The Royal Indian Naval Uprising of 1946: Imperial Military Crisis and the Making of Postcolonial Defence Policy

The Royal Indian Naval Uprising of February 1946 constituted one of the most significant military crises of late colonial India. Rather than interpreting the revolt as an isolated disciplinary breakdown, this article argues that It was a turning point in the development of postcolonial defence strategy and a fundamental break in the imperial military order. The insurrection revealed the brittleness of British reliance on Indian armed forces at a pivotal point in imperial retreat. It was rooted in deeply ingrained racial hierarchy, exacerbated by wartime expansion, and changed by growing nationalist consciousness. Beginning at HMIS Talwar and spreading rapidly across Bombay Harbour and other ports, the revolt fused professional grievance with political articulation and drew unprecedented civilian solidarity. While suppressed through coercive measures and political mediation, the episode unsettled metropolitan confidence and sharpened nationalist awareness of the dangers of politicized armed forces. By situating the uprising within both imperial crisis and institutional reconstruction, this study demonstrates that the events of February 1946 not only destabilized colonial authority but also influenced post-independence reforms emphasizing Indianisation, professional discipline and firm civilian supremacy. Restoring the uprising to central analytical position challenges elite-centric narratives of decolonization and underscores the agency of subaltern servicemen in reshaping both imperial decline and sovereign state formation.