INA Trials and Nationalist Upsurge

The Indian National Army (INA) trials, conducted at the Red Fort in Delhi between November 1945 and May 1946, triggered a massive anti-colonial sentiment across India. Following the surrender of Japan at the end of the Second World War, the British administration decided to court-martial captured INA soldiers for treason and waging war against the Crown. This decision backfired on the colonial authorities, transforming military prisoners into national heroes and uniting diverse political parties, religious communities, and the armed forces against British rule.

The First Red Fort Trial

Accused Officers and Symbolism

The British government chose to publicly try three senior INA officers together in the first trial at the Red Fort to demonstrate imperial authority. The selection of these officers unintentionally represented India’s multi-religious identity, making the issue a unifying national cause:

• Colonel Prem Kumar Sehgal: A Hindu officer.
• Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon: A Sikh officer.
• Major General Shah Nawaz Khan: A Muslim officer.

INA Defence Committee

The Indian National Congress organized a legal defence team to represent the officers during the proceedings. Prominent legal minds joined the INA Defence Committee, including:

• Bhulabhai Desai: Chief defense counsel who led the arguments in court.
• Jawaharlal Nehru: Re-donned his legal robes after twenty-five years.
• Tej Bahadur Sapru: Renowned liberal leader and jurist.
• Kailash Nath Katju and Asaf Ali: Key legal strategists.

Nature of the Mass Nationalist Upsurge

Cross-Party Political Unity

The demand for the release of INA prisoners bridged deep political divides. The Indian National Congress, the Muslim League, the Communist Party of India, the Akali Dal, and the Hindu Mahasabha supported the INA cause. Political campaigns, joint rallies, and mass demonstrations swept major cities like Calcutta, Bombay, Karachi, and Lahore.

Popular Agitations and Street Protests

Between November 1945 and February 1946, violent popular uprisings erupted, particularly in Calcutta. Students, industrial workers, and citizens clashed with police forces, demanding the immediate release of all INA officers. The campaign raised funds for INA relief, and shops, schools, and transportation networks routinely shut down in solidarity.

Mutinies in the Armed Forces

Royal Indian Navy (RIN) Revolt (February 1946)

The nationalist wave extended directly into the armed forces. On February 18, 1946, around 1,100 naval ratings on the signal training ship HMIS Talwar in Bombay went on strike. The revolt quickly spread to 66 ships and 20 shore establishments across Karachi, Calcutta, Cochin, and Vizag.

• Key Leaders: Leading Signalman M.S. Khan was elected President and Petty Officer Telegraphist Madan Singh was elected Vice-President of the Naval Central Strike Committee.
• Core Demands: Equal pay with British sailors, better food, release of INA prisoners, and withdrawal of Indian troops from Indonesia.
• Symbols: The ratings hoisted the tricolor, the crescent, and the hammer-and-sickle flags together on naval vessels.
• Outcome: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Muhammad Ali Jinnah persuaded the ratings to surrender on February 23, 1946.

Revolts in the Air Force and Army

Direct discontent surfaced within the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) camps at Ambala, Karachi, and Kanpur, where servicemen went on sympathetic strikes. Gurkha soldiers in Karachi disobeyed orders to fire upon striking naval ratings.

Outcome and Historic Impact

Remission of Sentences

Although the court-martial found Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Sehgal, and Gurbaksh Dhillon guilty of waging war, Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck exercised his special powers to commute their sentences of transportation for life. Public sentiment and visible unrest within the military forced the British to abandon further trials and release the prisoners.

Acceleration of Decolonization

The INA trials and military mutinies shattered the British reliance on the Indian armed forces to maintain colonial rule. Realizing that the coercive arm of the Raj could no longer be trusted, the British Cabinet announced the dispatch of the Cabinet Mission in March 1946 to negotiate the peaceful transfer of power.

Timeline of Key Events

Key Facts for Quick Revision

• The slogan “Lal Qile se aayi aawaz, Sahgal, Dhillon, Shah Nawaz” became the rallying cry of the mass movement during the trials.
• The court-martial was conducted under the provisions of the Indian Army Act, 1911.
• Chief Defense Counsel Bhulabhai Desai argued that the INA was an army of an independent, sovereign government (Azad Hind Government) and was governed by international war laws rather than municipal treason laws.
• HMIS Talwar was a shore establishment in Bombay that served as the nerve center for the 1946 Royal Indian Navy Revolt.
• Aruna Asaf Ali and the Communist Party of India were among the few political figures who openly supported the striking RIN ratings.
• Captain B.C. Dutt was arrested prior to the naval strike for writing “Quit India” on the walls of HMIS Talwar.
• The Royal Indian Navy strike involved over 20,000 ratings operating across 66 ships and multiple shore stations.
• Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck confirmed in confidential reports to London that the British Indian Army could no longer be relied upon to suppress domestic uprisings.