanied him on this risky journey. Abid Hasan was an engineering graduate in Germany when he met Bose. The duo became the first Indians to undertake a submarine journey. During the journey, Abid worked on a plan for setting up the INA on Bose’s instructions. It was decided to have a combat force of women from among the Indian Diaspora in Southeast Asia.

Abid was a shadow of Subhas before the formation of the INA.

In popular discourse, Abid is known for coining the slogan Jai Hind and improvising the lyrics of Jana Gana Mana, which was made the anthem of Arzi Hukumat-i-Azad Hind Sarkar. However, only a few know that he played a major role in the war by leading the INA at the Imphal front, one of the deadliest battles in the course of World War II. He spoke of the ideals of the Azad Hind Fauj till his death in 1985.

Abdul Habib Yusuf Marfani

 Abdul Habib Yusuf Marfani was a wealthy Gujarati businessman settled in Rangoon. When the Arzi Hukumat-i-Azad Hind Sarkar was formed in 1943, heregularlydonated two to three lakh rupees till 9 July, 1944, when Subhas Chandra Bose asked for funds at a public meeting. Marfani placed all his jewellery, property deeds and cash on a silver tray and presented it to Subhas. It was valued at Rupees One Crore.

After donating every penny of his fortune, he asked for a Khaki uniform of the Azad Hind Fauj for himself. Netaji decorated him with Tamgha-e-Sevak-e-Hind, the highest civilian award of Azad Hind Sarkar, and said, “Some say that Habib has gone mad”. I agree. I want every one of you Indians to become mad. To achieve victory and freedom for our country, our Motherland, we need such men and women.”

Captain Mohammad Akram

Who was the first martyr of the INA? Giani Kesar Singh had described the formation of the INA, “The Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) was formed at Jitra, and Captain Mohan Singh was styled General Officer Commanding (G.O.C.). For the first time in its history, the sky rent with the shouts of ‘Azad Hindustan Zindabad' and 'Azad Hind Fauj Zindabad’. Captain Mohd. Akram Khan and Jamadar Sadhu Singh were the first to join the I.N.A. They came to Alor Star on the 15th Jan. 1942.”

When the INA was formed with Mohan Singh as its leader, Akram was only second to him in the organisation. On 13 March 1942, Akram, along with Swami Satyananda Puri - the organiser of the Indian National Council of Thailand, Sirdar Pritam Singh - the originator of the Indian Independence League, Mr. Nilkanth Ayre - the trusted assistant of Sri Raghavan, Mr Ottaguru of the Fujiwara Department and six other Japanese, took a flight from Saigon to Tokyo for a conference. The plane crashed, and all died. Col. Naranjan Singh Gill called these four men, “the first martyrs of our movement. All homage to them, even though they are hardly known today. We paid due respects to them at a local temple, Hongenji, where their ashes were enshrined.”

Sultana Saleem

Sultana Saleem joined the Rani Jhansi Regiment of the INA on the call of Subhas Chandra Bose. It was during the war that she met Captain Saleem, an officer of the INA, and married him with the blessings of Subhas. After the war was over, she was arrested as a prisoner of war and reached India as a part of the first contingent of PoWs from Rani Jhansi Regiment in February 1946. The Indian Express reported on 22 February 1946, “Mrs Sleem felt that there was only one country for her- Hindusthan - and only one nation - Hindustani. She did not believe in either communalism or provincialism. It was the oneness of India that appealed to her most. In East Asia, she said, there was no consciousness at all of religious or provincial differences and no untouchability problem. She believed that if India had freedom, her many problems could be solved without much difficulty.”

Lt. Col. Ehsan Qadir

General Mohan Singh appointed Ehsan Qadir, the Director of Azad Hind Radio, on the formation of Azad Hind Fauj. In 1943, when Rash Behari Bose handed over the leadership of the movement to Subhas Chandra Bose, Qadir joined Arzi Hukumat-i-Azad Hind Sarkar in the capacity of military secretary. He also headed the volunteer group with more than 30,000 members and the Azad Hind Dal. A Communal Harmony Council was also formed to promote Hindu-Muslim unity, and Qadir was made its head. The Council ensured that religious differences did not arise in Azad Hind Fauj. On receiving the news that Netaji was killed in a plane crash, Qadir did not believe and lost his mental balance.

Col. Shaukat Ali Malik

Shaukat Ali Malik is the first Indian to hoist a national flag on Indian territory after winning it from the British Empire. He achieved the feat on 14 April 1944 as the commander of the Bahadur Group of Azad Hind Fauj. He led the armed forces in Moirang of Manipur, to win and establish a civilian government. After hoisting the flag, he said, “The Indian National Army (INA) has now crossed the Indo-Burmese border, and in the course of the struggle for the liberation of the people of India from the British Yoke, we have now reached Moirang, the ancient citadel of Manipur. Our commitment is to march to Delhi and unfurl the Tricolour Flag there at Lal Quila. Many had died on our way to reach near (Moirang), and many would die on our way to Delhi. However, the expulsion of the enemy from the sacred soil of India is a compulsion for us… Freedom of India is very near and at hand. We shall win it, and we shall have progress and prosperity for the people of India after it.”

