Who was the founder of Indian National Army?
A) Mohan Singh
B) Subhash Chandra Bose
C) Lala Lajpat Rai
D) All above

Think of the officer from the British Indian Army who organised Indian POWs in Southeast Asia after the Fall of Singapore (1942). He later entered public life and served as a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) in independent India.

The Indian National Army (INA)—also known as the Azad Hind Fauj—was first raised in 1942 under Captain Mohan Singh. After Japan’s rapid advance in Southeast Asia during World War II (post the Pearl Harbor attack), thousands of Indian soldiers of the British Indian Army were captured as prisoners of war (POWs). With the support of Major Fujiwara Iwaichi and the Japanese F-Kikan network, these POWs were brought together in Singapore/Malaya to form the INA. Mohan Singh’s objective was clear: leverage the moment to build an Indian force abroad that could fight for India’s freedom.

The correct option is (A) Mohan Singh

Additional Information

• Tensions with Japanese authorities over control and deployment led to the disbandment of the first INA in late 1942.
• In 1943, Subhas Chandra Bose arrived in Southeast Asia, revived and reorganised the INA, and proclaimed the Provisional Government of Free India (Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind). Under Bose, the INA drew both ex-POWs and civilian volunteers from the Indian diaspora in Malaya (Malaysia) and Burma (Myanmar).
• The British, worried about defections from the British Indian Army, tightened censorship and ran a counter-propaganda drive (often referred to as the “Jiffs” campaign) to maintain sepoy loyalty.
• Mohan Singh (INA founder) later joined mainstream politics in independent India and served in the Rajya Sabha.

 The first INA (1942) was founded by Mohan Singh using POWs from the British Indian Army captured after the fall of Singapore. The second phase (from 1943) under Subhas Chandra Bose transformed it into a larger, better organised force aligned with the Provisional Government of Free India.