Freedom fighter status likely for Netaji aide

HONOUR FOR COLONEL NIZAMUDDIN

THREE YEARS after initiating the process of conferring status of freedom fighter on Colonel Nizamuddin, who claims to be 116year-old and a former driver and bodyguard of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the Azamgarh administration has finally sent the recommendation to the state government seeking its approval. The administration, however, puts Nizamuddin’s age as “above 100 years”.

Additional District Magistrate Ashutosh Dwivedi said the process was started by the then district magistrate in 2013. “Since it has now been confirmed that Nizamuddin had served with the ‘Azad Hind Fauz’ (or Indian National Army) and was a close associate of Bose, we have requested the state government to include his name in the list of freedom fighters,” he said.

Nizamuddin hails from Dhakwa village in Mubarakpur area in Azamgarh. He lives there with his wife Ajbul Nisha and youngest son Sheikh Akram. His two other sons, Akhtar Ali and Anwar Ali, are employed in Saudi Arabia and Mumbai, respectively. His two daughters are married.

When contacted, Akram said they had been seeking the freedom fighter status for their father for the past several years, and had to again move an application with the administration in this regard around two months ago.

“I told the district magistrate that except for one document, which stated that my father was a member of Azad Hind Fauz, we do not have any other papers. An enquiry was conducted where statements of villagers were recorded. Now, I have learnt that the district administration has sent the request to the state government,” he said.

During a rally in Varanasi in 2014, Narendra Modi, then the BJP’S PM candidate, had met Nizamuddin and touched his feet.