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Q7 (IAS/2021) History & Culture › National Movement (1857–1947) › Nationalist organisations Official Key

In the context of Colonial India, Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon are remembered as

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 4.

Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal, and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon were prominent officers of the Indian National Army (INA), also known as the Azad Hind Fauj. They became household names during the famous Red Fort Trials of 1945-46.

  • Why Option 4 is correct: After World War II, the British captured these three officers and charged them with treason and abetment to murder. Their trial at the Red Fort galvanized the Indian nationalist movement, leading to massive public demonstrations and a rare display of communal unity, as the three accused represented the Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh communities.
  • Why other options are incorrect: These individuals were not associated with the 1905 Swadeshi Movement (Option 1). The Interim Government (Option 2) was led by Nehru, and the Drafting Committee (Option 3) was chaired by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar; neither body included these INA officers.
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. In the context of Colonial India, Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon are remembered as [A] leaders of Swadesh…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 7.5/10
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This is a textbook 'Sitter' found in every standard Modern History resource (Spectrum, Bipin Chandra, TN Board). The INA trials are a pivotal 'Endgame' event of the freedom struggle. If you missed this, your static history revision is critically weak.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
In Colonial India, were Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon leaders of the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 1/5
"the three men had all been officers of the British-Indian Army... Captain Shah Nawaz Khan and Lieutenant Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon ... and Captain Prem Kumar Sahgal ... knowingly deserted the British-Indian Army to join the Indian National Army (INA), where they became senior battlefield commanders."
Why this source?
  • Identifies the three by name and states they deserted the British-Indian Army to join the Indian National Army (INA).
  • Specifies they became senior battlefield commanders in the INA—indicating their role was military (INA), not in the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement.
  • This passage provides a clear alternative identification that contradicts the claim.
Web source
Presence: 1/5
"* Shah Nawaz Khan, Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon and Prem Kumar Sahgal, defendants in the first INA trial."
Why this source?
  • Lists Shah Nawaz Khan, Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon and Prem Kumar Sahgal as defendants in the first INA trial.
  • Being defendants in INA trials further supports that their prominent public role was as INA officers, not as leaders of the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement.
Web source
Presence: 1/5
"for three second-tier commanders of the Indian National Army (INA)—Prem Kumar Sehgal, Shah Nawaz Khan and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon. A month earlier, the trio were present at Red Fort under a military trial for leaving the British"
Why this source?
  • Describes a public chant and refers to the three explicitly as "commanders of the Indian National Army (INA)".
  • Notes their appearance at the Red Fort military trial, reinforcing their identity as INA members rather than Swadeshi/Boycott leaders.

History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: Last Phase of Indian National Movement > INA Trial > p. 90
Strength: 5/5
“The Muslim League, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Hindu Maha Sabha, all those who had stayed clear of the Quit India campaign, joined the protests and raised funds for their defence. Although the trial court found Sehgal, Dhillon and Shah Nawaz Khan guilty of treason, the commander in chief remitted the sentences and set them free on January 6, 1946”
Why relevant

Identifies Sehgal, Dhillon and Shah Nawaz Khan as defendants in the INA trial (found guilty of treason) and freed in January 1946 — linking them to the 1940s INA episode rather than the early-20th-century Swadeshi period.

How to extend

A student could use the date (1946) to check the time-frame of the Swadeshi movement (1905–1911) and note the temporal mismatch.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 24: Post-War National Scenario > Election Campaign for Nationalistic Aims > p. 464
Strength: 5/5
“They compounded the folly by holding the first trial at the Red Fort in Delhi in November 1945 and putting on dock together a Hindu, Prem Kumar Sehgal, a Muslim, Shah Nawaz Khan, and a Sikh, Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon. Another issue was provided by the use of Indian Army units in a bid to restore French and Dutch colonial rule in Vietnam and Indonesia: this enhanced the anti-imperialist feeling among a section of urban population and the Army.”
Why relevant

Explicitly groups Prem Kumar Sehgal, Shah Nawaz Khan and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon together at the Red Fort trial in November 1945, reinforcing their association with the INA/post‑World War II anti‑imperial events.

How to extend

Compare this 1945 trial context with the Swadeshi movement leadership lists and dates to judge whether they were Swadeshi leaders.

History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 2: Rise of Extremism and Swadeshi Movement > Introduction > p. 16
Strength: 4/5
“The partition plan was first opposed by moderates but as the movement progressed, different techniques were improvised for the Swadeshi campaign. Swadeshi constructive programme included boycott of foreign goods and government-administered educational institutions. The Swadeshi movement (1905–1911) is the most important phase of the Indian National Movement in the pre-Gandhian era, as, during the course of the movement, the character of the Indian national movement changed significantly in terms of the stated objectives, methods and in its social base.”
Why relevant

Defines the Swadeshi movement as 1905–1911 and describes its objectives and methods (boycott of foreign goods, boycott of government schools, etc.), establishing the canonical period and agenda of the movement.

How to extend

Use the movement's defined period to see if the INA officers' activities in the 1940s could plausibly make them Swadeshi leaders.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 12: Era of Militant Nationalism (1905-1909) > The Swadeshi and Boycott Movement > p. 280
Strength: 4/5
“● The Swadeshi and Boycott Movement • * Began as a reaction to partition of Bengal which became known in 1903, was formally announced in July 1905 and came into force in October 1905. The motive behind partition was to weaken Bengal which was the nerve centre of Indian nationalist activity; the official reason given for the partition was that Bengal had become too big to administer—which was true to some extent.• * Moderate-led anti-partition movement (1903-05) was under Surendranath Banerjea, K.K. Mitra, Prithwishchandra Ray. Methods included public meetings, petitions, memoranda, propaganda through newspapers and pamphlets.• * The movement under Extremists (1905-08) was led by Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lajpat Rai, Aurobindo Ghosh.”
Why relevant

Lists leading figures of the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement under the extremists (Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lajpat Rai, Aurobindo Ghosh), providing an example roster of recognised Swadeshi leaders — none are the three named individuals.

How to extend

A student can compare named leaders in this canonical list with the three men in question to see lack of overlap.

History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 2: Rise of Extremism and Swadeshi Movement > 2.2 Anti-Partition Movement > p. 19
Strength: 3/5
“With the failure to stop the partition of Bengal and the pressure exerted by the radical leaders like Bipin Chandra Pal, Aswini Kumar Dutta, and Aurobindo Ghose, the moderate leaders were forced to rethink their strategy, and look for new techniques of protest. Boycott of British goods was one such method, which after much debate was accepted by the moderate leadership of the Indian National Congress. So, for the first time, the moderates went beyond their conventional political methods. However, the agenda of Swadeshi movement was still restricted to securing an annulment of the partition and the moderates were very much against utilizing the campaign to start a full-scale passive resistance. militant nationalists, on the other hand, were in favor of extending the movement to other provinces too and to launch a full-fledged mass struggle.”
Why relevant

Explains that boycott of British goods was adopted as a technique in response to the partition of Bengal and that moderates and militants led different phases — clarifying the social/political milieu and leadership types associated with Swadeshi.

How to extend

Combine this description of who led Swadeshi phases with the identities/times of the three accused to assess whether they fit those leadership roles.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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