Neera Arya, born in 1902, became India’s first female spy in the Indian National Army. Her courageous acts, including sacrificing her personal life for the nation’s freedom, remain a testament to her unwavering patriotism.
Neera Arya, born in Khekra Nagar, Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh, into a prosperous Jain family. Her father, Seth Chhajjumal, was a wealthy businessman who ensured she received a good education in Kolkata. Even from a young age, Neera displayed a strong sense of patriotism and participated in various nationalist activities.
Her marriage to Shrikant Jai Ranjan Das, a British Army CID officer, proved to be turbulent. While he remained loyal to the British Raj, Neera grew closer to the Indian National Army (INA), founded by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Eventually, she joined the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, INA’s women’s wing, and became its first female spy.
As an undercover agent, Neera Arya gathered intelligence on British military movements. Her most dramatic act came when she discovered her husband’s plot to assassinate Netaji. Choosing loyalty to the nation over personal ties, she killed him to protect Bose — a move that led to her immediate arrest by British forces.
What followed was months of harrowing torture in prison. Determined to extract information, British officers subjected her to inhuman conditions. According to recorded testimonies, when she refused to speak even under severe duress, a British officer tore open her blouse and mutilated one of her breasts with heated iron rods. Still, she remained silent, protecting Netaji and her fellow INA members at all costs.
After independence, Neera was released from prison but was never celebrated widely. She settled in Hyderabad and lived in poverty, selling flowers near temples for survival. She refused government aid or pension, preferring to live with dignity. She passed away in 1998, largely forgotten by the nation she helped liberate.
Only recently has her story resurfaced, especially after the announcement of a biopic by filmmaker Roopa Iyer. Neera Arya’s life is a stirring reminder of the sacrifices made by countless unsung heroes — and heroines — in India’s struggle for freedom
