Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's pursuit of Indian freedom involved seeking controversial alliances and ultimately facing defeat, leaving a complex legacy in the struggle for independence.Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was convinced in 1941 that freedom of India was not to be begged for, but it had to be won. To achieve that freedom, he escaped from his house arrest in disguise and he reached Berlin on 3rd April 1941. He met Adolf Hitler, the Nazi dictator, for immediate help, but that meeting was not fruitful. Adolf Hitler was not interested in India; rather, he was interested in the Soviet Union. But in this respect, I totally disagree with Netaji Subhas Chandra Basu for seeking support of Adolf Hitler, who was considered to be history's most worst human being. He killed millions. He was responsible for the Second World War and he was also responsible for the Holocaust. So I disagree with Netaji in this respect. If I were his friend, or if I happened to be an Indian at that time, definitely I would have opposed him. Netaji believed that freedom was to be won, but he himself begged for Nazi support. When he had come to know that Nazis were not interested in India, and on June 1941, Nazi Germany had launched Operation Barbarossa to destroy the Soviet Union, so Netaji became a disappointed man, because he was a communist, a Marxist. Then he was advised by Germans to seek help from Japan. So I am telling you that Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan and Italy were considered as Axis powers, but I am telling you that these three states were known as the axis of evil. They believed in enslavement of other races and total destruction of other powers. Subhas Chandra Bose organised the Indian Legion in Germany with 8,000 British Indian soldiers who became prisoners of wars in Egypt. We know that Indians were fighting Germans and Italians in Egypt, and initially the British suffered some setbacks, and those soldiers were actually soldiers of the Royal Indian Army, and they became prisoners of war, and later they were trained by Germans to fight the British and Americans. So Indian Legion soldiers fought the British and Americans. His slogan was, "Give me blood, I will get you freedom," and "Salute Delhi" were raised from Azad Hind Radio Germany on 9th August 1942. We all know that Singapore fell into the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army on 15th February 1942, and 80,000 soldiers surrendered. That was an unconditional surrender, and Japanese had classified 32,000 Indian prisoners of war and established the Indian National Army. The Japanese appointed Captain Mohan Singh as a General Officer in Commanding the new formation. That was both a strategic and tactical movement of Japanese forces in the welfare sense of Emperor Hirohito, which was "Asia for Asians only." Again, I disagree with Netaji in this respect. The Japanese soldiers were bloodthirsty soldiers and they committed some worst forms of atrocities, which cannot be spoke here, which cannot be spoken here, against the Chinese and other people. From Germany, Netaji then undertook a perilous underwater journey in a U-boat submarine of 90 days to reach Madagascar and Sumatra, and he arrived at Tokyo by air on 6th May 1943. He met the Japanese Prime Minister Tojo twice and with his energetic enthusiasm secured the unstinted support of the Japanese government. That Japanese Prime Minister Tojo was later captured and he was tried for committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes against peace, genocide under the international law, and that trial is known as the Tokyo Trial, and Tojo was hanged on 2nd July 1943. Netaji arrived at Singapore. There he took charge as a Supreme Commander of INA as well as the Indian Independence League formed by Raj Bihari Bose, another Indian freedom fighter, but Raj Bihari Bose had no family connection with Subhas Chandra Bose. Then he recognised and reorganised the Azad Hind Force and declared the formation of Provisional Government of Azad Hind as the Government of Independent India, and on 21st October 1943 in Singapore that government was proclaimed. On 23rd October 1943, the Azad Hind Government declared war against Britain and USA. That is a historic move. So occupation of Imphal was crucial to the Hindu Japanese forces for the Delhi Chalo mission. Once Imphal is liberated, so Netaji could install an effective provisional government of free India on Indian soil, which should offer an opportunity for more and more Indians to organise anti-British revolt. During March 1944, the three Japanese forces, 33rd, 31st and 15th Division, along with the Subhas Brigade of INA had crossed the big rivers, mountainous ranges and dense jungle and started to