A Tangkhul Naga man from India’s northeastern state, Manipur, who served in both the British and Japanese armies during World War II, has died in Ukhrul district due to age-related ailments, his family said.
He is survived by his wife, son, and five daughters. Yangmaso A. Shishak was 93 years old, Northeast Today reported.
According to his son Shaingam’s statement to PTI, Shishak started working as a runner for the British Indian Army at the age of 13 and continued doing so until the Japanese forces freed some of northeastern India.
He worked as a porter for the liberating forces after they were led by the Japanese Imperial Army and the Indian National Army (INA) under the command of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
Shaingam shared that once the war was done, a senior citizen in the village of Kangkhui gave his father possession of an INA flag that had been found nearby.
Shishak felt attached to the flag because it had been raised during the war on a nearby hillside.
However, an Assam Rifles officer stationed in Shangshak village last year borrowed the flag and despite repeated requests failed to return the flag.
Shishak sadly passed away earlier this week without seeing his beloved INA flag again.
The Assam Rifles built a memorial for the 350 troops who died in the Battle of Shangshak next to Shishak’s home in 2002.
A Japanese sword, helmets, and other objects from World War II are among the many artefacts kept in the memorial. In addition, the community still has some WWII-era bunkers, Shaingam said.
The village of Shangshak commemorates the momentous historical event with Shangshak Battle Day every year in March, complete with community cultural events.
