We the people of India are grateful to our freedom fighters, who gave their life to free us from 150 years gulami of British raj. Prominent among them are mostly from Indian National Congress under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi. Before Gandhi during 1905-1919 early nationalist like Lal Bal Pal failed to attain their objective.They all were together known Assertive Nationalist.They rejected the former notions of the moderates of prayers,petitions and pleas.Instead they began adoptive aggressive measures like Swadeshi and Boycott ,for gaining freedom from the British rule in India.Gandhi's philosophy was non violence and Tilak tried to convince Mohandas Gandhi to leave the idea of Total non violence (Ahimsa).Bal died in 1920,Pal retired from movement and Lala Lajpat Rai died in 1928 after serious injury by police(superintendent James Scott) ,while leading non-violent protest against Simon Commission.To take revenge of Lala Lajpat Rai's death one young nationalist Bhagat Singh who was inspired with non-violent communist philosophy of Lenin and Marx,with another nationalist associates Sukhdev,Rajguru and Chandrashekhar Azad murdered saunders.Trio hanged by British government for violent act in1931.All these nationalist radical freedom fighters fight with british raj in India.
One more revolutionary activist was Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who was studying in England and was associated with India House. India house was indian student residence in north London. A number of prominent Indian revolutionaries and nationalist were associated with India house during 1905-10.Madanlal Dhingra , a member of secrative society,Abhinav Bharat Manch, founded by Ganesh and Vinayak Savarkar brothers and inspired by V D Savarkar was also associated with India House in London. During this period ,Savarkar,Dhingra and other student radical activist were enraged by the partition of west Bengal(1905) by then Viceroy of India,Lord Curzon. On 1st july 1909 ,DHINGRA assassinated Lord Curzon ,who was close friend of his father . Within one and half month he was hanged to death on 17th August 1909.
His last words was "Thank you , my Lord.I don't care. I am proud to have the honour of laying down my life for the cause of my motherland."
Savarkar also was arrested in 1910 for his connections with the revolutionary group of India House. Following a failed attempt to escape was sentenced to two life terms of imprisonment totaling 50 years and was moved to cellular jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Island. Unlike Unlike Madanlal Dhingra and many other radical revolutionist who opted to be hanged ,Savarkar wrote several mercy petitions from jail and finally after on condition that he will not take any active part in radical activity against British government he was released on 6th January 1924.Savarkar did not take part in any freedom movement thereafter.
While this era of radical nationalist was ending ,in 1927 ,one 30 year old general secretary of Indian National Congress was in Mandalay prison in Burma(Todays Myanmar) for civil disobedience,reading books on polical theory like Francesco Nitti's "Bolshevism","Fascism and Democracy" and Ivanoe Bonomi's "From Socialism to Fascism".These books on Fascism influenced him and rest is story of great leader of India.
One more revolutionary activist was Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who was studying in England and was associated with India House. India house was indian student residence in north London. A number of prominent Indian revolutionaries and nationalist were associated with India house during 1905-10.Madanlal Dhingra , a member of secrative society,Abhinav Bharat Manch, founded by Ganesh and Vinayak Savarkar brothers and inspired by V D Savarkar was also associated with India House in London. During this period ,Savarkar,Dhingra and other student radical activist were enraged by the partition of west Bengal(1905) by then Viceroy of India,Lord Curzon. On 1st july 1909 ,DHINGRA assassinated Lord Curzon ,who was close friend of his father . Within one and half month he was hanged to death on 17th August 1909.
His last words was "Thank you , my Lord.I don't care. I am proud to have the honour of laying down my life for the cause of my motherland."
Savarkar also was arrested in 1910 for his connections with the revolutionary group of India House. Following a failed attempt to escape was sentenced to two life terms of imprisonment totaling 50 years and was moved to cellular jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Island. Unlike Unlike Madanlal Dhingra and many other radical revolutionist who opted to be hanged ,Savarkar wrote several mercy petitions from jail and finally after on condition that he will not take any active part in radical activity against British government he was released on 6th January 1924.Savarkar did not take part in any freedom movement thereafter.
