Partition Horrors Remembrance Day (14 August) and the Shadowed Side of Independence

In 1947, after a long freedom struggle, India broke the chains of centuries of subjugation. The nation began moving toward fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of its people. However, along with independence came the horror of partition. The Muslim League’s demand for a separate nation for Muslims displaced millions of people — a displacement that was anything but ordinary. Thousands upon thousands were massacred; horrific crimes were committed against women. During that time, humanity in the Indian subcontinent cried out in agony.

During the freedom movement, the nation had united against the British. No one could have imagined such a division back then. Yet, due to the cunning strategies of the British and the communal agenda of the Muslim League, partition created a great humanitarian crisis in modern times. The seeds of partition had been sown as early as 1905, with the religion-based division of Bengal. Many historians have viewed that act as the origin of India’s eventual partition.

Discussing those responsible for the partition, socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia, in his book Guilty Men of Partition, wrote that several senior Congress leaders — including Nehru — were hungry for power, which ultimately led to the division. Those who lost their lives or suffered inhuman atrocities during this tragedy — did they not contribute to the making of a free and modern democratic India? If they did, then they surely deserve due respect.

Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared 14 August as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. Announcing this, he said, “The pain of the partition of our nation can never be forgotten. Due to hatred and violence, millions of our brothers and sisters were displaced and even lost their lives. In memory of their struggle and sacrifice, 14 August will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. On the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence, this observance is a respectful tribute from every Indian to those who suffered. This day will inspire us to eliminate the poison of discrimination, hostility, and malice, and it will strengthen unity, social harmony, and human sensitivity.”

As the country celebrated 79 years of independence, paying respectful tribute to those citizens who lost their lives during the partition is indeed a commendable gesture. Through Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, the human tragedy of partition is being re-emphasized. However, outside India and among a small section within the country, this re-emphasis is considered unnecessary. This is the same group that has long tried to obscure the truth of the partition and the mistakes of those responsible for it.

Clearly, no one could have imagined the scale of the inhuman circumstances that unfolded during the partition. This becomes even clearer from the response given by Lord Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy of India, during a press conference on 4 June 1947, when he was asked about population transfers. Mountbatten said, “Personally, I do not foresee any difficulty. Some arrangements for transfer will come naturally… people will move themselves.” (The Tribune, 5 June 1947). Evidently, Mountbatten had no idea of the kind of conditions that would emerge; his statement was far removed from the tragic reality of the partition.

Millions of people were pushed into unimaginable conditions after partition — accounts of which still send shivers down one’s spine. People walked for miles on foot, enduring floods, scorching heat, and riots to reach their destinations. Many perished on the way due to violence, exhaustion, or lack of food. Literature written in Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, and English has portrayed this painful chapter with heart-wrenching detail.

The widespread violence and riots that took place in 1946 and 1947 across different parts of undivided India left a permanent question mark on humanity — one that remains unanswered to this day. The frenzy of violence during partition was not merely to take lives but to erase the cultural and physical presence of the other faith altogether. For centuries, people of different religions had coexisted peacefully in various parts of the country, but the poison of communalism slowly destroyed that spirit of coexistence and turned people against one another. The dangerous boundary principle set by Radcliffe created complexities and inequalities that can never be forgotten.

After partition, the Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India faced immense hardships, yet they overcame economic, linguistic, geographical, and social challenges through sheer hard work. They stood shoulder to shoulder with their fellow citizens in building a modern democracy. As the nation celebrates its 79th Independence Day, the descendants of those families who survived the inferno of partition are thriving as part of India’s diverse society.

In contrast, the atrocities faced by the minorities who remained in Pakistan and Bangladesh in the subsequent years are well known. Even today, the few remaining religious minorities in those countries continue to face inhuman treatment. Among the worst victims of the partition were women — subjected to rape, murder, and enslavement in numbers that defy comprehension.

Remembering those who became victims of this horrific chapter of human history during the Amrit Mahotsav of independence is indeed the truest tribute the nation and its people can offer. On the most recent 14 August, across India, countless memorial events were held under Partition Horrors Remembrance Day to pay heartfelt homage to those who perished in one of the most brutal human tragedies in the history of the Indian subcontinent.