India Wins Freedom by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Author:Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Language: ita
Format: epub
ISBN: 9788125044826
Publisher: Orient Blackswan Private Ltd.

Lord Auchinleck spoke in a most friendly spirit. In fact, his tone was more cordial than I had expected. He said that there would be no victimisation if the officers returned to duty unconditionally. So far as discrimination was concerned, his entire effort would be to remove it completely. His replies satisfied me and I immediately issued a statement calling upon the officers to return to duty and assuring them that there would be no victimisation.

The Revolt of the Naval Officers in Bombay was of special significance in the context of existing circumstances. This was the first time since 1857 that a section of the Defence Forces had openly rebelled against the British on a political issue. The rebellion was not an isolated event, for there had earlier been the formation of the Indian National Army under Subhas Chandra Bose out of Indian prisoners of war. This army had attacked India in 1944 and was at one stage on the point of capturing Imphal. After the surrender of Japan, the British reoccupied Burma and many officers of the Indian National Army (INA) were taken prisoner. They did not repent their action in having joined the Indian National Army and some of them were now facing trial for treason. All these developments convinced the British that they could no longer rely on the armed forces unless the political problem of India was satisfactorily solved.

I first heard of the capture of the officers of the Indian Army when I was in Gulmarg after the Simla Conference. Mr Pratap Singh, a Judge of the Punjab High Court, came to me one day in great excitement and reported that some Indian officers who had fought the British under Subhas Chandra Bose had been arrested. I think that one of his relations was involved in the affair and he was greatly worried about the fate of these young men. His own mentality was that of the traditional civil servant. He therefore felt that any interference by the Congress would prejudice the case of these prisoners. He suggested that the Congress should take no interest in the affairs of the Indian National Army, for he argued that this would keep the trial out of politics. I told him that his views were entirely wrong. If the Congress took no interest in the matter, the Government would punish the INA officers and, in some cases, mete out the extreme penalty. These officers included some of our finest young men and their imprisonment or death would be a serious national loss. I decided straightaway that Congress should undertake the defence of the INA officers and immediately issued a statement to this effect.

As I viewed the matter, I felt that the British Government could not complain about the conduct of these officers. A part of the Indian Army had been sent to Burma and Singapore. When Japan occupied these regions, the British Government left the Indian Army to its fate. In fact, it was a British officer who handed over the Indian Army to the Japanese.

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