page_title: Indian National Army in Singapore
section_title: Memory of the INA in Singapore History
hierarchical_section_title: Indian National Army in Singapore / Memory of the INA in Singapore History
caption_attribution_description: Former Indian National Army Monument
context_page_description: The Indian National Army was an Indian military wing in Southeast Asia, particularly active in Singapore, that was officially formed in April 1942 and disbanded in August 1945. It was formed with the help of the Japanese forces and was made up of roughly about 45 000 Indian POWs, who were captured after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. It was initially formed by Rash Behari Bose and headed till April 1942. Rash Behari Bose handed over INA to Subhas Chandra Bose, atlast the responsibility of leadership fell to Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943.
  Between 1942 and 1945, the INA was involved in various military operations fighting alongside the Japanese forces and against the British and Allied forces. They are notable for their contributions to the battle fought in Burma, Imphal and Kohima.
  Following the defeat of the Japanese, the INA was dissolved in August 1945. However, its effects continued to be felt in the Indian Independence Movement. Some scholars believe that the INA acted as a catalyst for the Indian Independence movement.
context_section_description: Many scholars have claimed the INA's story, is an integral part of the history of Indians in Singapore. In 1995, the Singapore government erected an Indian National Army Monument at the Esplanade Park to commemorate the 50th anniversary of World War II. It was one of the 11 monuments constructed as part of this initiative. However, there has been little focus on the INA in the post-independence historical narrative of Singapore. The INA is only very briefly mentioned as an anti-colonial force in much of Singapore's post-independence historical narrative. The Singapore government often chooses not to allow war commemorations to be along ethnic lines. These accounts often omit the information of the INA soldiers fighting for the Japanese forces, under whom the Chinese population had endured great hardship. One explanation is that In the early formation years of Singapore, the government “found themselves in a state without a nation”  and at that moment they took advantage of the common suffering that the people had endured during the Japanese occupation and attempted to turn it into one of the cornerstones of nation building in Singapore. As such, in order to play up the suffering as a common thread and collective memory, the Singapore government had left out the part of history where the Indians in Singapore had joined hands with the Japanese. Instead, they proceeded to highlight that people living in Singapore from all walks of life had suffered extensively at the hands of the Japanese. Consequently, that feeling of mutual suffering contributed to them being and feeling Singaporean. This exclusion about details of the INA from the historical narrative helped to create a sense of identity and unity in a rather fragmented society at that time.
caption: Indian National Army Monument at Esplanade Park
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