While this era of radical nationalist was ending ,in 1927 ,one 30 year old general secretary of Indian National Congress was in Mandalay prison in Burma(Todays Myanmar) for civil disobedience,reading books on polical theory like Francesco Nitti's "Bolshevism","Fascism and Democracy" and Ivanoe Bonomi's "From Socialism to Fascism".These books on Fascism influenced him and rest is story of great leader of India.
His name is SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE
Born on 23rd January 1897(at 12.10pm) in Cuttak,Orissa,Bengal Province to Prabhavati Devi and Janakinath Bose,an Advocate.He was the ninth in a family of 14 children.After passing BA at Scottish Church college in University of Calcutta he went to England to appear for Indian Civil Service(ICS) in which he ranked 4th and selected but did not work in service for British government in India.
His words 'Only on the soil of sacrifice and suffering can we raise our national edifice'
At age 24 in 1921 he joined Indian National Congress.In 1923 he was elected the President of All India Youth Congress and Secretary of Bengal State Congress.He was editor of newspaper "Forward",founded by his mentor Chittaranjan Das.In 1924 at age 27 When C R Das was mayor, Bose worked as CEO of Calcutta Municipal Corporation,which effectively put him incharge of second largest city in British empire.In late 1924 at age of 27 he was detained in Mandalay prison for 3 years by British authorities for close ties with nationalist terrorist without trial.Where he read books on bolshevism,fascism,socialism. The effect of this was visible in 1928 Annual meeting of Indian National Congress organised by Bose which Mahatma Gandhi disliked and termed it as Bertram mills circus. |
| December 1928 annual meeting of Indian National Congress |
A little later, Bose was again arrested and jailed for civil disobedience; this time he emerged to become Mayor of Calcutta in 1930.
Marriage with EMILIE SCHENKL
Marriage with EMILIE SCHENKL
During the mid-1930s Bose travelled in Europe, visiting Indian students and European politicians, including Benito Mussolini. He observed party organization and saw communism and fascism in action. In this period, he also researched and wrote the first part of his book "The Indian Struggle", which covered the country's independence movement in the years 1920–1934. During this period Bose met a Austrian girl Emilie Schenkl. She was introduced to Bose through a mutual friend, Dr. Mathur, an Indian physician living in Vienna. Since Schenkl could take shorthand and her English and typing skills were good, she was hired by Bose, who was writing his book. They soon fell in love and were married in a secret Hindu ceremony in 1937 ,but without Hindu priest,witness,or civil record because as per german law german can not marry non german.
As Congress President
By 1938 Bose had become a leader of national stature and agreed to accept nomination as Congress President.He stood for Swaraj including the force against British
By 1930's there were three factions within the Congress
The Congress Right wing
Gandhians and
Congress Socialist(left)
Bose was elected president of Congress in Tripuri Session of 1939 again over Gandhi's preferred candidate Pattabhi Sitaramayya.The entire Congress (Left) came together to award Bose a stunning win of 1575 to 1376 votes which shocked both Nehru and Gandhi.It's also worth remembering that in the 1938,every single Congress delegate from the South India voted Bose.
Bose was vehemently against both Hindu Maahasabha and Muslim League.During the presidency of 1939,the first thing that Subhash Chandra Bose did was to ban the dual membership of Congress and Mahasabha/Muslim League.Some Congress members even lebelled him as Leftist Dictator.The right wing and Gandhians within the Congress wanted to collaborate with British and work a new form of government,laid out in the Government of India Act 1935,which promised substantial measure of democratic government at the provincial level(todays state level).The Congress left ,however wanted Swaraj and preferred to launch a mass agitation-a deamand that had become more urgent given the turmoil in Europe as WW II loomed.
