Partition Horrors Remembrance Day in India Date in the current year: August 14, 2024

The partition of India was one of the first major events of the post-World War II decolonization. Following a series of violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims in the British Raj, it was decided to divide British India into two independent dominions: the predominantly Hindu and Sikh Dominion of India and the predominantly Muslim Dominion of Pakistan.

The partition involved dividing the provinces of Punjab and Bengal almost in half along religious lines. The two boundary commissions responsible for the partition of Bengal and Punjab were overseen by Cyril Radcliffe, so the boundary between the Indian and Pakistani portions of Bengal and Punjab was named the Radcliffe Line after him.

The Muslim-majority districts were supposed to become a part of Pakistan, whereas the Non Muslim-majority districts were supposed to be given to India. However, in reality, things were not so simple. Some districts had only a slight Muslim/Non-Muslim majority. In some districts, the majority of the assets were controlled by the religious minority. So, to put it mildly, the partition plan wasn’t by any means perfect.

Pakistan gained independence August 14, 1947, India proclaimed its independence the following day, and the new boundaries between the two newly independent states were formally announced on August 17. Following the announcement, over 14 million people – divided roughly equally between India and Pakistan – found themselves in the “wrong” country.

Muslims who found themselves in India and Hindus and Sikhs who found themselves in Pakistan were expected to stay put and live as a minority in their new home countries. However, there was much violence due to partition, which resulted in Muslims fleeing from India to Pakistan and Hindus and Sikhs fleeing from Pakistan to India.

As a result, the partition of India led to massive population exchanges between India and Pakistan, creating a large-scale refugee crisis. Millions of people abandoned their homes and possessions to flee from violence, and hundreds of thousands of people died in the process. The violent partition of the British Raj led to a very complex and largely hostile relationship between India and Pakistan that hasn’t improved much since the partition.

Partition Horrors Remembrance Day was established by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021. According to Modi, the day serves to commemorate those who were displaced during the partition and lost their lives due to violence and hate, as well as to remind the people about the dangers of social divisions and the importance of social harmony.

Partition Horrors Remembrance Day occurs on the eve of India’s Independence Day. It is observed with memorial ceremonies and other solemn events to honor the memory of those who fell victim to the bloodshed of the Partition.