Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

WW II spy Noor Inayat Khan becomes first South Asian woman to get blue plaque honour

BRITAIN's World War II spy Noor Inayat Khan on Friday (28) became the first South Asian woman to be honoured with a memorial blue plaque at her former family home in central London.

The blue plaque scheme, run by the English Heritage charity, honours notable people and organisations who were connected with particular buildings across London.


Khan's plaque has gone up at 4 Taviton Street in Bloomsbury, where she lived before she left for Nazi-occupied France in 1943 as an undercover radio operator for Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE).

Khan, the daughter of Indian Sufi saint Hazrat Inayat Khan and a descendant of the 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan, went on to be executed at Dachau concentration camp in 1944, having revealed nothing to her captors, "not even her real name".

"When Noor Inayat Khan left this house on her last mission, she would never have dreamed that one day she would become a symbol of bravery,” said Shrabani Basu, historian and author of Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan, who unveiled the plaque in a virtual ceremony.

"She was an unlikely spy. As a Sufi she believed in non-violence and religious harmony. Yet when her adopted country needed her, she unhesitatingly gave her life in the fight against fascism."

Basu added that the blue plaque -- which read "Noor Inayat Khan GC, 1914-1944, SOE Agent codename ‘Madeleine' stayed here" -- was a "fitting" tribute to Khan.

"As people walk by, Noor's story will continue to inspire future generations," she said. "In today's world, her vision of unity and freedom is more important than ever."

The author, who was also founder-chair of the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust (NIKMT), had earlier installed a sculpture of the undercover agent in Gordon Square in 2012.

The SOE was an independent British Secret Service set up by Britain's war-time prime minister Winston Churchill in 1940, and Khan became its first female radio operator sent into Nazi-occupied France.

She was posthumously awarded the George Cross (GC) for her bravery in 1949.

Anna Eavis, curatorial director at English Heritage, said: "We're so pleased to be able to continue unveiling our 2020 blue plaques with this virtual ceremony after a very quiet few months.

"I am particularly delighted to start with Noor Inayat Khan, whose courage was unfaltering even in the face of such extreme danger."

Notably, Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar were among some of the other Indian historical figures to be honoured with similar blue plaques at buildings associated with their stay in London.

Khan joined the likes of Ada Lovelace, the pioneer of computing, and Rosalind Franklin, the scientist who helped discover DNA, to make up only 14 per cent of over 950 such blue plaques celebrating women across London.

English Heritage said that while the figure was still unacceptably low, its ongoing "Plaques for Women" campaign had seen a dramatic rise in the number of public nominations for women since it launched in 2016.

The organisation added that it planned to unveil plaques to honour Christine Granville, a remarkable secret agent of the Second World War, and Barbara Hepworth, one of the 20th century's greatest artists, later this year.

"Nominations are the lifeblood of the London blue plaques scheme and if we are to continue to see a significant increase in the number of blue plaques for women, we need more female suggestions," the charity said.

More For You

Afghanistan earthquake

Afghan volunteers and Taliban security personnel carry an earthquake victim evacuated by a military helicopter from the Nurgal district of Kunar province onn September 1, 2025.

Getty Images

Afghanistan earthquake kills more than 800, thousands injured

A MAJOR rescue operation was underway in Afghanistan on Monday after a powerful earthquake and several aftershocks destroyed homes in a remote mountainous region, killing more than 800 people, according to Taliban authorities.

The quake struck just before midnight and was felt as far as Kabul and in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ganpati festival

The Ganpati festival celebrates Ganesha as the god of new beginnings, and the god of wisdom and intelligence. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Hindu community centre in London damaged in fire after Ganapati Visarjan event

A HINDU community centre in east London caught fire on Saturday evening, causing major damage to the building. The London Fire Brigade brought the fire under control and confirmed that no injuries were reported.

The incident took place at the Shree Sorathia Prajapati Community Centre on Cleveland Road in Ilford, which had been decorated for a Ganapati Visarjan event attended by members of the Hindu community.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi ,Xi & Putin

Narendra Modi talks with Vladimir Putin and Xi jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin on September 1, 2025.

Getty Images

SCO declaration slams Pahalgam attack, calls for united action on terror

Highlights:

  • SCO condemns terror attack in Pahalgam and echoes India’s stance on “double standards”.
  • Leaders call for justice for perpetrators of attacks in Pahalgam and Balochistan.
  • Declaration criticises Israeli military strikes in Gaza causing civilian casualties.
  • SCO stresses UN’s central role in global counter-terrorism strategy.

THE SHANGHAI Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam and agreed with India’s position that “double standards” in tackling terrorism are not acceptable.

Keep ReadingShow less
Police arrest five after anti-asylum protesters target Heathrow hotel

Anti-migrant protesters demonstrate outside the Cladhan Hotel on August 30, 2025 in Falkirk, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Police arrest five after anti-asylum protesters target Heathrow hotel

BRITISH police said they arrested five people on Saturday (30) after masked men tried to force their way into a hotel used by asylum-seekers, a day after the government won a court ruling on the use of another hotel to house migrants.

Two groups of anti-asylum protesters marched to the Crowne Plaza Hotel near Heathrow Airport before some demonstrators tried to break in, London's Metropolitan Police force said.

Keep ReadingShow less
HSS (UK) celebrates five decades of shaping leaders through SSV

HSS (UK) celebrates five decades of shaping leaders through SSV

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (UK) has achieved a significant milestone, celebrating the 50th anniversary of its flagship leadership development programme - Sangh Shiksha Varg (SSV), with a record-breaking attendance of 605 participants supported by 139 volunteers, representing its highest attendance to date and demonstrating the enduring appeal of traditional value-based education and leadership training.

Participants travelled from 65 towns across all four home nations of the UK, whilst 167 working professionals willingly sacrificed their annual leave to serve as instructors and support teams to ensure smooth running of the camps and invest in the next generation's development.

Keep ReadingShow less