- Indian people loved Subhash Chandra Bose more than Mahatma Gandhi when he was alive – of course except of those people who were not willing to fight openly against the British and feared their death at the hands of these enemies of India. Mostly such people followed Mahatma Gandhi in opposing the British by non-cooperation and non-violence. But to all those who really fought – or thought it better to really fight – the British, Bose was a real hero of India. Bose was loved by them even more after he was no more – or supposed to be no more. He is idolized by Indian people as the national hero even today – after 73 years. Why is it so? It is necessary to answer this question before we talk about the life and fate of Bose.
- Bose was one of those brave Indians who openly fought – and fought bitterly, as any fight is supposed to be – against the enemy of his nation, the British. In this fight he did all that that a brave man would do against his enemy – organized an army (Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauz), formed a government of free India in exile, fought battles against the enemy with exemplary bravery, entered India and defeated his enemy, and liberated a part of India – Andaman and Nicobar. He went to Stalin to seek help in his cause; he went to Hitler to seek his help in his cause; but he had no enmity against any country except the British – who had enslaved Indians. He never helped Germany or Japan against any country – except the British. He is loved by Indians because he loved India and he loved freedom of India. You ask any person of a free country in the world of the value of freedom and he would tell freedom is more valuable than life.
- Later on he joined the Indian National Congress. There he formed within the party a faction to give a real fight to the British – this faction was called, “Forward Block”. Because of his pragmatic views Bose was extremely popular in Congress. He became more popular in the party than Mahatma Gandhi and in the contest for presidentship of the party he defeated Mahatma Gandhi’s candidate – named Sitharamayya. Gandhi said, “The defeat of Sitharamayya is my defeat”. Bose became the President of the party.
- Gandhi was not happy with Bose and his views. Bose was a thorough gentleman and he never hesitated to make sacrifice for the sake of his country – Bose resigned from the party presidentship. Bose was extremely popular among the people also. He was elected a Mayer of Calcutta municipality at a young age – he was born on January 23, 1897. The British were afraid of his views to give them (the British) a real fight. The British imprisoned him in his own house.
- Subhash Chandra Bose escaped from his house in Calcutta, where he was kept under a constant vigil of the British police. He travelled by train to Peshawar, dressed as a Pathan, accompanying another person as his servant and acting as dumb person assisted by that servant. On the way, he came under a suspicious eyes of a police man who enquired about him but he succeeded in duping him. From Peshawar he crossed into Afghanistan. In Afghanistan he stayed with one Bhagat Ram Talwar, who was a leader of “Kirti Kisan”, a Communist organization. Being a Communist leader, Talwar was in contact with and on the payroll of the Russian ambassador to Afghanistan.
- Talwar had maintained a hidden transmitter and remained in communication with USSR spies working for communist’s cause. Talwar’s elder brother had been involved in the anti-British revolutionary activities and for that reason had been hanged by the British as a punishment. He was also in touch with the ambassador of Italy to Afghanistan, because his good contact with the Russian ambassador. Talwar arranged an Italian passport for Subhash Chandra Bose.
- Subhash Bose had put his confidence in Talwar because of his help and foreign connections. As Subhash Bose was dedicated to a mission of liberating India from British slavery, he had an audience with the Russian ambassador with the help of Talwar and expressed his desire to get the Russian help in his mission. The Russian ambassador had a talk with his bosses in Moscow on this subject. Stalin was having a friendship and non-aggression treaty at that time with Germany’s Adolph Hitler and was a sworn enemy of the British and their imperialism. The Russian ambassador got a green signal from Moscow for sending Bose to USSR.
- It was thought it was not safe for Subhash Bose to remain in Kabul, which was teaming with British spies and decided that Bose would go to USSR by crossing Afghan-USSR land border incognito. He crossed into USSR and was well received by the Russian border guards. He was provided all transport facilities by the govt officials there to fly to Moscow. In Moscow, he was duly lodged but was kept waiting to have a meeting with Stalin.
- Stalin was a far-sighted world leader; he had a second thought about the usefulness of directly helping Subhas Bose in his war against the British. At that time, there was a friendship and non-aggression treaty between Stalin’s USSR and Hitler’s Germany. Bose could not directly meet Stalin face to face but he was well comforted and advised by the Stalin’s officials to go to Germany, and meet Hitler for his mission. USSR government arranged an airplane for him to fly out to Germany. Subhash Bose flew out of Russia via Warsaw to Germany.
- Subhash Bose arrived in Berlin, where he was well received by Hitler’s officials. He was provided with all facilities to set up his office; in this office German government put many spies to have an eye on Bose as assistants, clerks, helping hands etc. There was employed in this office the future wife of Subhash Bose also as a clerk. After much efforts, a meeting of Subhash Bose could be arranged with Hitler. Bose explained his mission to Hitler and Hitler agreed to help him in the matter.
