Neera Arya a Veteran solider served in the Indian National Army (INA). She served in the Indian Army’s “Rani of Jhansi Regiment.”
Neera Arya born 5th March 1902, was a daughter to, Seth Chhajumal a distinguished and eminent businessmen back in the British era. From a young age, Neera was extremely interested in the nation’s welfare and, following school, joined the Rani Jhansi Regiment in the Azad Hind Fauj as a soldier.
Her father soon got her married to an investigation officer of the British India, “Shrikant Jairanjan Das. Although being married both Neera and her husband Shrikant continued their allegiance to their different ideologies.
While Neera was hell bent on getting India free from the Rule of Britishers, her husband working for the british army was a loyal British servant.
When Shrikant got to know about Neera’s involvement in Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s Army, he began questioning her about it in an attempt to get to know the whereabouts of the leader.
Neera did not give in, but Shrikant persisted.
It was at this time when Neera’s husband Shrikant Jairanjan Das was ordered to spy on Netaji, he also was ordered to assassinate him.
When her husband had fired on Netaji, fortunately, Netaji escaped death and the bullet intended for him hit his driver.
Neera was also there when this all took place and as soon as she knew about all this she stabbed her husband to death, a shear act of patriotism where no one is above the nation for her.
For killing of her husband a trail took place which sentenced her to life imprisonment in the cellular jail of Andaman and Nicobar by the British government. But her patriotism for the nation did not end there.
The Suffering for Neera Arya and Her agonizing Pain had just began, one of the most heartwarming parts of her stories, she told the nation which was:
“After the trial, I was sent to Andaman for lifetime imprisonment, the condition there was worst beyond imagination as all the prisoners were stuffed into tiny cells
One day, while it was midnight two guards came to my cell and they had thrown two blankets on me. I felt bad about it. But there was some satisfaction of getting blankets in cold. I was still worried that I was tied with a hard iron chain around my neck, hand, and legs.
She said on the very next day of this a blacksmith came and looking at him she thought that the lord has finally answered her prayers.
He began cutting of the shackles from her hands while doing so he ripped some of her flesh of which she was least bothered, but when he started cutting off the shackles from my legs, he intentionally did hit her bones two to three times with a heavy hammer.
It was so painful that she sighed and grieved and also said to him, “are you blind that you already hit my legs 2-3 times?” It is giving her an immense lot of pain.
The Jailer who was watching this entire incident then finally came close to her and told her that, “If you tell us where is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, we will let you go”.
Neera very cunningly replied, he died in a plane crash and everybody knows this, to which the jailer replied, that she is lying because he is still alive and this all is just a hoax.
The jailer losing his patience said that I am asking you one last time, where is he?
The pain was too much and this questioning enraged her and she answered he is in my mind my heart.
The Jailer furiously said. “If Netaji is in her heart, then remove him from there.”
The jailer started touching her inappropriately and soon ripping apart all her clothes getting bare naked, he then indicated to the blacksmith about her breast.
The blacksmith without a second thought immediately took out a breast ripper and started pressing it on her right breast to cut it off.
While they were cutting it off, the pain crossed all its limits and it was unendurable.
Just as he was done with the ripping off the jailer held her by the neck and in an alarming tone told her “if she ever argued with anyone, he will willing take out another balloon from her Breast”.
After the Independence of India, Neera got out of the prison. The rest of her life she spent while selling flowers on the streets of Hyderabad.
The cottage she was staying in was also demolished by the Indian Government claiming that it was built on Government Land.
Finally, On 26 July 1998, Neera Arya the bravest of the unsung warrior took her last breath and left the world with a heartfelt message to every Indian stating that,
“Did she really deserve this in her last days in Independent India?”
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