Leadership of the Indian National Army

The Indian National Army (INA), or the Azad Hind Fauj, represented an armed military experiment to overthrow British colonial rule in India during the Second World War. Formed in Southeast Asia using Indian prisoners of war captured by Axis forces, the organization operated through distinct phases of leadership. The trajectory of the movement shifted from early operational initiatives under British Indian Army officers to full-scale political and military mobilization under exiled civilian revolutionaries.

First Phase: Operational Beginnings Under Mohan Singh

Initial Formation and Japanese Collaboration

Captain Mohan Singh, an officer of the 1/14th Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army, established the First INA in 1942 following the Fall of Singapore. Japanese Major Fujiwara Iwaichi, head of the military intelligence unit Fujiwara Kikan, worked alongside Giani Pritam Singh of the Indian Independence League to persuade Mohan Singh to mobilize captured Indian soldiers. About 40,000 Indian prisoners of war volunteered to join the army to liberate India.

Disagreements and Dissolution

The initial phase faced severe friction over operational control, command hierarchy, and military objectives. Mohan Singh insisted on raising a fully equipped army of 200,000 men, whereas the Japanese command sought to limit the force to a smaller secondary unit. Growing distrust regarding Japanese intentions in Southeast Asia led Mohan Singh to order the dissolution of the First INA in December 1942. British authorities subsequently arrested Mohan Singh and detained him on the Pearl Islands.

Second Phase: Political Consolidation Under Rash Behari Bose

The Indian Independence League Network

Rash Behari Bose, living in exile in Japan since 1915, provided crucial political direction during the transition period. He organized the Tokyo Conference in March 1942 and the Bangkok Conference in June 1942, leading to the creation of the Indian Independence League (IIL).

Council of Action and Reorganization

To maintain stability after Mohan Singh’s arrest, Rash Behari Bose chaired the Council of Action of the IIL. He kept the organizational framework intact and formally invited Subhas Chandra Bose to take over the command of the movement in Southeast Asia.

Third Phase: Supreme Command of Subhas Chandra Bose

Revival and Organizational Restructuring

Subhas Chandra Bose arrived in Singapore in July 1943 via German submarine U-180 and Japanese submarine I-29. Rash Behari Bose handed over the presidency of the Indian Independence League to Subhas Chandra Bose, who assumed the title of Netaji and Supreme Commander of the INA. On October 21, 1943, Bose announced the formation of the Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind Sarkar) in Singapore. The Axis powers, including Japan, Germany, and Italy, recognized this government-in-exile.

Operational Structure and Military Units

Bose restructured the army into dedicated combat brigades named after national leaders:

• Gandhi Brigade: Led by Colonel I.J. Kiani.
• Nehru Brigade: Led by Colonel Aziz Ahmed.
• Azad Brigade: Led by Colonel Gulzara Singh.
• Subhas Brigade: Formed as a specialized vanguard force under Colonel Shah Nawaz Khan.
• Rani of Jhansi Regiment: An all-female combat unit commanded by Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan (Sahgal).

Administrative Cabinet of Provisional Government

• Head of State and Prime Minister: Subhas Chandra Bose
• Finance: H.C. Chatterjee
• Publicity and Propaganda: S.A. Ayer
• Women’s Affairs: Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan
• Military Representatives: Lt. Col. J.K. Bhonsle, Lt. Col. Loganathan

Key Officers and Historical INA Trials

Military Operations on the Indian Frontier

Under Japanese operational command (U-Go Offensive), the INA advanced into Northeastern India in early 1944. Major General Shah Nawaz Khan led the units into the Arakan region, Manipur, and Nagaland. On March 18, 1944, INA troops crossed the Indian border and hoisted the national flag at Moirang, Manipur. Monsoons, severe supply failures, and Allied air superiority forced a retreat from the Imphal-Kohima sector.

Red Fort Trials (1945–1946)

Following the surrender of Japan in August 1945, British forces captured thousands of INA soldiers. The British Indian authorities initiated court-martial proceedings at the Red Fort in Delhi. The first public trial prosecuted three senior officers of different religious backgrounds:

• Colonel Prem Sahgal (Hindu)
• Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon (Sikh)
• Major General Shah Nawaz Khan (Muslim)

Defense Committee and Political Fallout

The Indian National Congress set up the INA Defence Committee to represent the officers. Prominent legal minds involved in the defense included Bhulabhai Desai, Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Asaf Ali, and Kailash Nath Katju. Widespread popular protests, mutinies in the Royal Indian Navy (RIN), and unrest in the British Indian Army forced Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck to commute the sentences of cash fines and imprisonment.

Key Timeline of Events

Key Exam Facts

• Captain Mohan Singh was an officer in the 1/14th Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army before organizing the INA.
• Japanese intelligence officer Major Fujiwara Iwaichi headed the Fujiwara Kikan (F-Kikan), which assisted in raising the First INA.
• Giani Pritam Singh and Rash Behari Bose established the early organizational framework of the Indian Independence League in East Asia.
• Subhas Chandra Bose reached East Asia after a submarine journey involving German U-boat U-180 and Japanese submarine I-29.
• The official motto of the Azad Hind Fauj was Ittehad, Etemad, Aur Kurbani (Unity, Faith, and Sacrifice).
• Japan transferred nominal administrative control of the captured Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the Azad Hind Government in November 1943; Bose renamed them Shaheed and Swaraj Islands.
• Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan headed the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, one of the earliest all-female combat units in 20th-century military history.
• The official military greeting Jai Hind was coined by Chempakaraman Pillai and adopted by Subhas Chandra Bose for the INA.
• Bhulabhai Desai served as the chief defense lawyer during the 1945 INA Red Fort Trials.
• The political mass mobilization surrounding the INA trials directly triggered the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) Mutiny in Bombay in February 1946.