Azad Hind Fauj's last soldier Daniel Kale dies

A veteran soldier of the Azad Hind Fauj, Daniel Kale, died in Kolhapur after a prolonged illness.

Kale, 95, passed away on Friday at 8 AM at a healthcarecentre, where he was admitted for the last few days after hishealth deteriorated. Ashok Rokade, founder of a civilian rescue force 'WhiteArmy' was looking after Kale in his last days.

Kale's last rites were conducted at Kadamwadi cemeteryon Friday evening, said Rokade. Born in Panhala tehsil of Kolhapur district in September1920, Kale had joined Rasbihari Bose's Indian IndependenceLeague in 1942.

The league later joined Azad Hind Fauj, which posted Kaleon Indo-Burma border. "Kale was part of the Fauj's SecretService group that was gathering intelligence inputs and passing it on to the top leadership of Fauj," Rokade said.

He is said to be the last soldier of the Fauj, founded bySubhash Chandra Bose. After the defeat of the Fauj followed by Independence in1947, Kale subsequently returned to Kolhapur and settled there.

His health worsened in the last few years, mainly afterhis wife Shyamala passed away a decade ago, Rokade said. We were looking after him for last seven years. He couldrecall some incidents from the Azad Hind Fauj days and was apeace loving person, he said.