British-Indian spy Noor Inayat Khan, Tipu Sultan's descendant, gets rare honour in France: Who was she?

This picture received from Shrabani Basu shows late former British secret agent Noor Inayat Khan playing a Veena (AFP)

Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of 18th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan, has become the first Indian-origin woman to be featured on a commemorative postage stamp issued by France.

The honour recognises her extraordinary role in the French Resistance, where she served as an undercover British agent during the Second World War, PTI reported.

France’s national postal service La Poste released the stamp as part of its “Figures of the Resistance” series, dedicated to men and women who fought against Nazi occupation.

Noor is one of a dozen resistance heroes selected for the special edition, unveiled this month to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Shrabani Basu, the London-based author of Noor’s biography, was quoted by PTI as saying that she is delighted at the honour, which comes at on the important 80th anniversary of the end of the war.

"Noor sacrificed her life in the fight against fascism. She grew up in Paris, joined the war effort in England, and it is wonderful to see her face on a postage stamp which will be posted by ordinary people in France,” she said.

Who was Noor Inayat Khan?

Born Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan in Moscow in 1914 to an Indian Sufi saint father and American mother, Noor moved to London at a young age before settling in Paris for her school years. Following the fall of France during the Second World War, the family escaped to England and Noor joined the WAAF.

She served as a British spy who went to the Nazi-occupied France as an undercover agent as part of Britain’s Special Operations Executive (SOE).

In 1943, she became the first female wireless operator sent by the SOE into occupied France, a role considered the most dangerous in espionage because radio transmissions were easily tracked by the Gestapo.

Operating under the codename “Madeleine,” Noor worked with the Prosper Resistance network in Paris. When the network was compromised, she refused evacuation and continued her wireless operations alone, making her the last functioning radio link between Paris and London for a critical period.

Her persistence allowed the Allies to receive intelligence despite intense German surveillance and a series of arrests across the network.

Noor was eventually betrayed, captured by the Gestapo (Secret State Police in Nazi Germany), and subjected to months of interrogation and torture.

Despite repeated beatings, she refused to reveal any information, identities or codes. She was transferred through several prisons, labelled “highly dangerous,” and eventually executed at the Dachau concentration camp in September 1944. Her reported last word was “Liberté” (Freedom).

Posthumously, Noor Inayat Khan received some of the highest honours for wartime bravery, including the George Cross in the United Kingdom and the Croix de Guerre in France.

(With inputs from agencies)