- To assist Bose in his work, Hitler’s close official Ribbentrop was assigned. The Indian soldiers who had fought for the British on many foreign war theaters and were defeated at the hands of the Germans and were kept as enemy soldiers in Germany, were handed over to Subhash Bose to determine their use and fate. Bose motivated them to fight the British for the cause of the freedom of their motherland. They agreed to Bose’ proposal. Bose set up three Radio stations named, “Azad Hind Radio”, “Azad Hind Congress Radio” and “Azad Hind Muslim Radio” in Berlin and started broadcasting his messages to Indians to rise in revolt and fight the British to get India free.
- Bose told Ribbentrop that Indians because of their long slavery of the British have become timid, corrupt and of slave mindset, and expressed his desire to see how German police inculcated self confidence and love for their motherland in the mind of German people. Ribbentrop took Bose to training camp of German police called Gestapo. Bose opined that slave India also needs smart police to weed out rotten elements thriving in India. While Subhas was busy in putting all his energy and thoughts to liberate India and schemes to improve its people’s future lot, Bhagat Ram Talwar was busy in Kabul in doing something else.
- Bhagat Ram Talwar set up his transmitter communication with Russians, with Subhash Bose in Berlin and with the British in London too. He was recruited by the British as a spy – code named Silver. Historical Dictionary of British Intelligence by Nigel West at page 542 states about Bhagat Ram Talwar thus, “Silver. The D Division codename for Bhagat Ram Talwar, a 32-year-old Hindu and committed member of Kirti Kishan, the Communist Party of India (CPI), whose brother had been hanged in 1931 for assassinating a British official before World War II. In January 1941, Ram had played a role in the escape of the notorious Indian nationalist, Subhash Chandra Bose, from his house arrest in Calcutta to Afghanistan and then to Germany, but as his loy-(ality?…..)” He raked money as spy of Russia, Germany and British. Always remaining in touch through his transmitter in Kabul with Subhash Bose in Berlin – and later on in Japan – and passed on all information, plans and intended moves of Bose to his masters in London.
- As Bhagat Ram Talwar had created a great impression on the mind of Bose by his ability to enable him (Bose) to communicate with Stalin, he enjoyed his complete trust and confidence. Bose considered Bhagat Ram Talwar his own man helping the cause of India. Unfortunately, the trust and confidence that Bose had reposed in him has changed the history of India’s freedom struggle forever. More unfortunate than this is that this treachery of Talwar had allowed the installation of Gandhi and Nehru as the ideal icons of India’s freedom struggle and sealed India’s fate to the state where it is now.
- Subhash Bose went from Germany to Japan by a submarine. There is one incident during that submarine journey worth mentioning. At one point in the journey, this submarine was detected by the warship of Allied Forces. The submarine was being driven by German crew. At that time, Bose was busy dictating to his assistant the notes of his address, which was to be made by him to the Japanese on his reaching there. On being detected by the enemy, a great alarm and commotion arose in the submarine – everyone of the crew members was panicky. This commotion also distracted the assistant of Bose and he too became panicky and unable to take notes. But Bose was calm and composed, and deep in his thoughts about his dictation. Bose reprimanded his assistant for his carelessness and told him to be attentive! The German commander of the crew was curiously watching all the while this demeanor of Bose. Luckily the submarine was saved from being hit by the enemy torpedo. Then, the German commander addressing the crew said, “You must learn from this Indian leader. You must be like this Indian leader.”
- On arriving in Japan, Bose took command of the fight against the British from earlier Indian revolutionaries – Mohan and Ras Bihari Bose – living in Japan and organized Indian National Army (INA). He formed “Provisional Government of India” (PGI) in exile, with its army, bank, passport, currency etc. The PGI was recognized by 11 countries, including Germany, Japan and Italy.
- The structure of the PGI (its various ministries) was made to meet the demands of war with the foreign enemy. The various ministries were formed like this:
- The formation of PGI was reported by the international press.
- On the very day of its formation, the Provisional government of India declared war against Britain and the United States of America, the country which was supporting Britain. This was also reported by the international press. One such news report read thus:
- All the British Indian soldiers who were defeated and had surrendered to the Japanese in Singapore and Burma campaign were enrolled by the PGI in INA. In addition to them, other Indians settled in different parts of South East Asia came forward to help fight for the independence of their country and they too were enrolled in the INA.
- PGI established its bank and issued currency notes and coins. One rupee coin issued by the PGI was as under:
- Bose as the head of the Provisional Government of India made an appeal to the soldiers of British Indian army to revolt against the British and come on the side of INA (Azad Hind Fauz) of the PGI. This appeal was the most alarming to the British – it was a “Death Call” of the British at the hands of their own army, on the strength of which they were ruling India!
