Shah Nawaz Khan (general)
Shah Nawaz Khan (January 1914 – 9 December 1983) was an Indian politician who served as an officer in the
Indian National Army (INA) during
World War II. He was profoundly influenced by
Subhas Chandra Bose's speeches asking POWs to join the Indian National Army and to fight for a free India, Khan led the army into
North-Eastern India, seizing
Kohima and
Imphal which were held briefly by the INA under the authority of the Japanese. In December 1944, Shah Nawaz Khan was appointed Commander of the 1st Division at
Mandalay. After the war, he was
tried, convicted for treason, and sentenced to death in a public court-martial carried out by the
British Indian Army. The sentence was commuted by the
Commander-in-chief of the Indian Army following unrest and protests in India. After the trial, Khan declared that he would henceforth follow the path of non-violence espoused by
Mahatama Gandhi and joined the
Congress party. Having successfully contested the
first Lok Sabha in 1952 from
Meerut, Khan had an illustrious parliamentary career. He was elected four times to the
Lok Sabha from
Meerut constituency in
1951,
1957,
1962 and
1971. He lost in the
1967 and
1977 Lok Sabha election from Meerut.
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