Royal Indian Navy mutiny

The Royal Indian Navy revolt (also called the Royal Indian Navy mutiny or Bombay mutiny) encompasses a total strike and subsequent revolt by Indian sailors of the Royal Indian Navy on board ships and shore establishments at Bombay harbour on 18 Feb 1946. From the initial flashpoint in Bombay, the revolt spread and found support throughout British India, from Karachi to Calcutta and came to ultimately came to involve over 20,000 sailors in 78 ships and shore establishments.

Fact file

Date :   18 - 25 Feb 1946.

Location : British India, Aden, Bahrain and Hong Kong.

The mutiny was suppressed by British troops and Royal Navy warships. Total casualties were 8 dead and 33 wounded. The Indian National Congress and the Muslim League condemned the mutiny while the Communist Party of India was the only party that supported the rebellion.

The RIN Revolt started as a strike by ratings (sailors) of the Royal Indian Navy on 18 Feb  in protest against general conditions. The immediate issues of the revolt were living conditions and food. By dusk on 19 Feb, a Naval Central Strike committee was elected. Leading Signalman Lieutenant MS Khan and Petty Officer Telegraphist Madan Singh were unanimously elected president and vice president respectively. The strike found some support among the Indian population though not their political leadership who saw the dangers of mutiny on the eve of Independence. 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 elements of the Royal Indian Air Force and local police forces.

Indian Naval personnel began calling themselves the "Indian National Navy" and offered left-handed salutes to British officers. At some places, NCOs in the British Indian Army ignored and defied orders from British superiors. In Madras and Poona, the British garrisons had to face some unrest within the ranks of the Indian Army.

Widespread rioting took place from Karachi to Calcutta. Notably, the revolting ships hoisted three flags tied together - those of the Congress, Muslim League and the Communist Party of India, 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), MS Khan and Vallabhai 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. Arrests were then made, followed by courts martial and dismissal of 476 sailors from the Royal Indian Navy. None of those dismissed were reinstated into either the Indian or Pakistani navies after independence.

Tailpiece.

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Wished Karthika many happy returns.