Freedom Fighter Laxmi Indira Panda - A Victim of Destiny

Truly said, recognition comes only after death. Former Captain of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National Army (INA), Laxmi Indira Panda struggled for six decades to get the status of a freedom fighter. She finally got it on death bed. When she received the status, she had already slipped into coma following a brain stroke. What an irony!

The 83-year-old Laxmi Indira Panda, who passed away in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, had joined Netaji's INA, but could not provide any jail record to get the freedom fighter status. Laxmi Indira Panda belonged to Jeypore in Orissa's Koraput district. Despite being a freedom fighter, she was overlooked by the authorities and did not receive any help from the government. She was even forced to work as a domestic help to earn a living.

In August 2008, Laxmi Indira Panda met President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi and narrated her story to her. President Pratibha Patil acted immediately to honour Panda by giving her the freedom fighter status and also sanctioned a pension. But it was too late. The President's office oversaw her treatment in AIIMS.

Laxmi Indira Panda's body was brought back to Bhubaneswar in a special plane arranged by the central government. Her body was received by Orissa Governor MC Bhandare. Captain Laxmi Indira Panda was cremated at the Satyanagar crematory in Bhubaneswar with full state honour. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who offered floral tributes to departed soul, announced that a statue of Laxmi Indira Panda will be installed in her hometown Jeypore.