- PGI issued currency notes of different denominations. The currency note of the value of Rupees 100,000 was of this color and style:
- The currency note issued by the PGI of the value of Rupees 100 looked as under:
- The three radio stations run by the Indian Legion in Berlin were broadcasting the INA’s advance into India and Indian public was enthusiastic with great expectations of what the INA was doing in eastern part of India. It was a wave just like the wave created in 1857 by “Spread of a Roti” from village to village – even more potent wave than of 1857. People were singing songs praising INA and Bose with a berated breath. The words of one such Hindi songs were: “बर्मा को रंगून देगा , आखिर अपना खून देगा। … आजाद हिन्द फौज में भर्ती होलो” (He – Bose – will give Rangoon to Burma, that is, he will make it free; he will shed his blood; get enrolled in INA). Songs were also compiled appealing Indians to contribute in the “Relief Fund” set up by the PGI for Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauz). One such song (recorded later on) sang thus:
- An under current of the powerful waves of rebellion against the British was flowing through out the length and breadth of India. The British were not unaware of this current. In 1857 they were caught off the guard and had learnt many lessons. Now this time they had become wiser and were keeping tabs on the pulse of the people. INA was making victorious moves, had entered into mainland India, liberated one of its part – Andaman island – and radio stations of BBC, Chinese nationalist govt, Berlin and Tokyo were reporting these advances of INA. The British were mortified of these unfolding events and their precarious situation in India. They were trying their best to do to avert their 1857 like fate. They were sending frantically messages to their officers and friends world-wide to do their best to stop the news and public attention that INA was getting in India and foreign countries. One such British govt top secret message read like this:
- There were pitched battles between the two for every inch of land. The British deployed full force of its Royal Air Force to bomb from sky the advancing INA ground troops. There was relentless bombing from the sky. Of course, there was intially an air cover given by the Japanese Air Force but they were too occupied with their enemies on other fronts also. The author of this piece was told (in early 1960’s) of the conditions of those battles by a vetran of INA who had fought in them. His words were: “It was a terrain full of dense jungles. On trees everywhere there leeches and on the ground there were crawling snakes. In the sky there were swarms of British airplanes bombing us on the ground. Most of the time we were not walking but crawling forward inch by inch. We all were full of courage and determined to fight and win – or die. There was no air cover for us – except the dense jungle. That did not matter us. Then, the food supply from the rear stopped too. We found a solution for that too: we caught crawling live insects – everything that moved; made suitable stones as our oven-plates, roasted those reptiles and ate them! But we did not stop, fought and killed every enemy we encountered in our forward march. We were victorious everywhere. We were mad and enraged, and determined to fight our way up to “Lal Killa” (Red Fort) in Delhi.” This is an eye witness account.
- Kohima was “Stalingrad of the East” for the British as voted later on by the British veterans who had fought the INA. INA entered into land of (British) India through a point in Nagaland (near Moreh) from Burma (now Myanmar). The brave soldiers of INA under the command of Bose, Headquartered in Singapore), struck furiously the British Indian army and defeated it on route to Kohima.
- INA landed in Andaman island, flushed out from there all the British forces by killing them or by forcing them to run away for their life and set free all the prisoners caged in Cellular Jail. On another front, INA reached Kohima and gave a battle of all battles – never to be forgotten by the British. Later on, on the grave (Kohima cemetery) of the killed British soldiers the British got inscribed these words: “When you go home, tell them of us and say, For your tomorrow, we gave our today”. But, just see the hypocrisy and the arrogance of the superiority complex of the white who control Wikipedia, which is referred here for Kohima cemetery! They make this battle at Kohima as between the Japanese army and the British army, with no name or role of the INA, as if Bose and his army had no existence for them! The truth is that out of the total strength of 60,000 fighting men of INA, 26,000 men were killed in these battles, including at Kohima, against the British. The truth is it was INA, which was fighting in Kohima and only was being supplied of arms and food by the Japanese. Wikipedia doesn’t allow anyone to correct this factual error because they have their own sense of history!
- INA entered into mainland India on 15 March 1944, liberated its part at Andaman island, fought many battles from 15 March 1944 to 26 April 1944 against the British Indian army on-route to Imphal and routed the enemy forces, and laid seize of Imphal. There was bitter battle of INA at Kohima on 23 April 1944 against the British Indian army. But Bose was betrayed by Bhagat Ram Talwar. He divulged beforehand to the British the plan of Bose to enter India from Burma to Kohima and on to Delhi. The British being forewarned by Talwar put their all military might against the INA and the retreat of INA they recaptured Kohima.
- Then a calamity struck Japan. There was a devastating assault by Japanese Air Force on the navy fleet of USA in Pearl Harbor and the USA entered WW2. USA assaulted Japan with its air power and Japan threw its entire air force to counter that attack of USA. This made the INA supply from Japanese of arms and food completely stopped. Then, it was followed by the two Atom bombs dropped on Japan in its cities of Hiroshima on 9 August 1945 and two days later on Nagasaki. And then there was no way for INA but to retreat back from seize of Imphal and Kohima. The author of this piece was informed by the said eye witness that the INA soldiers refused to retreat back and, then, Subhash addressed them saying it was his order as Commander-in-Chief of INA! Bose comforted them by saying, “We have not lost the war. We are going back to meet again and fight sometime later. I had promised you to give freedom and I shall keep my promise. We will fight and win to get freedom.” Only then the INA soldiers retreated back. At the retreating columns, Bose was personally at the rear of the marching soldiers. Bose was last seen August 17, 1945 at Saigon airport, which is now in Vietnam.
