Ringshi Keishing : INA Indian National Army Veteran
- A Profile -

Daniel Chabungbam *

Ringshi Keishing : INA Veteran

Ringshi Keishing is one of the last surviving veterans who fought in Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army (INA) against the British. A native of Bungpa Khunou under Phungyar Sub-division in Ukhrul district of Manipur Keishing Ringshi was born on 7th March, 1920. He has 3 brothers and 5 sisiters.

At the age of 94, Keishing Ringshi attended the Annual Reception of freedom fighters hosted by the President on the eve of India's Independence Day celebrations at the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi along with a Kuki war veteran Thangpu and a Meitei war veteran Joykumar hailing from Thangmeiband on August 9, 2013. This was his 7th presence at the annual reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and he even said that this may be his last trip to Delhi.

Recalling how he became a part of the INA, Ringshi said that he was captured by the Japanese near Myanmar border along with three other friends in 1943. He along with the others were taken to a village in Burma (now Myanmar) where the Japanese and INA established their head quarter.

On learning that Ringshi knows English and Hindi and also learn that he knew the border area well, an INA officer asked him to join them as a guide. But his other friends were released. Ringshi was not given any kind of training in joining the INA. He then worked as a guide for a few months. Later, he was given a tommy gun and this made a regular soldier in the Indian National Army. He was given the rank of Lieutenant in the Indian National Army.

Ringshi Keishing meeting with the then India's President Pratibha Devi at Imphal : 10th March 2011

Ringshi Keishing never met Subhas Chandra Bose but served under Lieutenant Colonel Shah Nawaz Khan who was a close comrade of Subhas Chandra Bose. Nawaz Shah was one of the three defendants in the first of the Indian National Army trials in 1946.

In the month of March in 1943/44, Ringshi was the only freedom fighter among the Nagas of Manipur.

During those days, the British army use to recruit people from Manipur as a volunteer force and were given a monthly salary of Rs. 35 to a soldier while a group commander was given Rs. 60 as their monthly salary, said Ringshi Keishing. This was told by one captain Khathing of volunteer force to Ringshi to joined the British. The volunteer force used to worked as a guide for Assam Rifles.

Lieutenant Harold of British Army and Prem Bahadur, Dal Bahadur of Gorkha Rifles used to recruit soldiers from Ukhrul area in those days and were arrested with Ringshi along the border by the Japanese troupe. Ringshi was arrested by Japanese and Indian National Army from Chowchu area in Myanmar while travelling in the Burma border areas. They took Ringshi to Kontong in Myanmar and met Japanese and INA officers and after working as a guide on the opportunity of his awareness of border areas and also after learning that Ringshi knew English and Hindi he was given the Lieutenant rank in the Indian National Army.

The Japanese force and INA asked anyone from the tangkhul community who worked for the British army and told him to write a letter as Leiutenant Ringshi and asked for help. Thereby, Ringshi wrote a letter to Khating and Saiza (father of Yangmaso Shaiza) and asked them to help the Japanese force.

Ringshi Keishing

As an armyman, Ringshi Keishing first fought in a battle at Schakok Camp in Ango Ching hill range. And his second experience of war was at Finch corner then at Kangkhui area and later on at Sangshak. By winning various battles, Ringshi recalled that the Japanese troupe will surely win the war. Indians who were held captive in Burma jail by the Japanese force for supporting the British Army were released and made to join the INA force in the battles against the British Army.

Showing a wound on his head incurred while trying to escape from the hands of the Japanese force and INA soldiers when they were arrested by at Chowchu, Ringshi Keishing said that at this age of 94, he finds difficulties to survive. He has recently undergone heart transplantation with a pacemaker. No assistance has been received from anyone for the transplantation. He wanted his children to cherish his small contribution to India's fight for independence but as of now none of his children is employed. Ringshi now has more than 50 grand children.

With the recognition to his contribution to the independence movement, Ringshi Keishing has joined Annual reception at New Delhi by the President's office seven times. He enjoys a monthly pension of Rs. 15,000 from the central government while the state government gave him Rs. 500/- per month as pension for freedom fighters. The pension which he gets from the state government is very less comparing to other states so, he wants increment in this regard.

In the year 2009, when India's President Pratibha Devi visited Manipur, Ringshi Keishing met her and urged for a gas agency as well as a petrol pump within the discretionary powers of the President, especially because there is a provision of 2% reservation for freedom fighter category. But despite the exchange of informations and letters between Ringshi, the President Office and Ministry of Petroleum & Natural gas nothing has come up so far.