Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, who was part of Subhash Chandra Bose's 'Azad Hind Fouz' (Indian National Army), passed away this morning in Kanpur at the age of 97 years. Captain Lakshmi Sahgal, who served as the commander of INA's Rani Jhansi Regiment and minister of women's affairs in the Azad Hind government suffered a cardiact arrest on Thursday last. She was admitted to Kanpur Medical Centre and was in a critical condition since then. Her daughter and CPM leader Subhashini Ali said her mother has been kept on life support system since Friday and breathed her last this morning.

The 97-year-old revolutionary, Captain Lakshmi Sehgal was a doctor by profession. She was working as a medical practitioner and a social worker. She was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 1998. In 1942, during the surrender of Singapore by the British to the Japanese, Sahgal aided wounded prisoners of war, many of whom who were interested in forming an Indian liberation army. In 1971, Sahgal joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and represented the party in the Rajya Sabha. During the Bangladesh crisis, she organised relief camps and medical aid in Kolkata for refugees who streamed into India from Bangladesh.