Question

Elaborate the events of the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny.

Answer 1

Instructions:
We will start the answer by introducing the reasons that led to the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny followed by the participation of people in the mutiny.

Solution:
On 18th February 1946, ratings or guards of the Royal Indian Navy went on a hunger strike in Bombay harbour to protest against the bad food and behaviour of the British Officers.

The strike spread to the other naval bases on the Bombay shores. They put up the tri-colour, the crescent and the hammer and sickle flags jointly on the mast of the ship.

A Naval Central Strike committee was elected with M S Khan as the head. The demands were better food, equal pay and the release of INA and other political prisoners.

78 ships, 20 shore establishments and 20000 guards joined the mass protest. Students both Hindus and Muslims, hundred of them, came out on streets of Bombay to support them. The police and army were deployed. On 22nd February, 3 lakh mill workers fought violently for 2 days.

The mutiny was settled between M S Khan and Sardar Vallalbhai Patel of Congress when the parties realised the political and military risks of unrest of this nature on the eve of independence.