Hyderabad, June 12 -- Freedom fighter and former Indian diplomat Abid Hasan Safrani's niece Dr Ismat Lateef Mehdi has written to the Indian Navy to to name one of its forthcoming submarines after him, and the Indian Navy has positively responded to it. Dr Mehdi suggested the name 'I.N.S Safrani' for a submarine.

In a letter dated June 3, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi wrote to Dr Mehdi stating the same, and that her suggestion has been forwarded to the concerned authorities for consideration, subject to established guidelines.

Abid Hasan Safrani during his youth was a close associate of freedom fighter and founder of the Indian National Army Subhash Chandra Bose, with whom he had undertaken a submarine journey as wel...