- This is how the British averted the calamity awaiting them in India, with the retreat of INA.
- To understand events in the right perspective from the day of the escape of Bose from India to the time of the retreat back of INA, let us rewind back in times to the late 1930s. We have collected materials from the classified intelligence records of the British Government, which have been recently declassified by them and are now available on the net (British Archives). Read this material and decide yourself what happened to Bose.
- Read these RECORDS “ 27th July,1945 – Mr. SILVER Attached is a copy of an interesting letter from NAMBIAR to S. C. BOSE, the original of which was found in U-boat 234 when it surrendered to the Allies. I am having enquiries made about the identities of the various people mentioned in the latter, but some of the names are very familiar to us already. The asthmatic patient is, I believe, G. K. MUKHERJI, No. 56 in the July 1944 handbook. DUTT is Eric Chand DUTT, No. 24 in the July 1944 handbook , of whose recent whereabout we know nothing. The passport and manuscript mentioned towards the end of the letter were not recovered with the letter itself but we are endeavoring to obtain them. …..”
- “This letter to Mr. Silver refers to, and attaches a copy of, a letter written by A. C. N. Nambiar (Arathil Candeth Narayan NAMBIAR, who had gone to Berlin in 1924 as a journalist) to S. C. Bose on 12th July, 1945. This letter to S. C. Bose was one of the three letters which were recovered from U-boat 234 and sent by Brigadier O’Brien, British Joint Staff Mission, Washington by his letter dated 14th July, 1945.” A. C. N. Nambiar was heading a group of Indians who were working in Berlin (Germany) as officials of the Provisional Government of India.”
- It was a group of 12 persons. They were also responsible for radio broadcasting as “Azad Hind Radio, Azad Hind Muslim Radio and Azad Hind Congress Radio.” Nambiar was later on appointed by Subhash Chandra Bose a Minister without Portfolio in the Provisional Government of India.
- And, who was this Mr. Silver, who had attached a copy of letter sent to Bose by Nambiar in his treacherous communication to the British? It was a secret letter by Nambiar to Bose and this Mr. Silver had obtained its copy and sent in July 1945 to his British masters in London. This Mr. Silver was none other than that Indian traitor named Bhagat Ram Talwar, with whom Bose had stayed in Kabul after his (Bose’s) escape from his Calcutta house. This Talwar had helped Bose to enter into the Soviet Union territory secretly with the assistance of the Soviet ambassador in Kabul and had thus earned the complete confidence of Bose in him but he in fact was a triple espionage-agent of the British, the Soviets and the German government of Adolph Hitler.
- Excerpts from the statement made by Nambiar to his British interrogators (after he and other members of the group (F.I.C.) were arrested in Berlin on its occupation by the Allied forces) read thus:
- “193. SECRET TRANSMITTING STATION. Whilst BOSE was still in Europe I suspected that there was a secret transmitting station being used by him and located somewhere in tribal territory on the frontier. BOSE, however, never informed me of its existence and the first definite knowledge I had of it was in June 1943, when VON TROTT told me that the existence of the secret station and the key to the code used, had been discovered by the Russians. The Russians had apparently given an assurance that this knowledge would not be passed on to the British, but the Foreign Office was undecided whether to risk using the station any longer. TROTT was in favour, but KEPPLER wished to have BOSE’S opinion.
- ” A few days later TROTT told me that it was now necessary to inform the Japanese of all the details connected with the transmitting station in Kabul. The information was passed by TROTT to KAWAHARA, the technical details being supplied by WAGNER of the Abwehr to col. HIGUTI. It was thus decided to use the station for sending messages of a non-secret nature merely in order to maintain contact and message was received from BOSE advising us to give up using it entirely. Bose sent this message to Nambiar and the group working under him in Berlin through the Japanese channel.
- “We have embarked on an active military campaign, but it is not intended to continue our advance beyond the Brahmputra. Do not, therefore, allow our broadcasters to call for any widespread uprising or to exaggerate the possibilities of the advance.”
- “In July 1944 when German military situation deteriorated, it was decided to sound the Russians as to their willingness to accept Indian political refugees from Europe. Message was sent through HIGUTI to Bose in December 1944 and received reply from Bose agreeing to the proposal (about Russians’ willingness etc.), but stipulating that first Nambiar should consult German Foreign Office and Japanese Embassy about the proposal. OSHIMA was not in favor. Again in Feb. 1945 German Foreign Office was approached about the proposal to Russians. RIBBENTROP had no objection provided the move was confined to ‘finding out the Russian policy towards India and whether they intended to extend any special treatment to Indians’. But plan was dropped (when KENI could not get visa from Swedish Consul-General).”
