Hyderabad, Jan. 23 -- Telangana Jagruthi founder K Kavitha on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands be renamed as 'Azad Hind' to honour freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

In her letter written on the occasion of Parakram Diwas today, Kavitha recalled that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose hoisted the national flag in Port Blair on December 30, 1943, and declared the islands as the first Indian territory liberated from British rule. She noted that Netaji had named the islands Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep under the Provisional Government of Azad Hind.

Kavitha said that while some islands have been renamed in recent years, the archipelago's collective identity continues to bear the...