#OTD 76 years ago started a rebellion that shook the foundation of the British Indian administration and in many ways was the final tipping point for the independence movement. A look back at the #RoyalIndianNavyMutiny of 1946 (1/n) 
The 2nd world war had seen unprecedented expansion of the Royal Indian Navy (RIN). At the end of the war, the seamen returned home after serving in various parts of the world. The India they had returned to was on the boil (2/n)
The reverberations of the Quit India movement were still being felt. The INA trials had led to mass frenzy and support for the INA veterans. The administration was putting down any resistance brutally. But the brutality only added to the fire (3/n)
The Indians serving in the RIN were not immune to what was happening around them. Balai Chand (BC) Dutt, a seaman on-board HMIS Talwar poignantly remarked "The barrack walls were no longer high enough to contain the tide of nationalism" (4/n)
Adding to the difficulty for the Indian seamen was the atrocious behavior and blatant racism they were being subjected to. Lower pay, poor living conditions and inhuman behavior of British officers was part of their day to day life (5/n)
HMIS Talwar was berthed at Bombay docks and was the 2nd largest signals establishment across the entire British empire. In late months of 1945, some of the Indians decided to fight back but non-violently. Inspiration also came from an unexpected source (6/n)
Salil Syam, a fellow seaman known previously to BC Dutt, returned to join the Talwar's ranks. Syam had served in the SE Asian theater during WWII. He confided with Dutt that during his service, he'd come in contact with INA men (7/n)
Syam was now carrying communiques from some of them intended for Jawaharlal Nehru & Sarat Chandra Bose. He also had some INA literature and photographs with him. Syam's consignment further invigorated the rebelling minds (8/n)
1st Dec, 1945 was the Navy Day. BC Dutt & a few others who'd formed a secret group named "Azadi Hind" chose this day to mark their protest. They painted 'Quit India', 'Revolt Now' & 'Inquilab Zindabad' all over the ship (9/n)
BC Dutt was arrested and responded to his CO's abuses with the iconic line ‘…Save your breath, I am ready to face your firing squad.’ This was repeated on 2-Feb, 1946 when C-i-C Auchinlek visited the ship (10/n)
The anti British sentiment continued to grow and gradually spread to other ships & locations. On Feb 17th, 1946, the Indian seamen on-board Talwar reiterated their demand for decent food, similar to their European counterparts (11/n)
They were rebuffed and told "beggars cannot be choosers." On the morning of 18th February, more than 1500 seamen rose in revolt refusing to obey their orders (12/n)
Soon, they took over the ship and threw out their officers. Within a day, the revolt spread to 22 ships and 12 shore establishments in Bombay. And it was not to be limited to just Bombay (13/n)
Over the coming week, the revolt spread to 78 ships & shore establishments from Calcutta to Karachi involving more than 20,000 men. In many places, Royal Indian Air Force & local police also joined the cause (14/n)
Mediation by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel led to suspension of the mutiny on 25th February. The revolting seamen were arrested and court-martialed. 476 men were dismissed from the RIN (15/n)
Shortly, British PM Clement Atlee announced the Cabinet Mission to India to discuss handover of power. Post independence, the RIN Mutiny has remained an obscure and forgotten chapter in both India & Pakistan (16/n)
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