PATNA, Aug. 13 -- Born in Japan, one of the oldest surviving freedom fighters of India, Bharati Asha Sahay - better known by her wartime name 'Lt Asha Sahay', a lieutenant of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose-led Indian National Army (INA) - who took up arms against the British for India's Independence, passed away at her son's residence in Patna's Sri Krishna Puri locality late on Tuesday evening. She was 97.

"My mother passed away peacefully in the presence of her family at 11.55pm on August 12, after a brief bout of recent illness. The cremation is at 4pm today," said younger son Sanjay Choudhry, 68, former chief of public relations at Tata Steel and Coca-Cola.

Ambassador of Japan to India, Keiichi Ono and...