 Prem Kumar Sahgal, also known as Colonel Prem Seghal, was among the prominent officers of the Indian National Army under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose. He is considered as one of the foremost Indian freedom fighters who fought against the British Empire in India and significantly contributed to the Indian freedom struggle. Colonel Prem Seghal was born on 25th March 1917. He was a member of the Azad Hind Fauj or the Indian National Army (INA), an armed revolutionary force established by Indian nationalists in Southeast Asia in the year 1942. The objective of the Indian National Army was to attain national freedom from the British domination, with the support of the Japanese. Initially, Prem Kumar Sahgal was a Captain in the 2/10th Baluch Regiment of the Indian Army under the British Colonial rule. He participated in the war against Japanese forces in Malaya and served with distinction. But later he became a Prisoner of War in 1942.
Prem Kumar Sahgal in Indian National Army Eventually, Prem Kumar Sahgal became a member of the Indian National Army, led by renowned freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose to fight against the British occupation. The Indian National Army (INA), under the leadership of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, was proclaimed as the Provisional Government of Free India (Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind) in 1943. The Army fought against the British and Commonwealth forces, with assistance from Imperial Japanese Army, in the campaigns in Kohima, Imphal and Burma. It also fought against the victorious Burma Campaign of the Allies. Colonel Sahgal was appointed as the Commander of the 2nd Division led the 2nd Infantry regiment at Popa against Messervy's 17th Indian Division during the second half of the Burma Campaign before he surrendered. Later Colonel Prem Kumar Sahgal, along with 3 other fellow officers of the Indian National Army (INA), was tried for treason. This trial consequently became well known through out the country in the year 1946. Personal Life of Prem Kumar Sahgal In March 1947, Colonel Prem Kumar Sahgal was married with Lakshmi Sahgal in Lahore (now in Pakistan). The couple had a daughter named Subhashini Ali. She is a leader of the All India Democratic Women's Association, which is politically affiliated to the Communist Party of India, Marxist (CPI M). Prem Kumar Sahgal was an atheist through out his life. He died on 17th October 1992. (Last Updated on : 19-07-2012) |
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