- German U-boat (submarine) left with Bose (with Hassan) on board at 9 O’clock in the morning on 8th Feb. 1943, which was to meet Japanese submarine in Madagascar.
- “173. During the Christmas in December 1942 Bose went to Vienna with Frl. SCHENKL and his daughter (child born in September 1942) after a period of acute indecision for Bose. He rejected any other course and decided to keep the matter a very close secret, although he had considered marrying Frl. SCHENKL and accepting what he considered to be the inevitable consequence of retirement from his political career, when the story should become known to his followers in Europe and in India. FALTES had advised against marriage and Frl. SCHENKL had accepted Bose’s decision but hopping that with the success of his mission he would be able to regularize their relationship.
- “Bose sent message from Tokyo to Berlin through German channels in December 1944 to use the following points in the Radio broadcast propaganda: 1. The Japanese war would continue even if Germany was defeated; 2. German defeat would not ease the problem for British in Europe.”
- “188. The last message I received from Bose through the Japanese was handed to me by col. HIGUTI in April 1945. It was to the effect that the Legion should either be committed to action or moved to the zone likely to be occupied by the Russians.”
- Indian Legion in Germany was closed down in Germany in August 1944 on the approach of Allied forces. On 7th October 1942, Bose had told Nambiar this:
- “After his arrest he started a ‘hunger strike’ which resulted in his being released for health reasons, although watch was still kept over his house. He then made arrangements to leave India; only two or three of his intimate friends being taken into his confidence. He grew a beard and when the plans were mature, escaped from the house and travelled by train to N.W.F.P., dressed as Pathan. Although he had some anxious moments when a group of three Indian Officers entered his compartment and travelled part of the way with him, he reached Kabul without any great difficulty. In Kabul things were very difficult for him; he often had to change his place of residence and on one occasion was jailed by the Afghan Police and only released on bail being produced by a friend. He contacted the Italian and German Legations with a view to obtaining a passport but for a long time they refused to help. Eventually the Italian Consul-General issued him a passport under the name of Carlando MAZOTTA and arranged his departure through Russian territory via Warsaw to Germany”.
- Earlier attempt to travel to Far East: “168. Early in October 1942, Bose was informed by Dr. WERTH that arrangements for his flight to the Far East had been completed and he was to leave within a week. Two days later KEPPLER, VON TROTT, BOSE and NAMBIAR flew to RIBBNTROP’s field H. Q. then in a forest in the Ukraine. RIBBNTROP received Bose in the presence of VON TROTT, KEPPLER and MEGERLE.
- “157. On 25-5-42, BOSE at last secured his long sought-after meeting with HITLER. He was accompanied by KEPPLER to the Furor’s Headquarters on the Eastern front and had an interview there. Bose told me later that Hitler had rejected the idea of making a proclamation assuring independence for India until his armies were nearer the Indian frontiers. Bose had suggested that the statement made in ‘Mein Kampf’ regarding India should be publicly retracted, but Hitler made no reply. Hitler had agreed to the Bose’s decision to leave Germany for the Far East.
- “158. After this interview a photograph was published in German Press showing Bose with Hitler with RIBBENTROP. This put an end to Bose’s incognito and accordingly he decided to hold his first press conference in Germany. This was arranged for him by KEPPLER and was held at the Auslands Presses Club.”
- After the retreat of INA, Bose faked his death in an airplane crash and escaped to his old sympathizer Stalin in USSR (Stalin was part of Allied Forces but had never trusted or liked the British or USA). Subhash was declared a “War Criminal” by the Allied Powers to be tried by the International War Tribunal in Tokyo and a hunt went to find Bose by his arch enemy, the British.
- Bose after escaping from the British confinement in India via Kabul (Afghanistan) had first landed in the Soviet Union. During his short stay / stopover of a few hours in the Soviet Union, Bose had been able to put before the Soviet leader Stalin his idea/proposal to fight the British power in India with the support of the Soviet Union. Stalin did not approve the idea (may be, considering Bose was not sufficiently equipped to take on the task; or, for some other strategic reasons) in an ongoing WW II and did not consider it fit to help Bose and antagonize the British. At that time, Stalin not only allowed Bose to fly out of the Soviet Union via Warsaw but also advised him to meet Hitler and seek his help in his cause of liberating India from the British imperialists. Stalin provided Bose an airplane to fly out to Berlin (Germany). This was only for these cordial overtures between Stalin and Bose during the initial phase of the World War that, when with the retreat of INA he had to escape from the pursuing British forces and enter the Soviet Union, Bose was not killed by Stalin. He was allowed to live. Stalin kept Subhas Bose incognito / hidden in Siberia to save him from the British and may have treated him well or not so well. At present there is no definite information on this aspect but one thing is certain: Bose was allowed to keep his personal belonging and items of political importance, which later filled 26 boxes (now stored in government treasury in India under the order of Allahabad High Court. He was not killed by Stalin for the simple reason that Bose was the enemy of his (Stalin’s) enemy (the British), that Bose had first approached him (Stalin) for help in his efforts to liberate India from the British imperialists and that he (Bose) had never done anything or spoken against USSR. Bose was a friend of Hitler because of the circumstances but not an enemy of Stalin and Stalin knew it very well.
