Neera Arya is said to be India’s first female spy. She became a soldier of Rani Jhansi Regiment in Azad Hind Fauj at a very young age.
‘Neera’- India’s first female spy, who saved Netaji Subhash: The story of India’s freedom struggle is often dominated by a handful of celebrated names. Yet, the courage and sacrifices of countless women remain largely overlooked in the pages of history. Neera Arya was not one of them. But India’s first female spy, a warrior who risked her life, luxury, family, marriage for the country’s freedom. She even killed her husband to protect Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Let’s know about the country’s first woman spy Neera Arya.
Born in an affluent family in Uttar Pradesh, Neera Arya had a safe and respectable life ahead of her. But she chose freedom over convenience. Neera Arya is said to be India’s first female spy. She became a soldier of Rani Jhansi Regiment in Azad Hind Fauj at a very young age. She was given the task of spying for the British. Her personal life also became a battlefield. The instruction was that if they were caught by the British, they should kill themselves by shooting without thinking.
She was married to a British Indian Army officer Srikanth Jayaranjan Das who was secretly working for the British. One day the British gave the responsibility of killing Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. One day he followed Neera and got to know about Subhash Chandra Bose. He was about to kill him when his wife Neera recognized him. Before she could make Netaji the victim of his bullet, Neera immediately thrushed the bayonet into the stomach of her husband and killed him. This is how Netaji survived. Netaji was stunned to see Neera’s bravery and sacrifice. Following the surrender of Azad Hind Fauj, Neera was sentenced life imprisonment at the Cellular Jail(Kala Pani) for murdering her husband.
The British officers tried to extract from them the secrets from her Neera Arya did not say a word despite the inhuman physical torture.
The country achieved its Independence in 1947. Neera Arya was released from jail but got no honour, no medal and no pension. She was forced to make a living by selling flowers on the streets of Hyderabad. She passed away quietly in 1998. Neera Arya did not ask for anything. He just gave, her life, her happiness and her future.
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