“GARHWALIS IN INDIAN NATIONAL ARMY”
RUDRANEEL
Introduction
The Indian National Army (INA) or Azad Hind Fauj (Hindi: आज़ाद हिन्द फ़ौज, AFH) was an armed force formed by Indian nationalists in 1942 in South east Asia during World War II. The aim of the army was to overthrow the British Raj in colonial India, with Japanese assistance. Initially composed of Indian prisoners of war captured by Japan in her Malayan campaign and at Singapore, it later drew large numbers of volunteers from Indian expatriate population in Malaya and Burma. Initially formed in 1942 immediately after the fall of Singapore under Capt Mohan Singh, the first INA collapsed in December that year before it was revived under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943 and proclaimed the army of Bose's Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind (The Provisional Government of Free India). This second INA fought along with the Imperial Japanese Army against the British and commonwealth forces in the campaigns in Burma, Imphal and Kohima, and later, against the successful Burma Campaign of the allies. The end of the war saw a large number of the troops repatriated to India where some faced trial for treason and became a galvanising point of the Indian Independence movement. After Indian independence, the ex-INA members, with some exceptions, were refused service in the Indian Army. However, a number of notable members later became involved in public life in India and in South East Asia.
In the world history World War II marks the watershed for emergence of Nationalism & fall of Imperialism. It is debatable as to why the heroes of INA were tried even in post independence era? Could be the fading British Imperialism still carried enough sting to charge them with treason for having joined hands with INA after having been taken as POWs. Could be the Indian judiciary, still in its infancy, was overridden by the so called British imperial laws whereby the INA persons were tried by the military court or could be passion for non violent means to gain independence pushed the efforts of those gallant soldiers to obscurity. The Allied’s defeat in far east could be termed as a major pitfall in British leadership. The deeds of those devoted unsung soldiers cannot go unnoticed. Their contribution towards Indian struggle for independence yearns a justified place in the Indian history.
Combined Battalion 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles (Malaya)
On the evening of the 27th January 1942, the transport of the 2nd Battalion, with rest of the 22nd Indian Infantry Brigade, with drew from the 435th milestone and arrived at Teck Hok village in Singapore Island. During the day when the reinforcement camps and hospital at Singapore Island were searched it was discovered that there were 05 British Officers’, 01 Garhwali Officer, Capt Chander Singh Negi and 175 Garhwali ranks. On 29th January 1942, two hundred Garhwali ranks joined as reinforcement for the 2nd Battalion. By 04 February all the Garhwalis in the Island, except those in hospital assembled at Teck Hok and raised a full Battalion. The Battalion was organised as the Combined Battalion 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles (Malaya). The insignia adopted was the Maltese Cross without any numeral. Lt Col Smith arrived on 6th February 1942 and took charge of the battalion, however he was killed the very next day.
On 10th of February 1942 the battalion was ordered to withdraw ‘D’ Company under Captain Chander Singh Negi however lost touch with the Battalion Head Quarter. Unconfirmed report talk about him being sighted at Singapore (Mainland), however it remains a mystery how he reached there. Report from lansdowne Oct 1945 confirmed that he joined INA. On 12th Feb, Lt Col JK Bhonsle, 1st Bn 5th Maratha light Infantry arrived to take over command of the Combined Battalion of the 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles (Malaya). He became the first Indian to Command a Battalion in War (Ref war dairy of Maj Harold Nesham pg -18).On 13th Feb 1942, Lt Col Bhonsle addressed the Battalion and issued Battalion Orders and promotions.
On 15th Feb 1942 with the fall of Singapore, ceasefire was declared by the Japanese. On the following day the Battalion moved to Bidadari Reinforcement camp and on 17th February 1942, the Indian Commissioned Officers’ and the Garhwali ranks with Indian Prisoners of War of were marched to Farrer Park, and the British Officers’ were sent to Chanugi. All serving Indian Officers’ and the newly formed 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles (Malaya), under Lt Col JK Bhonsle, were imprisoned. An estimated 700 Garhwali soldiers who surrendered to the Japanese in Malaya and Singapore Island subsequently joined the INA enmass. Lt P.S Raturi who was with the 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles (originally from 5th Battalion the Royal Garhwal Rifles) also joined INA and later rose to the rank of Major in the INA. After arrival of Subhash Chandra Bose in Singapore Lt Col JK Bhonsle (Ex Comdt combined Battalion Malaya) was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff of Azad Hind Fauj. He later became the member of the War Council. When Subhas Chandra Bose announced the formation of the provisional Government of Azad Hind (Free India), Lt Col JK Bhonsle became the cabinet member of the Provisional Government of Azad Hind in 1943.
