Indian Independence

Abadi Bano Begum (1852-1924), known affectionately as Bi Amma, was the mother of the Ali Brothers and one of the first Muslim women to enter Indian nationalist politics, mobilizing women for the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation movements while observing purdah.

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890–1988), known as Badshah Khan and the Frontier Gandhi, was a Pashtun independence leader and apostle of non-violence who founded the Khudai Khidmatgar movement. A close ally of Gandhi, he opposed Partition and received the Bharat Ratna in 1987.

Ali Musliyar (c. 1861-1922) was an Islamic religious leader in Malabar, imam of the Tirurangadi mosque from 1907 and the principal religious authority of the Malabar Rebellion of 1921-22. His role in the uprising remains contested in Indian historiography. He was executed in February 1922.

Aruna Asaf Ali (1909-1996), born Aruna Ganguly, hoisted the Indian flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan on 9 August 1942, marking the start of the Quit India Movement. She spent four years underground, became Delhi's first mayor in 1958, and was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1997.

Asaf Ali (1888-1953) was an Indian barrister and Congress leader who defended Bhagat Singh and the INA officers at the Red Fort trial. He served in the Interim Government of 1946, became independent India's first Ambassador to the United States in 1947, and was Governor of Odisha to 1952.

Ashfaqulla Khan (1900-1927) was an Indian Muslim revolutionary and poet who co-organized the 1925 Kakori train robbery with Ram Prasad Bismil to fund the anti-colonial Hindustan Republican Association, and was executed by the British for his role in it.

Brigadier Mohammad Usman (1912–1949) was a distinguished Indian Army officer who chose to serve India after the 1947 Partition. He commanded the 50th Parachute Brigade in the First Kashmir War and was killed at Tithwal in 1949. Awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, he is remembered as the Hero of Naushera.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1905–1977) was an Indian lawyer, freedom fighter, and statesman who served as the fifth President of India from 1974 until his death in office in 1977. A Congress member and cabinet minister, he is remembered partly for signing the 1975 proclamation of Emergency.

Hakim Ajmal Khan (1863-1927) was an Indian physician and nationalist who founded the Ayurvedic and Unani Tibbia College in Delhi, was the first Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, and presided over the Indian National Congress in 1921. A Unani practitioner from a family of court physicians.

Hasrat Mohani (1875-1951) was an Indian Muslim poet, journalist, and freedom fighter who coined the slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad' and was the first to demand complete independence for India, combining Urdu literary mastery with radical anti-colonial politics.

Major General Shah Nawaz Khan (1914-1983) joined the Indian National Army after his capture at Singapore in 1942 and led its forces into north-eastern India. Tried for treason at the Red Fort in 1945 and reprieved, he later served four terms as a Congress Member of Parliament.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (1888–1958) was a leading Islamic scholar and independence leader of the twentieth century. A theologian, journalist, and statesman, he served as president of the Indian National Congress and India's first Education Minister, shaping thought and modern India.

Mohammad Ali Jauhar (1878-1931) was an Indian Muslim leader, journalist, and orator who co-led the Khilafat Movement with his brother Shaukat Ali, forged a Hindu-Muslim alliance with Gandhi, and spent his final years advocating for Muslim political rights at the Round Table Conference in London.

Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari (1880-1936) was an Indian physician and nationalist who presided over both the All India Muslim League and the Indian National Congress. Trained in Edinburgh and London, he led the Indian Medical Mission to Turkey in 1912 and was Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia.

Shaukat Ali (1873-1938) was an Indian Muslim leader who co-led the Khilafat Movement with his brother Mohammad Ali Jauhar. Known as the organizational force behind the movement, he was instrumental in forging the Hindu-Muslim alliance with Gandhi and spent years imprisoned for his activism.

Husain Ahmad Madani (1879-1957) was an Indian scholar of hadith who taught in Medina, was interned by the British on Malta, and led Darul Uloom Deoband as Shaykh al-Hadith. His 1938 work Muttahida Qaumiyat aur Islam made him the foremost scholar opposing the demand for Pakistan.

Surayya Tyabji (1919-1978) was an Indian artist from Hyderabad who, with her husband Badruddin Tyabji, worked on the final design of the Indian national flag in July 1947, replacing the Congress charkha with the Ashoka Chakra. She also drew the graphic version of the National Emblem.

Syed Mahmud (1889-1971) was an Indian barrister and Congress leader from Bihar, a member of the Foundation Committee of Jamia Millia Islamia in 1920, General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, Education Minister of Bihar, and Union Minister of State for External Affairs.

Variyankunnath Kunjahammad Haji (c. 1875-1922) was the military leader of the Malabar Rebellion of 1921-22, establishing a short-lived parallel government in the Ernad and Valluvanad taluks. He was captured and executed in January 1922. His characterisation remains contested.