As India prepares to celebrate its 79th Independence Day on August 15, 2025, it's a good time to remember an important but often forgotten chapter in the freedom struggle - the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny of 1946. Also called the 1946 Naval Revolt, the Indian Navy Uprising or the Last War of Independence, it was one of the boldest challenges to British rule in the months just before India became free.
The uprising began in February 1946 when ratings, or the lowest-ranking sailors of the British Indian Navy, stationed at HMIS Talwar in Bombay (now Mumbai), staged a protest. They were angry about terrible living conditions, bad food and racial discrimination. Inspired by the Indian National Army, they demanded not just better treatment but also the release of all political prisoners, including soldiers of the Azad Hind Fauj.
What started as a strike at one shore establishment quickly escalated into a full-scale rebellion. Within two days, over 20,000 naval personnel joined in, seizing ships, hoisting the tricolour, the Muslim League's green flag and the red banner of the Communist Party in place of the White Ensign. The protest sent a powerful message, with people from different political and religious backgrounds coming together to fight colonial rule.
The revolt quickly spread beyond the docks. Civilians joined in, and some army and air force members showed support. In Bombay and Karachi, fierce clashes broke out as the British tried to take back ships and bases. Many Indian soldiers were reluctant to fire on their own people, showing how loyalties were changing.
Although the 1946 uprising was put down within days through a mix of force and talks, its impact was deep. The naval mutiny showed that the British could no longer be sure of keeping control over India. It proved that the loyalty of Indian soldiers and sailors, once the strength of the Raj, could no longer be trusted.
Yet, the political response was complex. Indian leaders, worried that revolt might disrupt talks for a peaceful handover of power, asked the sailors to stop the protest. Many promises made to them during the surrender were not kept. Over time, the uprising was mostly left out of official history.
Even after Independence, attempts were made to erase the mutiny from public memory. So much so that Bengali actor Utpal Dutt's play Kallol (Commotion), inspired by the event, faced resistance and even unofficial censorship.
Pramod Kapoor's 1946 Last War of Independence: Royal Indian Navy Mutiny has been instrumental in bringing this episode back into public discourse. Kapoor stumbled upon the story while researching for his book on Mahatma Gandhi. "After the draft of the Gandhi book was done, I re-read the Royal Indian Navy mutiny episodes and realised the magnitude of the event," he said, according to a report in The Hindu. This realisation led him to document the rebellion in depth.
