Toofan Sena

Toofan Sena (typhoon army) was the armed wing of the Prati Sarkar, the parallel government established in the Satara district of present-day Maharashtra in 1943. The Sarkar was formed under the leadership of Krantisinha Nana Patil and held sway over nearly 600 villages with the support of Toofan Sena. The Prati Sarkar and its Toofan Sena are a remarkable part of the history of Indian national movement.   The Toofan Sena was led by Captain Ramachandra Sripati Lad, with G.D. Bapu Lad as its field marshal. The Sena dealt with the law-and-order work of the Prati Sarkar. They took strict actions against the pro-British factions and the outlaws in their territory. The Sena also handled the additional function of procuring funds and firearms for the Sarkar’s functioning, which they did by raiding the treasuries and police stations. One of the most notable of such missions pulled off by the Sena was their attack on the Pune-Miraj special goods train, transporting money to the imperial treasury, on 7th June 1943. The Sena members, armed with nothing but sickles and lathis, looted money from the running train and handed it over to the Sarkar. Throughout its course of existence, the Sena succeeded in terrorizing the Raj, and the latter was unable to regain its control over Satara until the dissolution of Toofan Sena.