Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday, 23 July 2026, paid homage to Captain Lakshmi Sahgal, the celebrated freedom fighter and physician who commanded the women's regiment of the Azad Hind Fauj, on her death anniversary.

Context

Gadkari posted his tribute on X, writing 'आज़ाद हिंद फौज की कैप्टन, महान स्वतंत्रता सेनानी पद्म विभूषण क्रांतिकारी कैप्टन लक्ष्मी सहगल जी की पुण्यतिथि पर उन्हें विनम्र अभिवादन' — 'Humble salutations to Captain Lakshmi Sahgal, captain of the Azad Hind Fauj, great freedom fighter, Padma Vibhushan awardee and revolutionary, on her death anniversary.' The minister accompanied the post with a video and the hashtags #कैप्टन_लक्ष्मी_सहगल and #CaptainLakshmiSahgal.

Captain Lakshmi Sahgal was a physician-turned-freedom fighter who rose to prominence during World War II as a commanding officer of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, the all-women unit of the Indian National Army (INA) led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. She was awarded the Padma Vibhushan — India's second-highest civilian honour — in 1998.

Policy Backdrop

The Indian National Army, formed in 1942 during the height of British colonial rule, represented one of the most organised armed efforts to end British dominion over India. Captain Sahgal's role within it was groundbreaking: she not only led women into active military service but also continued her medical practice to serve wounded INA soldiers on the front.

Successive Indian governments have maintained formal recognition of INA personnel through national awards, commemorative postage stamps, and memorials. The legacy of the armed resistance movement, long regarded as complementary to the mainstream independence struggle, has been invoked across the political spectrum as a symbol of national sacrifice.

Stakeholders and Impact

Public tributes by senior ministers on the death anniversaries of independence-era figures are a well-established practice in Indian political culture, cutting across party lines. Such gestures reinforce the state's acknowledgement of diverse strands of the freedom movement — from the INA's armed resistance to the non-violent civil disobedience campaigns of the Indian National Congress.

For historians of the freedom struggle and the general public, moments like these serve as an occasion to revisit Captain Sahgal's dual legacy as a military commander and a lifelong humanitarian — she continued her medical practice in Kanpur well into her nineties, serving underprivileged communities.

What's Next

Annual observances of INA-related anniversaries — including Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birth anniversary on 23 January and the formation of the Azad Hind Government — are expected to see continued official recognition from the central and state governments. Proposals for new memorials or the inclusion of INA history in educational curricula remain a point of interest for policymakers and civil society groups engaged with India's independence narrative.