The Contribution of The Jubbulpore Mutiny to India’s Freedom: Did the INA also have a Role?

Major General VK Singh

Soon after the end of World War II, there were mutinies in the Royal Indian Navy, the Royal Indian Air Force and the Indian Army in February 1946. At the same time, trials of three prisoners of the Indian National Army were being held at the Red Fort in Delhi. After the mutinies, the British realised that they could no longer depend on the armed services, especially the Army, which was the only instrument of control over the sub-continent.

Most INA veterans claim that they played a major role in India’s independence from British rule. This is based on the assumption the mutinies were inspired by the INA. This hypothesis is flawed and is not supported by the available evidence. The contributions of the armed forces as well as the INA have been discussed in this book, based on official documents, books written by well-known historians as well as personal narratives of the persons involved. From the evidence on record it is clear that the Army Signals mutiny at Jubbulpore in 1946 played a crucial rule in the decision of the British to quit India and also to advance the date of departure from June 1948 to August 1947.

Major General VK Singh varied interests include adventure sports, military history and journalism. A regular contributor to magazines and journals, many of his short stories and poems were published in the Illustrated Weekly, Filmfare, Femina and Eve’s Weekly in the seventies and eighties. In later years, he took to professional writing and has authored seven books. His previous books are Through – Saga of the Corps of Signals (2001); Leadership in the Indian Army – Biographies of Twelve Soldiers, (2005); History of the Corps of Signals, Volume II, (2006); India’s External Intelligence – Secrets of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in 2007; Contribution of the Armed Forces to the Freedom Movement in India (2009); History of the Corps of Signals, Volume III (2014); and Signals in the 1962 War (2022). His eighth book, Protocol and Etiquette in India, is presently under print.

Contents

Abbreviations

1. Introduction
2. The Naval Mutiny—1946
3. The Air Force Mutiny—1946
4. Brief History of The Corps of Signals
5. The Army (Signals) Mutiny at Jubbulpore—1946
6. The Indian National Army—A Brief History
7. Subhas Bose &TheINA—Some Unanswered Questions
8. Nationalism in The Indian Army
9. Did The Army Signals Mutiny at Jubbulore Play A Part in India’s Independence?

Bibliography