What was the name of the female Regiment constituted as a part of the Azad Hind Fauj by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose?
- (a)Rani Jhansi Regiment
- (b)Veerangana Regiment
- (c)Bharat Mata Regiment
- (d)Rani Bhabani Regiment
Correct — A, Rani Jhansi Regiment. In 1943 Subhas Chandra Bose raised an all-women combat unit of the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) at Singapore and named it the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, after Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, the heroine of the 1857 Revolt. It was commanded by Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan (later Lakshmi Sahgal) and recruited Indian-origin women volunteers from Malaya, Singapore and Burma — one of the earliest all-women infantry combat regiments in Asia.
- (b)Veerangana Regiment — Not a real INA unit — an invented, nationalist-sounding name ('brave woman') used only as a distractor.
- (c)Bharat Mata Regiment — No such regiment existed in the INA; a plausible patriotic-sounding label offered as a trap.
- (d)Rani Bhabani Regiment — Rani Bhabani was an 18th-century Bengali zamindar and philanthropist, unconnected with the INA; there was no regiment by this name.
The Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj), reorganised by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943 in Singapore, was unusual in raising the Rani of Jhansi Regiment — an all-female combat regiment, rare for its time. Named after Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi and led by Captain Lakshmi Sahgal, it drew volunteers from the Indian diaspora in South-East Asia and served alongside the INA on the Burma front.
All four options are deliberately 'Rani/nationalist'-flavoured names, so the test is precise recall. The regiment was named after Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi (1857) — the anchor fact. The other names are either meaningless invented labels or belong to an unrelated historical figure (Rani Bhabani of Bengal).
- Rani of Jhansi Regiment: the all-women combat unit of the INA, raised in 1943 at Singapore.
- Named after Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, heroine of the Revolt of 1857.
- Commanded by Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan (Lakshmi Sahgal).
- Part of Bose's Azad Hind Fauj, which fought alongside Japanese forces on the Burma front.
- Falling for invented, nationalist-sounding names (Veerangana / Bharat Mata Regiment)
- Confusing Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi with Rani Bhabani, an 18th-century Bengal zamindar
UPSC/UPPSC ask INA facts — the women's regiment's name, its commander, where the INA was reorganised, and the Red Fort trials of its officers.
In the context of Colonial India, Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon are remembered as
- (a) leaders of Swadeshi and Boycott Movement
- (b) members of the Interim Government in 1946
- (c) members of the Drafting Committee in the Constituent Assembly
- (d) officers of the Indian National Army
Answer(d) officers of the Indian National Army
Same subject — the INA/Azad Hind Fauj; identifies its officers (tried at the Red Fort), while this question asks about its women's regiment.
The Indian National Army (INA) came into existence in 1943 in
- (a) Japan
- (b) Burma
- (c) Singapore
- (d) Malaya
Answer(c) Singapore
Directly on the INA under Bose — where it was reorganised in 1943, the same setting in which the Rani of Jhansi Regiment was raised.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Who commanded the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the Indian National Army?
- (a)Aruna Asaf Ali
- (b)Captain Lakshmi Sahgal
- (c)Sarojini Naidu
- (d)Usha Mehta
Answer(b) Captain Lakshmi Sahgal (Lakshmi Swaminathan) — commander of the women's regiment.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Subhas Chandra Bose reorganised the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) in 1943 in which city?
- (a)Tokyo
- (b)Rangoon
- (c)Singapore
- (d)Kuala Lumpur
Answer(c) Singapore — where Bose took command and formed the Provisional Government of Free India.