In the book “The Forgotten Army” India’s Armed struggle for Independence 1942-45 by Peter Ward Fay Pg 137 clearly brought out that soldiers of Garhwal Rifles, The 3/17th Dogras and The combined 1/14th and 5/14th Punjab Regiment joined INA. All these men were under Lt Col JK Bhonsle’s Hindustan Field Force.
The Rise of New Leadership
On 19 January 1941, Subhas Chandra Bose made his way from Afganistan to Soviet Union later and with the help of German Ambassador in Moscow, Count Vonder Schulenberg he moved to Berlin. In Berlin, Subhas Chandra Bose set up the Azad Hind Radio and the Free India Centre, which commenced broadcasting to Indians in short wave, frequencies. The Azad Hind Radio broadcasts were estimated to have a clientle of thirty thousand Indians who possessed the required radio receiver.
On 21 June 1943, Subhas Chandra Bose arrived in Tokyo from Berlin and made his first broadcast. On 04 July 1943 two days after reaching Singapore, Subhas Chandra Bose assumed the leadership of INA in a Ceremony at Cathoy Building. On 25 Aug 1943, he formally assumed direct command of the INA. He named INA as Azad Hind Fauj and assumed the Supreme Command of this force. He appointed Capt Budhi Singh Rawat (Ex-2nd Royal Garhwal Rifles) as his ADC.
At National Archives of India New Delhi, one can easily find names of as many as 160 to 170 Garhwali Officers which include Maj Padam Singh Gusain, Capt Mahinder Singh Bagri, 2Lt Gain Singh Bisht, Capt SS Yadav, Capt NS Negi, Capt Chander Singh Negi and many other Officers who were promoted from the ranks. There are 1050 Garhwali pensioners of INA whose documents are maintained in Records, The Garhwal Rifles.
Exploits of Garhwali as part of INA
The main body of No 1 Regiment, Subhas Brigade covered a distance of over 400 miles in 5 weeks on foot and reached Rangoon from Taiping in early Jan 1944. At Waw (20 miles East of Pegu) British fighter planes bombarded the Column and Azad Hind Fauj suffered its first casualty, Sepoy Jit Singh who was a Garhwali. He was cremated with full Military honours.
On 14th Apr 1944 a detachment of Azad Hind Fauj under Maj Saukat Ali penetrated Indian Territory in Manipur (Bishanpur Sector) and hoisted the Indian Tricolour at the historic Moirang Kangla fort near Imphal on the provisional Government of free India. When intelligence was received that West African Division of the British Army was trying to cross from the Western Bank of the Kaladam River, Maj PS Raturi (Ex 5/18th RGR) of No. 1 Battalion, Subhash Brigade marched forward with his troops and launched an attack. In the fierce hand-to-hand fight which ensued on this post the West African Division of the British forces retreated and while trying to negotiate the river, they lost a number of boats. Only 40 miles to the west, there was a British post at the frontier of India-Mowdok. Maj Raturi launched a surprise night attack on this post and evicted the defenders forcing them to leave large quantity of stores including rations. The entry of Azad Hind Fauj on Indian Territory was a touching moment. Soldiers laid themselves flat on the ground and kissed the sacred soil of their mother land. The Tricolour was flying high and the soldiers sang the Azad Hind Fauj National Anthem.
During this period, Capt Ram Singh Thakuri gave the musical tune of the famous marching song of the Azad Hind Fauj- “Kadam Kadam badaye ja, Khusi ke geet gaye ja.” This song has not only inspired the Azad Hind Fauj but also millions of Indians. This song has now been adopted by Indian Army as “Army Song”.
