Navy Revolt

Navy Revolt The economic impact of the war was manifest in rising prices, shortage of food- grains and closure of war time industries causing retrenchment and employment. This merged with the anti-British sentiments evident in the mass scale of the protests revolving around the INA trials. B.C. Dutt, a rating (the designation for the Indians employed in the various war-ships and elsewhere in the Royal Indian Navy) in the HMIS Talwar was arrested for scribbling ‘Quit India’ on the panel of the ship. This provoked a strike by the , ratings on the ship. The ratings resented the racist behaviour of the English commanders, the poor quality of the food and abuses that were the norm. Dutt’s arrest served as the trigger for the revolt on February , . The day after, the revolt over the Azad Hind Radio from Rangoon. Calling him the ‘Father of the Nation’, Bose appealed to Gandhi for his blessing in what he described as ‘India’s last war of independence.’ INA with Axis Powers in War A battalion of the INA commanded by Shah Nawaz accompanied the Japanese army, in its march on Imphal. This was in late and the Axis powers, including the Japanese forces, had fallen into bad times all over. The Imphal campaign did not succeed and the Japanese retreated before the final surrender to the British command in mid- . Shah Nawaz and his soldiers of the INA were taken prisoners and charged with treason. INA Trial The INA trials were held at the Red Fort in New Delhi. The Indian National Congress fielded its best lawyers in defence of the INA soldiers. Nehru, who had given up his legal practice as early as in responding to Gandhi’s call for non-cooperation, wore his black gown to appear in defence. Even though the INA did not achieve much militarily, the trials made a huge impact in inspiring the masses. Shah Nawaz Khan P.K. Sehgal G.S. Dhillon The colonial government’s arrogance once again set the stage for another mass mobilisation. The Indian National Congress, after the debacle at the Simla Conference (June