At Tripuri(1939) as the Congress session got underway,G B Pant ,another key member of the Congress right wing ,moved a resolution asking Subhash Chandra Bose to appoint a working committee "in accordance with the wishes of Gandhiji". This was patently undemocratic and practically overturned Bose's valid election as president.Vallabhbhai Patel , who was personal rival of Bose justified this by saying
"The lion becomes a king by birth ,not by an election in the jungle"
Ram Manohar Lohia argued "Leftist in the Congress should not aspire to set up an alternate leadership to the present leadership of the Right"
Totally outmaneuvered by Gandhi ,Bose resigned from the presidentship of Congress. Rajendra Prasad ,another right winger and previous president(1934)of Congress ,was appointed as president after resignation of Bose.
Bose did not give up on his ideology and formed the Forward Bloc ,as an umbrella body for leftists of Congress.
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| Flag of All India Forward Bloc |
Hindu Mahasabha and Bose
'That was a long time ago' Bose wrote ,'when prominent leaders of the congress could be members of the communal organisation like Hindu Mahasabha and Muslim League.But in recent times,the circumstances have changed.These communal organisations have become more communal than before.As areaction to this,the Indian National Congress has put into its constitution under my presidency a cluase to the effect that no member of a communal organisation like Hindu Mahasabha and Muslim Leauge can be a member of an elective committee of Congress.'
Soon thereafter on 2nd july 1940 ,Bose was arrested and detained in Presidency Jail,Calcutta.Only Forward Bloc and Congress socialist party protested against the move.The members of Forward Bloc then unleashed their attack on Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha in 1940.Balraj Madhok ,a leader of Mahasabha at that time wrote how Forward Bloc men supporters,decided to intimidate the Mahasabha by use of force.Forward Bloc members would break-up all Mahasabha meetings and beat up all Mahasabha supporters.Dr Mookherjee didn't tolerate it and had a meeting announced,which was to be addressed by him against the men of Bose.As soon as he rose to speak,a stone hit him in his head,and he began to bleed profusely.
LEFT INDIA NOT TO COMEBACK AGAIN
Bose was highly motivated for all possible means for achieving goal of libration of mother India from the cruel clutches of British colonialism.When second world war started ,he adopted that 'Enemy's enemy is your friend'.He looked at Nazi Germany solely from that perspective.Bose escaped to Germany with help of some German intelligence the Abwehr,via Afganistan and Soviet Union from his Elgin Road house in Calcutta 17th January 1941 about 1.25 am ,dressed as pathan to avoid being identified accompanied by his nephew Sisir Kumar Bose, in German made Wanderer W24 sedan car to Gomoh railway station in Bihar.When he reached Moscow he did not receive the expected Soviet support for his plans for a popular uprising in India ,and the German Ambassador in Moskow , Count Von der Schulenberg,soon arranged Bose to go to Berlin.
He arrived Germany in April 1941.Bose was not Indian president of Congress now and was received by low ranking official of foreign department of Germany.He was disappointed at this first encounter.His hotel accommodation was fairly luxurious with an easy telephonic link to high officials.But he had to wait for more than a year to meet Hitler personally.
He met higher officials of the Foreign Department on April 3,1941 and expressed his desire to form an Indian Government in Exile and expect its immediate recognition from Axis powers.He wanted to form Army with the Indian prisoners of war from North Africa.
Bose prepared and sent a draft declaration of India's independence to the German authorities on May 13,1941 ,and wanted it published to get support of Indian people to Germans.
The declaration envisioned that the people of India would themselves decide on future constitution of India after she was liberated,and German would accept this absolute right.Germany would take full responsibility to librate India,and after liberation would recognize that Government formed for independent India.
Bose was considered merely a refugee leader who is in exile in Berlin and not 'The Leader of the great Indian nation.He was more of an object of sympathy rather than of authority to dictate terms.He was best treated as guest.Bose probably failed to realize that the Germans have their own plans regarding India.