- Stalin in 1946 pondered over the idea that Bose be helped to take over the power of free India as its Prime Minister. To find the viability of this idea, Stalin directed his ambassador in Afghanistan in 1949 – much after the alleged airplane crash – to gather the intelligence about the state of Bose’s popularity among Indian people and the Soviet ambassador in Kabul sent his report to Stalin informing him that Bose is extremely popular leader among Indians; that he would certainly replace (Jawahar Lal) Nehru in the Indian Government; that in view of his popularity, Nehru had to induct in his Government Bose’s kinsman as a Government Minister; that Bose was a sworn enemy of the British. Stalin pondered over this report of his ambassador. He knew very well that the British were in the heart of hearts his (Stalin’s) enemy but still were the part of Allied Forces and apparently were friend of the Soviet Union; that if he allowed Bose to go to India as its supreme leader, he (Stalin) would be antagonizing not only the British who were baying for the blood of Bose but would also be antagonizing those Indian leaders who were ruling there. As a prudent and astute world leader, Stalin did not find the idea of sending Bose to India as its leader a feasible one.
- British started trial of the surrendered INA officials in Red Fort in Delhi. This step enraged the Indian British armed forces and navy revolted in Bombay. The navy men were maltreated and kept in bad condition by the British. Adding fuel to the fire was the trial of the INA leaders, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose fight for freedom and the exploits of INA during Siege of Imphal began to be fed to the ratings. It gave them a sort of inspiration, and hope that the mighty British empire was not that invincible. On Feb 18, 1946, Naval Rating M.S.Khan led the revolt on HMS Talwar, and a strike committee was formed. In Karachi, ratings began the revolt on HMIS Hindustan, anchored off the Manora Island. M.S.Khan and another naval rating Madan Singh, had by now taken control of the mutiny, and it began to spread. By Feb 19, ratings from Castle and Fort Barracks had joined the revolt. Ratings left their posts, and began to go around in Bombay on trucks carrying pictures of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, who by now had become their inspiration.
- And soon it spread, to Kochi, Vizag, Kolkata, officers who opposed the strike were thrown off ships, and the mutineers used radio sets to communicate among themselves. HMIS Talwar became the epicenter for the mutiny as the strikers used the radio sets to send messages to and fro between themselves. It was a perfectly coordinated revolt, that was now striking back. And soon the other workers in the Navy too joined, from the sloops, the minesweepers and the offshore establishments in Mumbai, along Hornby Road, near CST, now the Dadabhai Naoroji Road. The White Ensign of the British was lowered from all the ships, and British officers were singled out for attack by mutineers, using hockey sticks, crowbars and whatever else they could lay their hands on.
- Flora Fountain soon reverberated with cries of Jai Hind, and slogans of liberation. British officers and their wives were forced to shout Jai Hind by the protestors. The Taj Mahal Hotel, Yatch club all had guns trained on them throughout the day. The Royal Indian Air Force joined in solidarity with the striking ratings, and 1000 men from Andheri, Marine Drive camps came in. The Gurkhas in Karachi, one of the sword arms of the British army, refused to fire on the mutineers. The mutiny now began to spread like wildfire, Kolkata, Vizag, Chennai, Karachi, reverberated with slogans of “Strike for Bombay”, “Release 11,000 INA prisoners” and “Jai Hind“.
- The tricolor was now flying on all the ships, and by Feb 20, British destroyers positioned themselves near the Gateway of India. The British Govt, now headed by Clement Atleee, was alarmed, orders were given to the Royal Navy to put down the revolt. Admiral J. H. Godfrey, the Flag Officer in command of the Royal Indian Navy, gave an ultimatum to the mutineers to submit or perish. On the other side, a wave of patriotic fervor, surged ahead in support of the mutineers. The mutineers had taken control of all the ships and were prepared for a last ditch stand from the clerks to the cleaning hands to cooks and wireless operators, every single Indian was ready for the battle.
- On Day 3, the Royal Air Force flew a squadron of bombers near Mumbai harbor, while Admiral Arthur Rullion, issued an ultimatum, asking the mutineers to surrender unconditionally. In the meantime, the 2nd Battalion of the Black Watch, silently managed to secure the island of Manora near Karachi. Soon the decision was made to engage HMIS Hindustan in a straight confrontation, which was now under the control of the mutineers. The ultimatum was given by the Royal Artillery on Manora island, to either surrender or be prepared for war. At 10:33 AM, the guns began to fire on HMIS Hindustan, and the naval ratings returned the fire. However they could not hold on for long, and by 10:51 they surrendered and HMIS Hindustan was taken over by the British. Soon HMIS Bahadur and Himalaya were subdued, and taken over by the British, and the revolt at Karachi was put down.