On 30 Mar 1945, one of the AHF companies located at Kabyu was attacked by British infantry and tanks. Capt Mahinder Singh Bagri (Ex-Subedar of 2/18th RGR), led one company of 3rd Bn to raid Pyinbin. At about 1000 hrs a strength of approximately 1,000 men and several tanks were seen advancing towards Kabyu from the direction of Pyinbin. The only defence against the tanks were a few anti-tank mines borrowed from the neighbouring Japanese unit. The Royal Air Force was most active and had been bombing and bringing down machine-gun fire on the company position. On approaching the AHF position, the tanks while negotiating the minefields suffered casualties and the advance of tanks was stalled, the British troops however kept on advancing. When they came close to 200 yards, the AHF men fixed bayonets and shouting ‘Jai Hind,’ ‘Netaji ki Jai’, charged. The Japanese on seeing this development also charged. The strength of the Japanese company was approximately 150 men. The British, opened up intensive machine gun and rifle fire on the Japanese and having pinned them proceeded to out flank them. The Japanese lost nearly 60% of their officers and men, the remainder retreated to their entrenched position, leaving their dead and wounded on the battlefield. Captain Bagri who was watching all this, opened intensive fire inflicting severe losses to the British. He then counter attacked from a flank and drove the Britishers away. In the evening, the Japanese Brigadier in the area came to thank Col Shah Nawaz Khan personally to express his gratitude to the AHF for saving the Japanese company and for retrining in their dead and wounded. (Extracted from My Moments of INA & its Netaji by Shah Nawaz Khan)
The dare devil action of Lt Gian Singh Bisht (Ex-2/18 RGR) at Taungzin on 16 Mar 1945 was recorded and submitted as an exhibit during the Red Fort Trial by his Brigade Commander, Col GS Dhillon. Col GS Dhillon signed the report on 09 Apr 1945 under the heading ‘Charge of the Immortals’, relevant extract of which is reproduced as follows :-
“Lt Gian Singh Bisht had been trained at the Officer’s Training School of the Azad Hind Fauj and commanded a company of 98 strong. They had rifles as the only weapon of defence or offense. Their orders were to check the enemy’s advance at any cost. It was a flat stretch of land with out any cover except a shallow dry pond near which three tactically significant roads. On 16 Mar 1945, enemy planes commenced bombardment and machineguns opened up from early morning, after which cannons across the hills commenced shelling. Behind this barrage of artillery fire advanced a column of motorized infantry comprising of 13 tanks, 11 armoured cars and 10 trucks. When 2/Lt GS Bisht appreciated that their fire power was no match to the enemy’s mortars, machine guns, light automatics and hand grenades and their staying in the trenches meant certain death or captivity, he therefore decided to charge. Leading the assault, he shouted slogans ‘Netaji-Ki-Jai’, ‘Inqilab Zindabad’, ‘Azad Hindustan Zindabad and ‘Chalo Dilli’. All the men responded to these slogans, which echoed above the enemy fire and they charged into the enemy. The enemy immediately debussed, hand-to-hand fighting ensued for two hours. Forty of them sacrificed their lives after killing more than an equal number of the enemy forcing the enemy to retreat. Just then, 2/Lt Gian Singh Bisht called forward his 3 Platoon Commander 2/Lt Ram Singh and was giving orders a bullet struck on his head and he fell down never to rise again.
By May –Jun 1945, AHF resistance had petered down. With the rush of the Allied forces in Burma, the AHF men led by Netaji embarked on a 26 days trek of 300 miles from Rangoon to Bangkok.
Conclusion
Garhwali Bhullas are well known for their gallantry honesty integrity and allegiance. The brave Bhullas gave a true account of their simplicity, honesty and martial characteristics whether as part of British Indian Army or Indian National Army of Subhas Chandra Bose. They continue to deliver as part of Indian Army of today as well. It is unfortunate for reasons unknown, the gallant bhullas of Garhwal Rifles, who braved through extreme odd far away from their homeland, had to bear will the anonymity even in post colonial ere. It is time now at least, that we acknowledge the faithfulness and gallantry of those unsung heroes. Lest not forget them.
Jai Hind
Jai Badri Vishal
References
1. Wikipedia.web
2. War Diary of Major Harold Nesham
3. Regimental History Vol II of The Garhwal Rifles
4. “The Forgotten Army” India’s Armed struggle for Independence 1942-45 by Peter Ward.
5. My moments of INA & its Netaji by Maj Gen Shah Nawaz Khan (INA)
6. Col GS Dhillon’s “From my Bones”
7. Ami Subhas Bolchi.- (Bengali)
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