Royal Indian Navy Mutiny & India's struggle for Independence

Contribution of Royal Indian Navy Mutiny, of Bombay, towards India's struggle for Independence

Here is an untold story of the role of the Indian Navy in the Indian Freedom Struggle!

The below article is courtesy: http://defence.pk/threads/royal-indian-navy-mutiny-which-gave-a-jolt-to-the-britishers.371051/

We have often heard that this mutiny did not get enough attention in our history books possibly because it was snubbed by all the political parties. Some call it as one of the most spectacular episodes of the intense revolt against the British Raj. It was the uprising of the sailors of the British Indian Navy, when hindus and muslims joined hands to fight for a common cause.

In one an extract from a letter written by P.V. Chuckraborty, former Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, on March 30 1976, reads thus: "When I was acting as Governor of West Bengal in 1956, Lord Clement Attlee, who as the British Prime Minister in post war years was responsible for India’s freedom, visited India and stayed in Raj Bhavan Calcutta for two days`85 I put it straight to him like this: ‘The Quit India Movement of Gandhi practically died out long before 1947 and there was nothing in the Indian situation at that time, which made it necessary for the British to leave India in a hurry. Why then did they do so?’ In reply Attlee cited several reasons, the most important of which were the INA activities of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, which weakened the very foundation of the British Empire in India, and the RIN Mutiny which made the British realise that the Indian armed forces could no longer be trusted to prop up the British. 

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Royal Indian Navy Mutiny was another landmark in India's struggle for independence was the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny of 1946. Before the outbreak of the World War II, the Royal Indian Navy was formed being separated from the British Navy. The English officers of the Navy always ill-treated the Indian junior officers. There was a wide difference in salary between the British and Indian officers. The condition of the Indian soldiers attached to the Navy was miserable. They wanted to express their discontent.

The chance came in February 1946. On the seashore of Bombay, some Indian naval personnel attached to the warship 'Tulare' were receiving training. The poor food supplied to them and the highhandedness of their officers led them to protest it and they expressed' it by displaying posters on the barrack walls containing the slogan 'Hindustan Sindbad', 'Englishmen leave India' etc.

The British officers suspected the Radio operator Data and imprisoned him. This led the navy personnel in the barracks to strike. Just by that time the I.N.A. Trial in the Red Fort had accused certain officers and soldiers. These naval personnel wanted to relieve immediately the officers and soldiers in the I.N.A.
                                                         
The mutiny soon spread to other barracks. M.S. Khan became the head of the National Central Strike Committee.The mutineers demanded better food, equal pay for English and Indian naval officers and soldiers, release of I.N.A. officers, soldiers and political prisoners etc.

The Hindus and Muslims ironed out the differences among them and joined hands to make the strike a success. The tricolor, crescent and hammer and sickle-flags were together raised on the mast heads of the rebel ship 'Talwar'. When they returned to their barracks, they found them surrendered by the British soldiers on 21 February, 1946, when the rebelling Indian heavy personnel wanted to break the cur den, fighting took place between them and the British soldiers.

At this juncture, the civilian population Of Bombay offered favourable response to the mutiny. They supplied food and other requirements to the Indian navy personnel. The Communist Party of India in Bombay gave a clarion call of general strike. Congress socialist leaders like Arena Assar Ali and Asyut Palwardhan supported it with utmost vigor.

However surprisingly, the Congress and the Muslim League did not support it. The leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Jinnah and several others persuaded the mutineers to surrender when they headed the guidance of these leaders. However, the mill workers fully supported the cause of R.I.N. mutiny and a street-fighting took place between them and the police. By the repeated appeal of Patel and Jinnah, the mutineers finally surrendered on 23 February 1946.

With their surrender, the R.I.N. mutiny came to an end. It failed largely due to the desire of the British Government and some Indian leaders who immediately wanted to quell it. The net result was this that the British Government now took precaution not to flare up mutiny against His Majesty's Government.

The wide support to this mutiny by the public in Bombay clearly showed that a sense of hatred had developed fully in the mind of Indians towards the British rule. When one thinks about the R.I.N. ratings, one remembers the words of the Naval Central Strike Committee - "Our strike has been a historic event in the life of our nation. For the first time the blood of men in the services and in the streets flowed together in a common cause."