Bose was told that he could set up the 'Free India Center' in Berlin.Ten million Reichmarks were alloted as a 'loan' for the center , and a monthly allowance of 12000 Reichmarks was sanctioned for his personal expenses.In spite of this generous hospitality he was feeling suffocated.His movements were under surveillance ,his telephone was tapped,his letters were opened and censored.He seemed to be locked in an iron cage.
Bose went to Rome in May 1941 , and stayed there for six weeks with his wife Emilie Schenkl.He also met Italian foreign minister Galeazzo Ciano , and discussed with him the draft declaration.Ciano took Bose to the Duce Benito Mussolini on May 5,1941.Italy that time was only a puppet of Germany ,and too weak to take any independent decision on anything.
when Bose came to know that the invansion of Russia was being planned ,he met German Foreign Minister J Von Ribbentrop and told him that Indian public opinion was against German fascism ,and was sympathetic to the Soviet Union.On june 22,1941 Germany invaded Russia he wrote a letter to Ribbentrop and pointed out that the German invasion of Soviet Union would be viewed by Indians as the beginning of invasion of the east ,and therefore Germany would be regarded as enemy of India.He requested him to arrange meeting with Hitler ,but Ribbentrop made no commitment.He also pointed out the offensive comment made by Hitler in his book 'Mein Kampf' and demanded its immediate correction.Part of this particular comment read as follow
....Quite aside from the fact that I as a man of Germanic blood , would in spite of everything ,rather see India under English rule than any other.Bose was unable to persuade Hitler to amend this offensive comment.
At last after 13 months in Germany Bose could meet Hitler on 29 May 1942 at the Reich Chancellery.Bose firmly drew attention to the comments in Mein Kampf ,and advised Hitler to make a public declaration about his stand and intension about India.He noted otherwise enemies would use his comments in the book for anti-German propaganda.But Hitler was not interested in continuing on this topic.He stated that ....
It would take 1-2 years for Germany to spread its influence over India ,and for India herself it would take 100-200 years to put her house in order and for reconstruction to achieve to achieve indian unity.
Instead of amending stand on India ,he proudly reiterated his well known ugly racist chauvinism against India.In his talk with Bose ,Hitler gave sufficient indication about his expansionist intensions towards India.After that meeting Bose seemed to awaken from his illusion about Hitler but at that juncture there was no other alternative for Bose but to depend on the devil.
Within certain limitations he was allowed to pursue his organizational work of Free India Centre.One important activity of his in German was the formation of Indian legion(small army),recruited from Indian prisoners of war from North Africa.Only 3500 ,less than one third of Indian prisoners of war were recruited.
They took oath " I swear by God this holy oath that i will obey the leader of the German race and state ,Adolf Hitler ,as the commander of the German armed forces in the fight for India,whose leader is Subhash Chandra Bose".Hitler's title was Fuhrer ,means leader. And Indian legion also called Subhash Chandra Bose as leader and in hindi NETAJI.
Many have questioned Netaji's judgement here ,as it seems unlikely that the Germans could have been easily persuaded to leave after such an invasion of India ,which was Crown of British colonies.But Netaji was clever to realize that he was in the wrong company to achieve the right objective and also that the world and future history would portray him as an ally of fascist.He decided to leave Germany.
Japan entered war against Great Britain and US on 7th December 1941 by attacking on pearl harbour coupled with the advance of Japnese army towards the Indian frontier.Netaji decided to leave for the Far East but held up for one year by Germans because they wanted to use him for propaganda victory over Russia.He was allowed to leave only after Germans surrendered in battle of stalingrad to Soviet Russia on 2nd Feb 1943 and Hitler's secreat plan for India fell apart.
On 8th Feb 1943 ,Netaji turned his back on his legionnaires and shipped secretly away aboard a submarine bound for Japan.This left the men he had recruited leaderless and demoralised in Germany.He boarded a German submarine U-180 around Cape of Good Hope to the southeast of Madagascar ,where he was transfered to the I-29 for the rest of the journey to Imperial Japan. This was the only civilian transfer between two submarines of two different navies in world war II.
QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT IN INDIA
While one individual brave nationalist soldier was agonizing in Germany and Japan ,here in homeland, Indians were divided.
The Indian National Congress won a massive victory in the Indian provincial elections,1937 decimating the Muslim League and the Hindu Mahasabha.However ,in 1939 ,the Congress ministries resigned in protest against Viceroy Linlithgow's action of declaring India to be a belligerent in the Second World War without consulting the Indian people.In that situation instead of supporting the cause , the Hindu Mahasabha joined hands with rival Muslim league to form government.
on 14th July 1942 ,on willingness of Mahatma Gandhi the Congress working committee passed a resolution demanding complete independence from the British Government.This complete independence was first demanded by Lokmanya Tilak during First World War and later by Subhash chandra Bose before going to Germany.The Congress draft proposed massive civil disobedience if British did not accede to the demands of complete independence.Sardar Patel and Rajendra Prasad were with Mahatma Gandhi but Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Azad were apprehensive and critical of the call.C Rajgopalachari quit the Congress over this decision.
Other political parties like Muslim League ,Hindu Mahasabha opposed for complete independence call by Congress. Communist party also opposed ,to gain confidence of British for removal of ban on the party.
Jawaharlal Nehru was against supporting Axis power of Fascist German and Japan. Complete disobedience means indirectly supporting Axis power in the war.Mahatma Gandhi thought Japan will win and was of the opinion that
"Britain is incapable of defending India...Japan's quarrel is not with India.She is warring with the British Empire...If India were freed her first step would probably be to negotiate with Japan."Nehru disagreed.
"If we said to Japan that her fight was with British Imperialism and not us she would say,'We are glad the British army is withdrawn;we recognize your independence.But we want certain facilities now.We shall defend you against aggression.We want aerodromes,freedom to pass our troops through your country...."But as usual Nehru agreed to Mahatma Gandhi and complete disobedience started.Indian freedom fighters attacked 550 post offices,250 railway stations,damaged many airlines,destroyed 70 police stations,and burn or damaged 85 other government buildings.There were about 2500 instances of telegraph wires being cut.All the members of working committee were imprisoned and over 1,00,000 arrest were made.Congress leadership was cut off from the rest of the world for over three years.
Savarkar ,of Hindu Mahasabha told party members not to participate in freedom movement. RSS which anyway never in freedom movement since founding urged members not to participate in Quit India movement.The British government appreciated the RSS position by noting that
"The sangh has scrupulously kept itself within the law,and in particular,has refrained from taking part in the disturbances that broke out in August 1942."
Such a non-committal attitude during Indian freedom movement also led to the Sangh being viewed with distrust and anger,both by the general Indian public,as well as certain members of the organization itself because it was a movement of all the corner of India.
Quit India movement failed because of divided India.
Indian National Army(INA)and Imperial JAPAN
After attack on Pearl Harbor Imperial Japan conquered Hong Kong ,Philippines ,Thailand ,Singapore and Malaya on 7/8 December 1941.At the outbreak of world war II in South-East Asia ,Japan captured 70000 British Indian Army in Malaya and 45000 in Singapore.Major Iwaichi Fujiwara with help of captured officer of British-Indian Army Mohan Singh formed Indian National Army to fight against British colony in India under the arm unit of Indian Independence League (which was in action since 1920 in South East Asia).But the indian leaders feared that they would appear to be Japanese puppets ,so at Bidadary in Singapore Resolution was passed called as Bidadary resolution that the INA would go to battle only when the the Indian National Congress called it to do so.
When Bose was in Germany he sought to raise an army of Indian soldiers from prisoners of war captured by Germany,forming the Free India Legion and Azad Hind Radio.The Japanese ambassador ,Oshima Hiroshi ,kept Tokyo informed of these development.From the very start of the war ,the Japanese intelligence services noted from speaking to captured Indian soldiers that Bose was held extremely high regard as a nationalist and was considered by Indian soldiers to be the right person to leading a rebel army.
