The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) mutiny started on 18th February 1946, with around 1100 naval ratings of HMIS Talwar going on a strike in Bombay to protest against the treatment meted out to them including racial discrimination, unpalatable food etc. The mutiny spread and found support throughout British India, from Karachi to Calcutta. These demands also echoed the wider national concerns including the release of INA (Indian National Army) personnel and other political prisoners, withdrawal of Indian troops from Indonesia etc. Soon people in the city joined in, which was marked by the virulent anti-British mood and resulted in the virtual paralysis of the two cities of Calcutta and Bombay. Towards the end, it was characterized by a display of solidarity by people in other parts of the country. As news reached other military establishments across India, immediate strikes began there as well.

Though the mutiny was suppressed, it is considered a landmark event in the ultimate demise of the British due to following factors:

• Widespread resentment against British rule: There was a massive outpouring of public support for the mutineers. The public transport network was brought to a halt and commercial establishments were shut down.
• Questionable loyalty of armed forces: Personnel from the other armed forces also came out in sympathetic support. In Bombay, men from the Royal Indian Air Force held strikes at work in Marine Drive, Andheri and Sion areas. Defiance of the British authority by the armed forces shook the most important pillar (armed forces) that sustained the British Empire in India.
• Naval paralysis: Since British power was hugely dependent on its naval power to maintain its offshore colonies, RIN mutiny paralyzed the navy.
• Unique show of unity: Notably, the revolting ships hoisted three flags tied together – those of the Congress, Muslim League, and the Red Flag of the Communist Party of India (CPI), signifying the unity and downplaying of communal issues among the mutineers.
• Broad scale participation: The revolt was not limited to some areas or sections of the population. The labour classes also went on strike in solidarity with the ratings. It even got the support of Communists and other Nationalists.
• Global recognition: The mutiny drew global attention towards India’s causes and issues. In the wake of the emerging cold war, both America and the Soviet Union noted this revolt. Conciliatory approach by the British: In the ensuing negotiations, the government accepted most of the demands of rebels in principle like improvement in the quality of food and living conditions of the ratings.

Many scholars have remarked that the Mutiny acted as a final nail in the coffin of the colonial government of India. The RIN Mutiny made the British government believe that it is no longer easy to rule India now, thus adding to the process of weakening of the British hold on India.