While individual islands were renamed in 2018, she advocates for changing the union territory's colonial name to 'Azad Hind' to align geography with the freedom struggle and serve as an inspiration for youth.

Former BRS MP and Telangana Jagruthi President K Kavitha has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting the renaming of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as Azad Hind to honour Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's legacy. The appeal coincides with Parakram Diwas, marking Bose's 129th birth anniversary observed nationwide.
Kavitha highlighted the Provisional Government of Azad Hind's declaration in 1943, which proclaimed the islands as India's first territory liberated from British rule, where Bose hoisted the national tricolour years before 1947. In her letter to the PMO, she noted that while individual islands like Ross, Neil, and Havelock were renamed in 2018, the union territory retains its colonial name, urging constitutional processes for the change.
Speaking to NDTV, Kavitha emphasised, "He named it Azad Hind and there he flew our national flag much before 1947. It is a national memory... So Azad Hind must be the name." She described the move as a tribute to the Azad Hind Fauj and an "eternal beacon" for India's youth, aligning geography with the freedom struggle.
Published: 23 Jan 2026, 04:09 pm IST
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