Shaukat led the government function in Moirang till 15 July 1944, after which the INA had to face reverses during the war. He was awarded the Tamgha-e-Sardar-e-Jung, the highest gallantry award, by Subhas Chandra Bose for his bravery.

Major General Shah Nawaz Khan

Shah Nawaz Khan was one of the most well-known faces of the INA. After the war, when the soldiers of the INA were tried at Red Fort, he became a face of the INA along with Dhillon and Sehgal. He was one of the two commanders of Azad Hind Fauj, who led the army in Arakan, Nagaland and other frontiers. He wrote, “He (Subhas) made his soldiers realise that they were the sons of the same motherland, and, as such, there could be no differences between them. We were all completely united, and it was realised by us that the communal differences in our country were the creation of an alien power.

The success of this can be gauged from the fact that the most ardent supporters and admirers of Netaji were to be found among Muslims. Netaji respected every man for what he was worth and not for his religion or the province he came from.

“It is amazing to see that when Netaji selected one officer from Germany to accompany him during his most hazardous journey to Tokyo by submarine, it was Abid Hussain, a Muslim, that his choice fell upon.

“Again, when his troops were sent to the fighting line, both the Divisional Commanders were Muslims, Major Gen. M. Z. Kiani and me. When he went on his last trip to Tokyo by plane in August 1945, it was Col. Habibur Rehman that he selected to accompany him. This feeling was not confined only to the members of the army. Among the civilians, some of the greatest supporters of Netaji were also Muslims. It was one Mr. Habib, a wealthy merchant of Rangoon, who gave all his property amounting to nearly one crore of rupees for one garland belonging to Netaji. It is on account of these facts that we of the Azad Hind Fauj refuse to believe that all Indians can't unite and live together like brothers and sisters and work for the creation of a great, free, and united India.”

Colonel Mehboob Ahmad

Mehaboob Ahmad joined the Azad Hind Fauj after listening to Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943 at Singapore. He used to say, “I have only one birth. If I had another thousand births, I would voluntarily submit them all to Subhas Chandra Bose to achieve his aim.” He worked as an advisor to Shah Nawaz Khan during the Arakan and Imphal offensives. Subhas appointed him as military secretary and as a liaison officer between the Arzi Hukumat-i-Azad Hind Sarkar and the Azad Hind Fauj.

Colonel Habib ur Rahman

Colonel Habib ur Rahman was a co-founder of Azad Hind Fauj with Gen. Mohan Singh. He became in charge of the Administration branch at Headquarters. After Subhas Chandra Bose overtook the command of the Azad Hind Fauj, he was appointed as Officer in charge of the training school. On 21 October 1943, when Azad Hind Sarkar was formed, he also took the oath as a minister. Later, he was also appointed as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff and accompanied Netaji during his last known flight on 18 August, 1945.

Maj. Gen. Mohd Zaman Khan Kian

When Azad Hind Fauj was formed by General Mohan Singh, Mohd. Zaman Khan Kiani became the Chief of the General Staff. After Subhas Chandra Bose took over the movement, he was appointed as a minister and commander of the 1st division of Azad Hind Fauj. The division he headed had three regiments, Nehru, Azad and Gandhi. The INA was led by him at the Burma front. When Netaji left Singapore with Habib in his last known flight, Kiani was given the charge of the Chief of Army. 

Karim Ghani and D.M. Khan were two of six advisors of Arzi Hukumat-i-Azad Hind Sarkar.

More than 50 soldiers, including many Muslims, were decorated with the gallantry awards of Azad Hind Fauj. Their names are:

Tamgha-e-Sardar-e-Jang

Col. S.A. Malik, Major Sikander Khan, Major Abid Hussan, Capt. Taj Mohammad

Tamgha-e-Vir-e-Hind

Lt. Asharfi Mandal, Lt. Inayat Ullah,

Tamgha-e-Bahaduri

Hav. Ahmed Din, Hav. Din Mohd, Hav. Hakim Ali, Hav. Ghulam Haider Shah

Tamgha-e-Shatru Nash

Hav. Pir Mohd., Hav. Hakim Ali, Naik Faiz Mohd. Sepoy Ghulam Rasul, Naik Faiz Baksh

Senad-e-Bahaduri

Hav. Ahmad-ud-Din, Hav. Mohd. Asghar, Hav Gulab Shah

The list is limited and still misses people like Bashir Ahmad and Munawar Hussain, who were the ministers in Azad Hind Sarkar, Aziz Ahmad Khan and Inayat Kiani, both were commanders of two of the three regiments of Azad Hind Fauj, Nazir Ahmad, who was killed while defending an attack on Netaji or Sheikh Mohammad, who headed the India Independence League in Vietnam. In fact, we cannot write all the names.

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This reading of the history of the INA and Subhas Chandra Bose shows that Indians can unite in the name of nationalism. A syncretic India, where Indians are judged only for their talent and love for the nation and not for their religious beliefs.