Partition of India in 1947

Partition of India in 1947: Overview

The political leaders of the Muslim League demanded an independent country for the Indian Muslims. They wanted to establish a Muslim administrative monopoly in this new nation that is to be addressed as Pakistan. The background of the partition is considered a crucial event in the independence campaign of India. In 1906, the princely province of Bengal was partitioned during the reign of Lord Curzon. This instigated the Muslim leaders in promoting the idea of a separate Muslim state more vigorously than ever as they feared the utter dominance of the Hindus if India becomes an independent country in the future. Many protest movements and communal riots continued in Bengal during that period but nothing could change the thought process of the contemporary Viceroy. The partition was done to inhibit the growing sense of nationalism among the Indians. However, the British tolerance towards the Muslim community was questioned in the 1916 conference of the Congress when their aggression was spotted against the Turkish Sultan. The Muslim leaders suspected the actual motive of the British Raj behind supporting the Muslim interests in India. The historic Lucknow Pact brought the All India National Congress and the Muslim League on the same page in 1916. As the Muslim leaders accepted terms of not opposing the Congress reforms, the leaders of the Congress party approved distinct Muslim electorates Both in Imperial Legislative Assembly as well as the state legislatures. 

The upcoming years that followed the Lucknow Pact witnessed the potential benefits of the Hindu – Muslim unity. The pact proved to be beneficial for both the Muslim majority and minority classes in the northwestern frontier and the eastern provinces of Bengal and Bihar respectively. The leaders of the two dominating political halves decided to set aside their conflicts and fight against the British East India company. This Lucknow Pact played a huge role in the background of the partition.

Montagu – Chelmsford Reforms

Edwin Montagu was appointed as the Indian Secretary of State in 1917 with Lord Chelmsford as the viceroy. His main task was to execute deep-rooted research works about the Indian religious communities and produce a report addressing the Viceroy. The report was finally delivered in 1918. Based on the facts and figures related to the voting eligibility finally, the Government of India Act was enacted by Viceroy Lord Chelmsford in 1919. It is also referred to as the Montagu – Chelmsford Reforms.

This law extended to all the legislative councils, be it that of the provinces or the Imperial Legislative bodies. Vital departments like foreign affairs, defensive administration, and criminal justice continued to be handled by the British Raj while the less impactful duties like the public health, revenue administration, primary education, and state government were handed over to the official majority classes of the concerned provinces. In no way does this justify the demands put forward by the Muslim League as the reform merely gave limited power to the communities who dominated the population at a particular place. This generated a sensation among the Muslims that by no means the British Government is going to put the effort into establishing the Muslim authority in undivided India. This further fuelled their demands for an independent nation.

Legacy of the Partition of India 

The partition of India witnessed many adverse consequences that left a long-lasting impact. The partition was planned very quickly which resulted in distortion within the established political equilibrium of India. It was enforced so brutally that thousands of natives lost their lives in the contemporary communal riots. People were forced to switch their nationality based on the geographic location of their ancestors which resulted in many minority classes ending up among the majority community that ushered inhuman violence over them. The people of the country received a huge setback and many criticized the political leaders’ negligence on this matter. Ultimately this also caused the killing of the Father of the Republic of India. This arbitrary division of the country introduced a great deal of tragedy among the Indians.

Conclusion

Lord Mountbatten finally put forward the regulations of partition on 3rd June 1947. He gave a choice to the minority legislative assemblies of Bengal and Punjab to vote in favor or against the partition. Based on their decision the country was divided into two dominions in the wake of independence. A boundary commission was appointed to mark the territorial limits.