Who is the Founder of the Indian National Army?
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: November 9th, 2023
Mohan Singh, a British army commander, founded the Indian National Army (INA) in 1942. During the second world war, INA was founded in South-East Asia with the help of the Japanese. Jaded by Fujiwara Iwai chi, Japan established its headquarters in Bangkok to supervise the Chinese and Indian Independence movements and to forge friendships with the Multans of Malaya.
Thousands of Indian troops who had surrendered to Fujiwara Iwai chi were sent to Mohan Singh. This was the first action taken to establish the First INA. The first INA split in December of that year when disputes erupted between its leadership and the Japanese military on its role in Japan’s war in Asia.
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Founder of the Indian National Army
Imperial Japan and the Indian Nationalists founded the Indian National Army, also known as the Azad Hind Fauj, as an armed force in 1942. This army was established during World War 2 to support the Indian independence cause against British authority. This army was initially created in 1942 by Mohan Singh using the Indian POWs of the British Army that Japan had captured.
Before the start of World War 2, the major refugee countries for the exiled Indian Nationalists were Southeast Asia and Japan. At the start of World War 2 in Southeast Asia, there were 70,000 Indian soldiers stationed along the coast of Malaya. Many Indian troops were seized as prisoners of war when the Japanese army was successful in their battle along the coast of Malaya. After Singapore was overthrown, about 45,000 troops were taken captive. Important facts about INA are as follows:
- These prisoners of war gave rise to the first Indian National Army. This army was established under Mohan Singh’s command. A British-Indian Army officer was captured during the Malayan Campaign.
- There was an increase in volunteers who wished to join the INA due to the deplorable conditions in the PoW camps and the intense animosity of the British troops.
- Rash Behari Bose, an Indian Nationalist, was given general command of the army.
- The Japanese Imperial Army and those of Indian descent who lived in Southeast Asia enthusiastically backed the INA.
- But the INA was disbanded in 1942 due to disputes with the Japanese, particularly those involving Mohan Singh.
Who revived the INA?
Subhas Chandra Bose’s leadership was responsible for the army’s revival in 1943. The Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind (Free India Provisional Government) Army of Bose was proclaimed the army. Under Bose’s guidance, the Indians residing in Malaya (now known as Malaysia) and Burma recruited ex-prisoners and hundreds of civilian volunteers for the INA.
After the INA was first established in 1942, there was concern within the British-Indian Army that more Indian soldiers might desert. To keep Sepoy’s allegiance, this resulted in a reporting restriction and a propaganda campaign named “Jiffs.”
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