- With increasing bombardment and not much hope in winning a long drawn war, the mutineers began to surrender, and on Day 4, negotiations took place, where most of the strikers demands were conceded in principle. Immediate steps were taken to improve the quality of the food, and living conditions, and assurance was given, that release of INA prisoners would be considered favorably. 7 RIN sailors and 1 officer was killed, while around 34 were injured and 476 discharged from duty. Sadly the mutineers got no support at all from the Indian National Congress. In fact mutineers were condemned for their actions by Mahatma Gandhi for revolting without any guidance from a political party. One of the lone voices in the Congress who supported the mutineers was of Aruna Asaf Ali, who said she would rather unite Hindus and Muslims on the barricades.
- Though the Royal Naval Ratings Mutiny lasted only for 4 days and was put down swiftly, however but it convinced the British that they could no longer trust the Armed forces to maintain their control over India. This mutiny was of more dangerous in potential for the British than the revolt of 1857. The British were haunted by the 1857 revolt and bloody reprisal by Indian British forces against them and they became alarmed. In addition to this precarious condition, the Britain because of WW 2 had become militarily and financially weak.
- It may not be out of place here to narrate what had happened to the British living in India during the so-called Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, of which memory the British as intelligent people never forgot. We extract a portion from pages 33 and 34 of the book titled “The story of the Indian Mutiny (1857-58)” published by Morrison and Gibb printers, Edinburgh. Its chilling words read: “The unfortunate Colonel Ginnis, of the 11th native infantary, the moment he heard of what had happened, rode to the parade ground. He harangued the men, and did everything in his power to induce them to return to their duty. … they fired a volley, and Colonnel Finnis fell riddled with bullets, the first innocent victim of the Indian mutiny. …. The sepoys and their jail-bird allies set fire to nearly all the bungalows of the native lines, and to the government establishments near. They then rushed on; and, as they went, they murdered every European whose sad fate it was to come their way, or be found out by them. When they set fire to the bungalows, they waited till the flames drove out the inmates, and then they slaughtered them as such assassins love to slaughter. The sun set on Meerut that night while rioters were yelling and sufferers shrickimg, and lurid conflagrations were making darkness hideous. The rabble of the bazar and the most degraded portion of the population now joined the mutineers and their twelve hundred companion felons, and the horrors thickened. Flames and smoke shot up on all sides. Everywhere shouts and curses, shrieks and lamentations.”
- Sensing the rebellious mood of Indians at large scale the British stopped trial of INA soldiers. The British were experienced rulers (they had a big empire to rule) and knew calamitous consequences of rebellion by an angered people. They thought it wise and prudent to leave India – but not without acting on a better planning for their future!
- The British were very intelligent people – they had devised an insightful “divide and rule” strategy and executed it in classic manner to wrest control of India from the powerful Mughals, made many commissions and committees to enact laws like Indian Penal Code, Indian Contract Act, Transfer of Property Act, Government of India Acts of 1919 and 1935, which all show they were highly intelligent people. It is not possible that they were unaware or ignorant of sure killings and murders of millions of Indians – Hindus and Muslims both – in the process of population transfer between newly created Pakistan and rest of India. After all, this transfer was to be based on religious identities of individuals. They were well aware of religious enmosity between Hindus and Muslim – they as rulers had first hand experience of relentless Hindu-Muslim riots in India. The British could have devised a controlled and peaceful transfer of population while still in power but they intentionally did not do so. They knew fully well that millions on both sides of the divide would be killed, there would be bitter hatred till eternity between the two countries and their peoples and the two would never think of their unity. This conclusion is not a fanciful thing, it is logical conclusion. In such a conduct, the British were worse than animals – they were barbarians. But why did they act so? They were fearful of the rise of a united India as a world power. They knew India was once a world power – in economy, science, literature, culture, army, wealth – and it could become so again. Such India would be a challenge to them, which they could not countenance. Therefore, divide India and let millions of human beings be killed!
- The British passed a law in 1947 granting Dominion Status to India (and Pakistan) just like Australia, Canada and New Zealand etc. They knew fully well that the power in the Dominion of India would go to none other than Gandhi and Nehru who were Britain’s trusted friends in India. Section (1) (1) of this law (Indian Independence Act, 1947) passed by the British Parliament allowing Dominion status to India and Pakistan read in these words, “As from the fifteenth day of August, nineteen hundred and forty-seven, two independent Dominions shall be set up in India, to be known respectively as India and Pakistan.” Interestingly, this law made Dominion of India still subject to His Majesty the King of Britain but Dominion of Pakistan was made as free a country as Canada or Australia – and not subject to His Majesty. Section 2 (1) of that law provided, “Subject to the provisions of subsections (3) and (4) of this section, the territories of India shall be the territories under the sovereignty of His Majesty which, immediately before the appointed day (that is, August 15, 1947), were included in British India except the territories which, under subsection (2) of this section are to be the territories of Pakistan.”
