Shah Nawaz Khan (general)
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Shah Nawaz Khan (24 January 1914 – 9 December 1983) was an Indian soldier who is remembered as an officer who served in the Second Indian National Army during World War II and later came to be one of the three defendants in the first of the INA trials in 1946.
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[edit] Early Life
He was born in village Matore, Kahuta, Rawalpindi District, British India, (now Pakistan), His father was the leader of a tribe and served in the Indian British army for 30 years His education was completed at the Prince of Wales, Royal Indian Military Academy college, Dehradun (RIMC) After that he joined the Indian Military Academy and was awarded the Following scholarships:-
- King Emperor’s cadet
- Six Pratab singh memorial prize for being the best cadet and for belonging to a family having the best military services cadet.
Khan initially volunteered to join the British Indian Army in 1940, in the opening stages of the war in Asia. He saw action in the Battle of Singapore on 13th Feb 1942 the British Forces were overrun by the Japanese and were taken as prisoners of war. Although initially reluctant to join the INA under Mohan Singh, Shah Nawaz Khan joined the second INA after the arrival of Subhash Chandra Bose in South-East Asia. He later led the INA forces that participated in the Japanese offensive at Imphal and Kohima, and subsequently rose to be the commander of the second division. Khan also saw action against allied forces in the latter's second Burma Campaign, and surrendered to British troops in Burma. In November 1946, Khan, along with G.B.S. Dhillon and P.K. Sehgal faced trial and was convicted for charges of treason at the Red Fort in Delhi, but intense public support and overwhelming nationalist sympathies forced General Auchinleck to discharge Khan and his co-defendants with forfeiture of pay.
In Independent India, Khan joined the Indian National Congress and came to be a minister for state in Nehru's First Cabinet. Hailing from the Janjua Rajput clan of Matore. His adopted daughter Lateef Fatima was Shah Rukh Khan's mother. [1]
[edit] Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Azad Hind Fauj
Lt. Colonel Shahnawaz Khan, son of Captain Sardar Tikka Khan of Matore, studied at the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College, Dehradun and was commissioned as an officer in the British Indian Army. He was captured during the Second World War by the Japanese and interned in Singapore. Subhash Chandra Bose arrived in Singapore and extolled the men (pows) to be prepared to face thirst, hunger and in the end death, to attain liberation of India from the British. He saw the war as an opportunity to drive out the British Rulers. Shah Nawaz was impressed by Netaji’s great patriotic speeches. (Tum Mujhe khoon do main tumhe azaadi dunga)Shah nawaz volunteered to join the INA in 1943, under the command of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He was included in the Cabinet of Arzi Hukumat-e- Azad Hind formed by Netaji. In September 1945 Netaji decided to select a regiment consisting of the cream of INA and send it to action to spearhead the advance into India. It was known as “Subhash Brigade” and Shah Nawaz was selected by Netaji to command it. The Brigade took part in fighting in the Arakan, Haka, Falam and in the vicinity of Kohima. In December 1944 Shah Nawaz was appointed as no. 1 Commander Division at Mandalay. The first tricolor was hoisted at Moirang in April1944 at the liberated land.
[edit] I.N.A. Trial
During these operations, Shah Nawaz led his army over three thousand miles. In 1945 he was captured by the British forces and brought to Red fort at Delhi for Courtmartial, the main charge being waging “War” against the king and murder. The prisoners would potentially face the death penalty, life imprisonment or a fine as punishment if found guilty. After the war, General Shah Nawaz Khan, Colonel Prem Sehgal and Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon were put to trial at the Red Fort in Delhi for "waging war against the King Emperor", i.e. the British sovereign. The was defended by Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Asaf Ali, Bhulabhai Desai, Kailash Nath Katju and others based on the defence that they should be treated as prisoners of war as they were not paid mercenaries but bona fide soldiers of a legal government, the Provisional Government of Free India, or the Arzi Hukumate Azad Hind, "however misinformed or otherwise they had been in their notion of patriotic duty towards their country" and as such they recognized the free Indian state as their sovereign and not the British sovereign.[2]First lok sabha in 1952 successfully contested the Lok sabha elections from Meerut and became the Parliamentary Secretary and Deputy Minister of Railway and Transport for 11 years
[edit] Political career
Shahnawaz Khan joined the Congress party after dissolution of the I.N.A. and was invited by Jawaharlal Nehru In First lok sabha in 1952 successfully contested the Lok sabha elections from Meerut and became the Parliamentary Secretary and Deputy Minister of Railway and Transport for 11 years(1952–1956) second term (1957–1964), minister of food & agriculture (1965), minister of labour & employment and rehabilitation (1966), minister of steel & mines and minister of petroleum & chemical (1971–1973), minister of petroleum & chemical and minister of agriculture & irrigation (1974–1975), minister of Agriculture & irrigation (1975–1977), chairman of National Seeds Corporation Ltd, concurrently was the Chairman, Food Corporation of India . He was elected four times to the Lok Sabha from Meerut constituency in 1951, 1957, 1962 and 1971. he lost 1967 and 1977 lok sabha election from meerut.During 1965 war, his son Mahmud was a Pak army officer and opposition demanded his ouster from government. But Shashtri as PM refused to accede and reminded his detractors of his selfless service to India as INA member.His political views were leftist supporting land reforms, public distribution.But his support for separate personel laws for religious communities on permanent basis led to his defeat in 1967 election to Jan sangh candidate.1969 congress split led him to side with Indira Gandhi. 1971 " Gareebi Hatao" campaign brought him again as MP from Meerut.1977 Janata wave led to his defeat and end of parliamentary career. He remained as head of Congress Sewa Dal till his death.His personel sacrifice,commitment to India (leaving of property , sons and daughters in Pakistan) as well as clean image as minister cause him to be rmemebred as a great patriot.
[edit] Congress Sewa Dal
In 1947 he was asked by Prime Minister Pandit Jawahralal Nehru to train the Congress Sewa Dal cadet’s to train, like I.N.A cadets. he was Dal Paati of Congress Sewa Dal from 1947-1951 and in last period of his life from 1977-1983 he was the Congress Sewa Dal Incharge.
[edit] Shahnawaz Committee
In 1956, the government constituted a committee to look into the circumstances around Subhash Chandra Bose's death. Major General, Shah Nawaz Khan, headed the committee, whose members included Suresh Chandra Bose. The Committee began its work in April 1956 and concluded four months later when two out of the three members ( excluding Sureshchandra Bose )of the Committee signed a paper that stated that Netaji indeed died in the aeroplane crash at Taihoku (Japanese for Taipei) in Formosa (now Taiwan), on August 18, 1945.
They stated that his ashes were kept in Japan's Renkoji Temple and should be reinstated to India.
[edit] Portrayal
In the 2005 movie Bose: The Forgotten Hero, Khan was portrayed by actor Sonu Sood.
