Scribd
Upload
19 views1 page

Royal Indian Navy Mutiny Overview

The Royal Indian Navy mutiny, which began on February 18, 1946, involved a strike and revolt by Indian sailors against the British Raj, spreading across British India and involving 20,000 sailors. The mutiny was fueled by poor conditions and food shortages, gaining support from the Indian population and leading to a one-day general strike in Bombay. Ultimately, the revolt was suppressed by the British, and despite initial support from the Communist Party, it faced condemnation from the Congress and Muslim League, resulting in widespread arrests and dismissals of the mutineers.

Uploaded by

Adwaid MP
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
19 views1 page

Royal Indian Navy Mutiny Overview

The Royal Indian Navy mutiny, which began on February 18, 1946, involved a strike and revolt by Indian sailors against the British Raj, spreading across British India and involving 20,000 sailors. The mutiny was fueled by poor conditions and food shortages, gaining support from the Indian population and leading to a one-day general strike in Bombay. Ultimately, the revolt was suppressed by the British, and despite initial support from the Communist Party, it faced condemnation from the Congress and Muslim League, resulting in widespread arrests and dismissals of the mutineers.

Uploaded by

Adwaid MP
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

1

Royal Indian Navy mutiny


The Royal Indian Navy mutiny (also called the Royal Indian Revolt or Bombay Mutiny)
encompasses a total strike and subsequent revolt by Indian sailors of the Royal Indian Navy on
board ship and shore establishments at Bombay harbour on 18 February 1946. From the initial
flashpoint in Bombay, the revolt spread and found support throughout British India, from Karachi
to Calcutta and ultimately came to involve 78 ships, 20 shore establishments and 20,000 sailors.
It was repressed by force by the British Royal Navy. Only the Communist Party supported the
strikers; the Congress and the Muslim League condemned it. Nationalist historians on the far left
have looked at the mutiny as a revolt against the British Raj and imperial rule.
The RIN Revolt started as a strike by ratings of the Royal Indian Navy on 18 February in protest
against general conditions. The immediate issues of the revolt were conditions and food. By dusk
on 19 February, a Naval Central Strike committee was elected. Leading Signalman M.S Khan and
Petty Officer Telegraphist Madan Singh were unanimously elected President and Vice-President
respectively. The strike found immense support among the Indian population, already gripped by
the stories of the Indian National Army. The actions of the mutineers were supported by
demonstrations which included a one-day general strike in Bombay. The strike spread to other
cities, and was joined by the Royal Indian Air Force and local police forces.
Naval officers and men began calling themselves the "Indian National Navy" and offered left-
handed salutes to British officers. At some places, officers in the British Indian Army ignored and
defied orders from British superiors. In Madras and Pune, the British garrisons had to face revolts
within the ranks of the Indian Army. Notably, the revolting ships hoisted three flags tied together
– those of the Congress, Muslim League, and the Red Flag of the Communist Party of India (CPI),
signifying the unity and downplaying of communal issues among the mutineers.
The revolt was called off following a meeting between the President of the Naval Central Strike
Committee (NCSC), M. S. Khan, and Vallab Bhai Patel of the Congress, who had been sent to
Bombay to settle the crisis. Patel issued a statement calling on the strikers to end their action,
which was later echoed by a statement issued in Calcutta by Mohammed Ali Jinnah on behalf of
the Muslim League. Under these considerable pressures, the strikers gave way. However, despite
assurances of the good services of the Congress and the Muslim League widespread arrests were
made. These were followed up by courts martial and large scale dismissals from the service. None
of those dismissed were reinstated into either the Indian or Pakistani navies after independence.

You might also like