A Flaming Sword Forever Unsheathed 9Second World War. Until he met Bose, in July 1943, he was by his own
admission “po lit i cally almost uneducated,” interested only in soldiering
and sport. The question that Bose posed for him was: Did he owe alle-
giance to “the King or the country”? “I decided to be loyal to my coun-
try,” he told the court, “and I gave my word of honor to my Netaji that
I would sac ri fice myself for her sake.”^17 If Bose had hypnotized the INA
in 1943, “the hypnotism of the INA,” Gandhi recorded in 1946, “has
cast its spell upon us.”^18
The trial of Sahgal, Shah Nawaz, and Dhillon began on November 5,
1945, and was adjourned for two weeks the following day. In the in-
terim, the nationalist press published Bose’s speeches and orders of
the day, as well as stirring accounts of the heroism of the men and
women of the INA. When the trial reconvened on November 21, vio-
lent protests erupted in Calcutta, Bombay, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Allaha-
bad, Banaras, Patna, and numerous other cities and towns. Between
November 21 and 24, British and American military and police per-
sonnel came under attack in Calcutta, Bose’s home city. One British
soldier was killed, and 188 were reported wounded; 49 British and
American vehicles were destroyed, and 97 damaged. At least 32 In-
dian protesters were killed when the police opened fire, and 150 to 200
were injured. Political leaders were stressing Hindu- Muslim unity, and
trucks packed with po lit i cal activists were fly ing the Congress tricolor
and the Muslim League’s green flag side by side.^19
Of even greater concern to the British authorities than widespread
civilian anger was the overwhelming opinion among their own Indian
of fi cers against the trial of the INA of fi cers. The Royal Indian Air Force
based in Calcutta condemned “the autocratic action” of the govern-
ment and lauded the men on trial as the “brightest jewels of India,”
whose “noble ideal” and course of action were “commendable and in-
spiring.” The Royal Indian Navy in Bombay and Karachi would rise up
in a major mutiny in late February 1946. During the winter of 1945–
1946, se nior Indian of fi cers attended Gandhi’s prayer meetings and
called on Sarat Chandra Bose, Subhas’s elder brother, at his home.
The trial concluded on the last day of 1945. The court sentenced
the three INA of fi cers to deportation for life, exactly the same verdict
as the one imposed on the last Mughal emperor in 1858. Its imple-