Even as the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is being celebrated today (January 23), it’s pertinent to point out that the Indian National Army (INA) or Azad Hind Fauz of Netaji consisted of many Odia soldiers, who had displayed their uncommon heroism as an integral part of the freedom struggle. The list of the Odia soldiers is available in the records of the State Home Department. They were classified under three categories, 'Black', ‘Grey' and 'White’.
Anil Dhir, who has done extensive research on the INA, says he has met and interviewed 27 of the former soldiers in Odisha itself.
A majority of them were from Ganjam and Puri districts; however, he has listed many other veterans in different districts of the State.
A detailed list of the Odia soldiers was prepared by the INA Association of Odisha, formed in 1948, which had its headquarters at Hinjlikatu of Ganjam. Of the 1,100 civilians, suspected of INA links, who were jailed by the British forces in Burma, 55 were Odias.
Many Odias had died in the battlefield, but most of them returned home and led miserable lives of ignominy and neglect.
The prominent soldiers included Braja Mohan Pattnaik, Krishna Chandra Tripathy, Lakshmi Rath (of Rani Jhansi Brigade), Nakula (of Bala Sena), Narashimha Das, Utsaba Pradhan, Mohan Pradhan, Somanath Panigrahi, Bira Patra, Rajan Sarangi. Ganesh Rath, Ananta Choudhury, Khageswar Panda, Ehsan Quareshi and Dr Birakishore Bhuyan.
On the instructions of the Centre, all State Governments had kept tabs on the activities of the disbanded and released INA soldiers.
The Odisha Government too had formed a Special Intelligence Wing and kept the INA veterans under surveillance from 1948 to an unspecified period.
When the Orissa Military Police was formed in 1946, many INA veterans had applied, but all their applications were rejected. Despite their military track records, not a single INA Odia was taken in the new wing of the police. In March 1948, Gurkhas were inducted, but the INA Odias were ignored. In later years, even surrendered Chambal dacoits were inducted.
Many INA veterans were given small jobs at the Hirakud Dam site during its construction. They had expertise in jungle clearing, driving trucks and blasting with explosives.
This was done at the insistence of Biju Patnaik, who nurtured softness towards them. He had even attended a few of the meetings organised by the INA Association at Hinjlikatu.
However, subsequent Governments did little for them, even after they had been recognised by the Centre. The story of Laxmi Panda is one such. She was conferred the Rashtriya Swatantra Sainik Samman just three days before her death.
It is tragic that many Odia veterans had to eke out their livings doing menial works. Many of them were ashamed to tell of their involvement in the INA and died in penury. It was only after 1972 that the State Government gave them meagre pensions of Rs 200 per month, which was later increased substantially. Nearly two dozen of them had to make their living by opening pan shops.
Dhir has met and interviewed 170 INA veterans all over the country. He is of the opinion that all other States, especially Punjab, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal and West Bengal, gave the veterans their due after the 1970s.
Many were given land and good pensions, but the Odisha Government ignored their plight. Dhir has repeatedly written to the authorities that a proper survey should be conducted and details of all INA Odia veterans collected.
The last veteran Ehsan Quareshi died in 2018; and now, no other surviving INA soldier exists in Odisha.
The State Government should build up a suitable memorial for the INA soldiers and a proper research should be conducted into their contributions and sacrifices for India’s freedom movement.