International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

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From Naval Revolt to National Policy: Decolonising the Legacy of the Royal Indian Naval Uprising of 1946

Author(s) Mr. Raghuveer Kumar
Country India
Abstract The Royal Indian Naval Uprising of 1946 constitutes one of the most decisive yet historically marginalised episodes in the closing phase of India’s freedom struggle. Conventional colonial accounts and dominant nationalist narratives have largely reduced the uprising to an act of indiscipline or premature militancy, thereby obscuring its broader political, cultural and structural significance. This paper seeks to decolonise the historical understanding of the uprising by examining its long-term legacy on India’s freedom struggle and the formulation of postcolonial defence policies. Situated within a decolonial and interdisciplinary framework, the study challenges Eurocentric and elite-centric historiography and foregrounds indigenous military agency operating within colonial institutional structures.

The paper argues that the Royal Indian Naval Uprising represented a critical rupture in the colonial monopoly over military loyalty and authority. The collective action of naval ratings, cutting across regional, religious and social divisions transformed the colonial navy into a site of indigenous resistance. This resistance not only destabilised British confidence in the reliability of Indian armed forces but also exerted pressure on colonial political calculations during the final negotiations of power transfer. By examining the uprising within the broader context of popular anti-colonial mobilisation, the paper demonstrates how military resistance complemented mass movements and reshaped the dynamics of the freedom struggle in its final phase.
A central concern of the study is the epistemic marginalisation of the uprising in post-independence historiography. The paper critically examines how colonial repression and nationalist political priorities contributed to the silencing of subaltern military voices and the transformation of cultural memory. Through a decolonial reading of archival records, contemporary accounts and nationalist responses, the study reclaims the naval ratings as historical actors rather than passive instruments of colonial power.
Beyond its immediate political impact, the Royal Indian Naval Uprising exercised a lasting influence on the defence policies of independent India. The uprising reinforced the imperative of indigenisation of the armed forces, informed emerging conceptions of civil–military relations and contributed to the development of a strategic consciousness grounded in national sovereignty rather than imperial allegiance. By linking naval resistance to postcolonial state formation, the paper demonstrates how indigenous military dissent functioned as a formative force in shaping independent India’s defence outlook.

By establishing the Royal Indian Naval Uprising as a transformative moment in both the freedom struggle and postcolonial policy formation, this paper contributes to ongoing efforts to decolonise historical methodologies and reclaim silenced narratives essential to understanding India’s transition from colonial rule to sovereign statehood.
Keywords Royal Indian Naval Uprising, 1946; Decolonisation; Freedom Struggle; Indigenous Military Resistance; Postcolonial Defence Policy; Epistemic Marginalisation; Civil–Military Relations; Cultural Memory
Field Sociology > Archaeology / History
Published In Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On 2026-05-02
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.76510
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