invade Manipur Valley. The Japanese division captured Kohima, but they failed to capture the tennis court. The Dimapur Road, the only lifeline of Manipur, was blocked for about one month, and all essential commodities for Allied forces at Imphal had to be supplied by air. Though Kohima was captured, but at that time the British had achieved complete air superiority, air dominance from Dimapur and Jorhat and Dinjan. The British bombers and fighters were regularly taking off. Hence, these fighter jets provided crucial supply lines for the British Indian soldiers. The 15th Japanese Division marched towards Tamu and Ukhrul in two ways, and Ukhrul of Manipur was captured. They further advanced towards Imphal Dimapur Road to cut Imphal Kohima Road. The First INA Division under the command of Major General MJ Kiani also joined the Imphal campaign and fought along with Japanese forces. This INA General MJ Kiani later became a top rank officer of Pakistan Army after partition of India and his son Ashraf Parvez Kiani served as the General of Pakistan Army. That happened few years ago. Simultaneously, the 31st Japanese Division commanded by a very good Japanese officer advanced to Kohima through North Burma and Ukhrul. Major General Shahnawaz Khan, Second Indian National Army Division, could reach Ukhrul to help the Japanese. That Major General Shahnawaz Khan later became a minister in Jawaharlal Nehru cabinet after independence. The front of the combined forces of Indian and Japanese forces moved towards Rot by attacking the British defence base at seven British column at Surasenapur district of Manipur. The British were forced to retreat and took defensive measures in some other places. So in this respect, though I am using the term British, actually those British soldiers were soldiers of Royal Indian Army. All were Indian soldiers only. Their division, their brigades were commanded by British officers. So Indians were fighting the Indians. That was the truth. That was the fact. On 13th April 1944, the Japanese and INA forces attacked the Royal Indian Army position and fierce encounter took place between the British Indians and Japanese soldiers in those places. A large column of the British Indian forces had to retreat. The most people of that Moirang of Manipur district had already evacuated and taken refuge at the chain island of Thanga Chandra of Manipur and near the Loktak Lake. The Moirang town had become a battlefield. The pre-cautionary measures for the safety of the people of Moirang were volunteered by local youth led by one Meitei youth. The infantry attack was led by Lieutenant Ando from and another attack was launched by Captain Ittu of Japanese forces from Kumpi. The British had to retreat towards another place by abandoning all arms, cannon and artilleries. All these were keenly observed over by whole sleepless night by some local youth while they were hiding under the bridge. The area of Moirang was totally cleared and swept away of all enemies up to another place by Japanese and INA forces by the night of 13th April 1944. The retreating British forces took advantage of the darkness of the night and secured the form position of the campaign for defensive line at the hill hill tops of the Bishnupur district of today's Manipur. Though I am using the term enemy, it is up to the students and others to classify who were the enemies, but for me, Japanese were our enemies. Under no circumstances I could accept the Japanese as our friends. So one youth of Moirang had the chance to meet the INA military officials, Colonel Hayat Ali Malik and Naki Ahmed Choudhury at that place. The INA official asked for a meeting with Karan Singh, the local leaders of Moirang and an effective member of Nikhil Manipuri Mahasabha. So the four persons met with the INA officers in in the morning at that place. The INA officers persuaded the local leaders to affix an appropriate place for hosting tricolour. So INA hosted the tricolour flag with the springing tiger as emblem at the historic Moirang Kangla on the evening of 14th April 1944 in presence of around 40 locals and in presence of some Japanese general. This day, the 14th April 1944, shall be remembered in the history of Indian freedom struggle as a day of revolutionary declaration of freedom of United India. What was hosted at the Red Fort on 15th August was the flag of Indian dominion. However, the flag unfurled at Moirang Manipur symbolised the united aspiration of the united people of India from Imphal to Peshawar. But I don't think that the INA represented all Indians. We must not forget that INA, the soldiers never crossed the 40,000. On the other hand, 3 million Indian soldiers were ready to fight the Germans and Japanese. So this is propaganda. This is purely propaganda. So Manipuri