- Because by law India was only a Dominion of Britain subject to His Majesty, the British government kept in Delhi a fully staffed and functioning office of its intelligence wing, called MI16. This British intelligence was operating in Indian British Dominion till 1955 and routinely censured all mails going to the family members of Bose. There was a demand from the Indian public as well as from the ex-soldiers of INA that all these ex-soldiers be absorbed in the Indian armed forces. The British would not tolerate such an induction in the Indian official armed forces – for them Bose and his INA were still enemy of Britain and India was only a Dominion. Prime Minister Nehru knew well that still India was only a Dominion of British and a member of British Commonwealth. He was willing to collaborate with Britain in helping them find out the whereabout of Subhash Bose, for which purpose he had allowed the British intelligence to function in India and censure letters going to the Bose family. Nehru refused to enroll INA soldiers into Indian army. This was reported by the press:
- Stalin knew that India was still not a free country in reality and that Subhash if sent to India from USSR will be handed over to the British as a fugitive war criminal. Stalin asked Indian ambassador to USSR Radhakrishnan in 1952 whether India was really a free country – Stalin wanted to know in 1955 how Indian people view Subhash Chandra Bose and caused an enquiring letter addressed to the USSR ambassador in Kabul to gather information and tell how Indian people would feel about Bose if he was to come to India – USSR ambassador replied back that Bose had tremendous support of people and Nehru in comparison stands nowhere – but there was no way to openly send Subhash to India as Nehru was the PM of India, a friend of the British and Subhash was fugitive war criminal, who would be most likely handed over to the British and hanged by them.
- In 1946 the issue for consideration before the Stalin’s cabinet was: “What should be done of Bose”. The proof of this fact is locked in the high-security Paddolsk Military Archive of Russia, which is an archive of the military establishment of the erstwhile USSR located about 40 kilometers from Moscow! Alexander Kolesnikov is a person who was a Major General in the former Warsaw Pact countries’ military. He had the occassion to access these files in Paddolsk Military Archive in October 1996. He says that Josef Stalin in 1946, who was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and was heading his government’s cabinet, was actively considering various options available to his government to deal with Subhash Chandra Bose of India. The issue before the USSR government being considered by the cabinet was: “Should Subhash Chandra Bose be kept in Russia?”
- Stalin kept Bose in USSR and sometime later on in 1950’s sent him incognito to China, a friendly communist country and then via Tibet and Nepal smuggled him into India sometime in late 195o’s. Once in India, Subhash remained incognito as a mendicant at different places – Benaras, Lucknow, Ayodhya – in Uttar Pradesh to judge for himself the ground situation suitable for his next moves. Bose was well aware that India was still not a free country, British maintained their intelligence office in India and Nehru was on good terms with the British. For this reason Bose had a great dislike for Nehru but he was unable to do anything for India under the available circumstances.
- Bose strictly remained secluded from public for his own safety. Since 1949 Nehru had a suspicion that Bose was held by Stalin in Russia – somewhere in Siberia. He first tasked his sister Smt. Vijaya Laxmi Pandit, who was India’s first representative in Moscow, to find out whereabout of Bose in that country. She gave the idea of Bose being somewhere in Siberia. In the meantime, British intelligence agency – MI16 – in Delhi carefully censured all the letters addressed to the family members of Bose. Nehru was certain that Bose if in Siberia would never be able to come to India but when public rumor that a mendicant Saulimar Baba was Subhash Bose reached him, he became alarmed and caused an inquiry made about the Baba. It was found fake.
- But all the time Bose continued to live as mendicant in UP and whenever public curiosity or suspicion of he being Bose arose he changed his place of residence. While so living in UP somehow Sampoornanand, the Chief Minister of UP, came to know of his real identity. He himself was not on good terms with Nehru. He kept the secrecy of Bose being in India to his close chest and protected his seclusion. He never informed Nehru about this matter. Bose was not only a great patriot but also a thorough gentleman and thought it wise to keep his identity hidden from the general public as well from the Indian political leaders. He was not ambitious persons like those who ruled India – despite being much taller to them all in the eyes of Indian public. Bose was also well aware that the moment he revealed his identity, the British would press Nehru to hand him over to them to stand trial for “War Crimes”, if Nehru tried to do so Indian public would hound Nehru out of the power and there would a civil war in India between his followers and those of Nehru. It was to be a terrible situation for India. He chose his clandestine life and continued to change places of living as a recluse. Ultimately he shifted his place of residence in 1985 to Faizabad.
- He remained at Faizabad as “Gum Nani Baba” till his death in 1987. Watch this video: