12. The Indian Army and Internal Security: 1919–1946

This chapter seeks to illustrate how British and Indian troops were used in 'Aid of the Civil Power' and how British concerns about maintaining internal security paved the way for the abrupt ending of the Raj . The experience of the First World War had reinforced the possibility that the Indian Army would have to send expeditionary forces overseas to the Persian Gulf, East Africa and South East Asia. The chapter examines the approaches to, and impact of the Amritsar incident, and also attempts to analyze British internal security methods in the inter-war years, with some remarks about its limitations. The chapter also examines British security methods applied to the North-West Frontier, and suggests that all these strands came together during the efforts to suppress the Quit India campaign. Keywords:Amritsar; British internal security; civil power; First World War; Indian Army; inter-war years; Quit India campaign