volunteers offered dry fishes of rice and other grains from the local people, the ration of the INA and Japanese forces who stayed at Moirang. The INA headquarters was already stationed at the residential building of that place. From the INA headquarters Moirang, the INA and Japanese forces mobilised to attack British position. That is the 17th British column at Bishnupur, but could not be process. They could not proceed as it was well manned, equipped and supplied. Moreover, they occupied a better position. I mean the British were occupied a better position. Here again, British means the British Indians were occupied the advantageous position. Thus, the Hindu Japanese forces on their expedition to Imphal were left high and dry without any supply of air support. The heavy monsoons with which have arrived a month early made transportation and mobilisation impossible. Many Indian and Japanese soldiers were dying. The INA soldiers blocked the supply lines to the seven column of the British at Bishnupur, but British sent from the best General Field Marshal Slim to Jorhat and Field Marshal Slim of the British Army had the right time to utilise the whole reserve of Allied forces. All the while he had been increasing the reinforcement day by day by air lifting troops from air fields and from a composite force called Wood Force to sweep away the stiff resistance offered by the INA Japanese forces. The British Indian were more powerful than the INA and Japanese forces. The INA and Japanese forces had only law courage, but they had limited stock. They fought gallantly. The Allied forces could not control this onslaught of the courageous Hindu Japanese fighters. Finally, the Royal Indian Air Force planes had to be used to gun down and bomb the Hindu Japanese side to completely wipe off them all. The Japanese formation and INA formation were destroyed. That was the Battle of Imphal, one of the bloody battle that lasted for six days. The Hindu Japanese forces suffered heavy casualties because the British Indian Air Force had the complete domination of the sky. The British war planes were dropping bombs on Japanese and INA targets and they were destroyed. Ultimately, the Japanese army realised that defeat was only the eventuality and it was impossible for them to hold the Imphal. So the Japanese commander ordered all his fighting forces to retreat towards Rangoon on or before 25th July 1944. Tragically, the Hindu Japanese forces lost 65,000 soldiers. To this day, the valley of Manipur remains the evidence of those fierce battles. So the INA and Japanese lost over 65,000 soldiers. That was high and British casualty was not so high. In this respect, I must tell you that the British had the unwavering support of.. Gorkha soldiers...The Gorkhas remain fiercely loyal to the British cause, they were ready to kill or to be killed in the name of the British queen or crown. So, finally, the British expedition, the British expedition against INA succeeded.All those Manipuris who supported INA were captured by British and they were imprisoned at Rangoon Central Jail.On 18 August 1945, the Japanese radio made the controversial announcement of the death of Netaji Subhas Chandra Basu from third degree burn after his overloaded plane crash in Japanese occupation, I mean Japanese occupied air base at Formosa that is known as Taiwan. After the end of the World War II, the followers of Netaji became the prisoners of war. When the Red Fort trial started, the British government felt the heat of the rising sentiment of the whole country in January 1946.A massive strike was imposed by officers and pilots of Royal Indian Air Force. By February the ships of Royal Indian Navy also joined the mutiny. This was a clear sign of mass mutiny against the British government which resulted in the final dialogue of independence. Though I don't think that the British Indian Air Force or the Royal Indian Air Force compelled the British departure.That is also propaganda, that was also a propaganda.We must not forget that 3 million Indian soldiers served, fought and died. Maybe several lakh Indian soldiers died for the British cause and not a single Indian soldier revolted against the British government except the soldiers of INA.So we must know this fact.So Netaji's fight against the British and Americans is of course a part of our glorious history but under no circumstances can we say that Netaji compelled the British to leave India. Because Netaji had lost the battles and his army was totally routed and British American Russians won the Second World War.Hitler committed suicide, atom bombs were dropped on Japan, Japan was completely occupied by the Americans.And what happened to Netaji?This still remains a mystery.

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