In a series of meetings between the INA leaders and Japanese in 1943 ,it was decided to cede the leadership of the Indian Independence League and Indian National Army to Subhash Chandra Bose.In January 1943 ,the Japanese invited Bose to lead the Indian Nationalist movement in East Asia.He accepted and left Germany on 8th Feb 1943.After a three-month journey by submarine he reached Tokyo on 11th May 1943.In Tokyo ,he met Hideki Tojo ,the Japanese prime minister ,and the Japanese high command.He then arrived to Singapore in July 1943 ,where he made a number of radio broadcast to Indians in Southeast Asia exhorting them to join the fight for India's independence.
Provisional Government of Free India-Azad Hind
In October 1943 ,Bose formally announced the establishment of the Provisional Government of Free India.In defining the task of this new establishment ,Bose declared "It will be the task of the Provisional Government to launch and conduct the struggle that will bring about the expulsion of the British and their allies from the soil of India." Azad Hind was officially recognised as a legitimate state by Germany ,Japan ,Italy ,Croatia ,Thailand ,Burma ,Philippines ,Singapore ,Ireland.
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| Greater East Asia Conference November 1943 |
Bose taking command of the demoralized and undermanned Indian National Army ,turned it into a professional army with the help of Japanese.He also recruited Indian civilians living in Japanese occupied territories of South-East Asia ,and vast number of Indian prisoners of war from British forces in SIngapore,Malaya and Hong Kong to man the brigades of Indian National Army.
He famously proclaimed "Give me blood! I will give you freedom"
तुम मुझे खून दो मैं तुम्हे आजादी दूंगा
and
जय हिन्द
Which after independence adopted by Government of India and Indian armed forces.
Local civilians joined INA,doubling its strength.They included barristers,traders,plantation workers,shopkeepers; many had no military experience. Membership peaked at 3,50,000. Army battalion named as Gandhi Brigade,Nehru Brigade,Subhash Brigade ,Azad Brigade and special operation group named as Bahadur group. Azad school for the civilian volunteers were set up to provide training to the recruits.Young wing of 45 young indians personally chosen by Bose known as Tokyo Boys was sent to Japan's Imperial Military academy for training as fighter pilots.A seperate all female unit named Jhansi ki Rani was also created under Dr Lakshmi Sahgal later known as Captain Lakshmi in India.
By the end of the Great East Conference ,Azad Hind had been given a limited form of government jurisdiction over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands ,which had been captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy.The islands themselves were renamed "Shaheed" ans "Swaraj".Bose placed the islands under the governorship of Lt.Col A.D Loganathan.Throughout the existence of Azad Hind ,Bose sought to distance himself from Japanese collaboration and become more self-sufficient,but found this difficult since the existence of Azad Hind as a government entity had only come about with the support of the Japanese,on whom the government and Indian National Army were entirely dependent.
INA faced British troops and make their mark in the Battle of Imphal.On 18th April 1944 the suicide squad led by Col.Shaukat Malik broke through the British defence and captured Moirang in Manipur.The INA took control of this indian territory.Following Moirang, the advancing INA breached the kohima road,posing a threat to the British positions in both Silchar and Kohima.Col.Gulzara Singh's troops had penetrated 400 km into India.The Azad Brigade advanced ,by outflanking the Anglo-American positions.
However ,INA's most serious limitations were the reliance on Japanese logistics and supplies and the total air-dominance of the British allies ,which along with flood by torrential rain,frustrated INA's bid to take Imphal.When it had clear that Bose's plan to advance to Delhi from the borders of Burma would never materialised due to the defeat of the INA at Imphal and the halt of Japanese army by British aerial and naval superiority in the region ,Japanese support for Azad Hind declined.
On 30th April 1945 Hitler sucide .The United States dropped nuclear weapon on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6th and 9th August 1945 respectively ,during final stage of war.
