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| Home » Independence of India » The Partition of India |
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The Partition of India |
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The partition of India led to the formation of two countries – Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. At the stroke of midnight on 15th August in 1947 two separate countries run by two legal Governments can into existence. The two countries were formed on the basis of religion. The ceremonies related to the transfer of power were held a day earlier at Karachi. The transfer of power held at two places. The then British Viceroy, Louis Mounbatten transferred the power to the two separate Governments. The ceremonies were held at Karachi and in Delhi.
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It is a very debatable topic whether the partition of India was done too fast or is it at all wise to go for the partition. The boundary issues are still existing between the two countries and they are continuously fighting against one another. This issue was not resolved by the British Government.
According to Shirin Keen the seeds of partition of India were in the minds of the British for many years. After ruling India for more than three hundred years, they feared that people will revolt against their rule. So they followed the divide and rule policy. They tried to create a distinction between the people of India based on religion.
In the year 1906, the Muslims formed the All India Muslim League in Dhaka. The Muslims became suspicious of the Hindu and did not join the Indian national congress. Most of the members of the Indian National Congress were Hindu. This showed that a distinction was already created between the two communities. Allama Iqbal who was a writer and philosopher said in his presidential address to the Muslim League Convention that a separate nation is essential for the Muslims. He felt that India is basically a Hindu dominated country. By 1930 Mohammad Ali Jinnah also started to feel the need of establishing a separate Muslim nation. According to Jinnah, who was a member of Congress felt that the party is not sensitive towards the interest of the Muslim community. At a conference of All India Muslim League, held in the year 1940 at Lahore, Jinnah made a clear statement regarding the demand for a separate country. Many Congress leaders like Gandhiji was totally against the partition of India. They were opposed to the idea of partition because the division was based on religion.
The actual division between the two countries was done on the basis of a plan which is known as Mountbatten Plan or 3rd June Plan. The border between India and Pakistan is known as Radcliffe line. The Government of India Act 1935 was adopted to give a legal framework to the two new nations. The British Government on July18, 1947, passed The Indian Independence Act. It finalized the partition agreement.
With the formation of two different nations a huge population exchange happened. With the formation of the lines nearly 14.5 million people crossed the borders. According to the Census report of 1951 more than 14 Crore people crossed borders.
For further information on Independence of India refer to our website www.india-history.com.
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