On 18th August 1945,Subhash Chandra Bose brave patriot died at age 48 due to third degree burns ,after his overloaded Japanese plane crashed in Japanese ruled Formosa which is now in Taiwan.
Death of Subhash Chandra Bose was not end but beginning of end of British Raj.
Between November and May 1946 ,approximately ten court-martial were held in public at the Red Fort in Delhi.Commander in chief of the British-Indian Army,hoped that by holding public trials in the Red Fort,public opinion would turn against the Indian National Army.But reverse happened because Indians rapidly came to view the 11000 soldiers of INA as patriot and not enemy.Specially when trial of three accused Prem Sahgal ,Gurubaksh Singh and Shah Nawaz Khan was going on indian public realised that the three accused were from three major religions of India; Hinduism,Sikhism and Islam.Indians felt the INA represented a true secular national army ,when judged against the British-Indian Army ,where caste and religious differences were preserved amongst ranks.The opening of the first trial saw violence and series of riots.As Secretary of war Department ,Philip Mason, wrote that "In a matter of weeks...in a wave of nationalist emotion ,the INA soldiers were acclaimed HEROES WHO FOUGHT FOR THE FREEDOM OF INDIA."
The Indian National Congress and Muslim League both made the release of the INA prisoners an important political issue during the campaign for independence in 1945-46.
In addition to civilians campaigns of non-cooperation and non-violent protest,protest spread to include OPEN REBELION WITHIN BRITISH-INDIAN ARMY as a sympathy towards prisoners of INA who they believe were true patriot and not enemy who fought against British and not for British.Support for the INA crossed communal barriers to the extend that first time Congress tricolor and green Muslim League flags were flown together at protest.
MUTINY/REVOLT OF ROYAL INDIAN NAVY
The INA trials,the stories of Subhash Chandra Bose,as well as the stories of INA's fight during siege of Imphal and in Burma were seeping into glaring public eye at the time. These received throughout the wireless sets and the media,fed discontent and ultimately inspired to strike ,and subsequent revolt by Indian sailors of Royal Indian Navy on board ship and shore establishment ,at Bombay harbour ,on 18th Feb 1946. Ratings left their post and went around Bombay in lorries,holding a flag of Subhash chandra Bose.Several Indian naval officers who opposed the strike and sided with British were thrown off the ship. Soon,the mutineers were joined by thousands of disgruntled ratings from Bombay,Karachi,Cochin and Vizag. Communication between the various mutinies was maintained through the wireless communication sets available in HMIS Talwar.Thus the entire revolt was coordinated. White Ensign was lowered and tricolor flag hoisted on ship and many establishments .They took possession of Butcher Island(where entire ammunition meant for Bombay Presidency was stocked). British men and women going in cars and victoria were made to get down and shout "JAI HIND". From the initial flashpoint in Bombay,the revolt spread and found support throughout British India ,from Karachi to calcutta ,and ultimately came to involve over 20000 sailors in 78 ships and 20 shore establishments. Communist party of India supported strike.The action of the mutineers was 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 INDIAN POLICE FORCES.Indian Navy 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 unrest within the ranks of the Indian Army.Widespread rioting take place from Karachi to Calcutta.Notably ,the revolting ships hoisted three flags tied together--those of the Congress, Muslim League and Red Flag of the communist Party of India,signifying the unity.
In January 1946 ,protest started at Royal Air Force bases in Karachi and spread rapidly to Singapore. This was followed by a full-scale mutiny by a British Army unit in Singapore.In British Malaya,men of the Parachute Regiment refused to obey orders from their officers. The agitations,mass strikes and consequently support for the mutineers ,continued several days even after the mutiny had been called off.
Along with this,the assessment may be made that it describe in crystal clear terms to the government that British Indian Armed forces could no longer be universally relied upon for support in crisis.11000 soldiers of Indian National Army were released and British decided to leave India after 150 years of Raj.
जय हिन्द!!!
Note-The contents of article is from various sources like Books,articles on Bose on net.
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