THE PARTITION OF INDIA LED TO THE PARTITION OF BENGAL (1947)

DIVIDING THE BRITISH INDIAN PROVINCE OF BENGAL INTO TWO. THE

WESTERN PART WITH PREDOMINANTLY HINDU POPULATION BECAME
A PART OF INDIA (WEST BENGAL), WHILE THE PREDOMINANTLY
MUSLIM EASTERN PART (EAST BENGAL) BECAME A PART OF PAKISTAN.
PRIOR TO THE PARTITION OF INDIA, MANY ROUNDS OF
DELIBERATIONS TOOK PLACE TO DECIDE THE FUTURE OF BENGAL,
BUT NO CONSENSUS AMONG THE MEMBERS OF THE BENGAL
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY BELONGING TO WEST AND EAST BENGAL
COULD BE REACHED. THUS, THE PARTITION OF BRITISH INDIAN
PROVINCE OF BENGAL WAS DONE ACCORDING TO THE ‘JUNE 3 PLAN,’
ALSO KNOWN AS THE ‘MOUNTBATTEN PLAN.’
 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 THE FIRST PARTITION OF BENGAL WAS PROPOSED IN THE YEAR 1905 BY THE
THEN VICEROY OF INDIA, LORD CURZON. THE SIZE OF THE STATE WAS
MENTIONED AS THE REASON OF PARTITION BUT THE REAL MOTIVE BEHIND THE
PARTITION WAS THE BRITISH POLICY OF DIVIDING HINDUS AND MUSLIMS (EAST
BENGAL HAD A MAJORITY OF MUSLIMS, WHILE WEST BENGAL HAD A MAJORITY
OF HINDU POPULATION). THOUGH THE MUSLIMS WERE GENERALLY HAPPY
ABOUT THE DECISION, THE HINDUS WERE OUTRAGED AS THEY RECOGNIZED THE
MOVE AS BRITAIN’S FAMOUS DIVIDE AND RULE POLICY. BUT LORD CURZON
ARGUED THAT THE SEPARATION OF THE STATE WAS MANDATORY AS IT WOULD
MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO ADMINISTRATE THE STATE MORE
EFFICIENTLY. HENCE VICEROY CURZON AND THE THEN CHIEF SECRETARY OF
BENGAL, CAYAN UDDIN AHMET WENT AHEAD AND COMPLETED THE PARTITION
ON OCTOBER 16, 1905.
 SINCE THE PARTITION HAD LEFT A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF HINDU
MINORITIES IN EAST BENGAL AND A SIMILAR NUMBER OF MUSLIMS IN WEST
BENGAL, CONFLICTING VIEWS REGARDING THE PARTITION AROSE, WHICH, IN
TURN, LED TO MANY PROTESTS AND AGITATIONS. HENCE THE TWO PROVINCES
WERE REUNITED IN 1911.
 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF THE BENGAL PARTITION WAS A MASSIVE PROCESS
OF RESETTLEMENT AS MILLIONS OF HINDUS AND MUSLIMS MIGRATED FROM EAST
TO WEST BENGAL AND VICE-VERSA. THE HINDUS, WHO MIGRATED FROM EAST
BENGAL, SETTLED DOWN IN WEST BENGAL, ASSAM, TRIPURA AND OTHER
NEIGHBORING STATES.
 WHEN A LARGE NUMBER OF BENGALI HINDUS RELOCATED FROM EAST BENGAL TO
TRIPURA, THE NORTHEAST INDIAN STATE’S DEMOGRAPHY CHANGED COMPLETELY
AS THE TRIBES OF TRIPURA BECAME A MINORITY IN THEIR HOMELAND. THIS LED
TO INSURGENCY IN TRIPURA, CAUSED BY ETHNIC TENSIONS BETWEEN THE
BENGALIS AND THE LOCAL TRIBAL PEOPLE. SINCE THE TRIBES WERE SUDDENLY
OUTNUMBERED BY THE BENGALIS, THE SITUATION THREATENED THEM SOCIALLY,
ECONOMICALLY, AND CULTURALLY, LEADING TO WIDESPREAD PROTESTS IN
TRIPURA AND OTHER PARTS OF NORTHEAST INDIA.
 THE ‘PARTITION OF BENGAL’ GAVE RISE TO MANY OTHER UNFORTUNATE
INCIDENTS, WHICH LED TO THE LOSS OF MANY INNOCENT LIVES. EVEN TODAY,
THE BENGAL PARTITION IS SUBJECTED TO VARIOUS DEBATES. AUTHOR BASHABI
FRASER LATER SAID THAT THE CONTINUOUS FLOW OF MIGRANTS, INFILTRATORS,
AND REFUGEES NEVER ACTUALLY STOPPED, WHICH QUESTIONS THE PARTITION.

 THE SECOND PARTITION OF BENGAL TOOK PLACE AT THE TIME OF THE PARTITION
OF INDIA IN 1947. ON JUNE 20, THE MEMBERS OF THE ‘BENGAL LEGISLATIVE
ASSEMBLY’ DECIDED TO CAST THREE SEPARATE VOTES TO DECIDE THE FATE OF
BENGAL. AT THE END OF THE THREE SEPARATE ELECTIONS, IT WAS DECIDED THAT
BENGAL WILL INDEED BE DIVIDED. UNDER THE ‘MOUNTBATTEN PLAN’ THE HINDU
MAJORITY WEST BENGAL JOINED THE UNION OF INDIA, AND THE MUSLIM-
MAJORITY JOINED THE DOMINION OF PAKISTAN.
 IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ‘MOUNTBATTEN PLAN,’ A REFERENDUM WAS TO BE
HELD IN SYLHET IN ORDER TO DECIDE WHETHER SYLHET WANTED TO REMAIN IN
INDIA AS PART OF ASSAM OR WHETHER IT WANTED TO JOIN EAST BENGAL TO
BECOME A PART OF PAKISTAN.
 AFTERMATH
 THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF THE BENGAL PARTITION WAS A
MASSIVE PROCESS OF RESETTLEMENT AS MILLIONS OF HINDUS
AND MUSLIMS MIGRATED FROM EAST TO WEST BENGAL AND
VICE-VERSA. THE HINDUS, WHO MIGRATED FROM EAST BENGAL,
SETTLED DOWN IN WEST BENGAL, ASSAM, TRIPURA AND OTHER
NEIGHBORING STATES.
 WHEN A LARGE NUMBER OF BENGALI HINDUS RELOCATED FROM
EAST BENGAL TO TRIPURA, THE NORTHEAST INDIAN STATE’S
DEMOGRAPHY CHANGED COMPLETELY AS THE TRIBES OF
TRIPURA BECAME A MINORITY IN THEIR HOMELAND. THIS LED TO
INSURGENCY IN TRIPURA, CAUSED BY ETHNIC TENSIONS
BETWEEN THE BENGALIS AND THE LOCAL TRIBAL PEOPLE. SINCE
THE TRIBES WERE SUDDENLY OUTNUMBERED BY THE BENGALIS,
THE SITUATION THREATENED THEM SOCIALLY, ECONOMICALLY,
AND CULTURALLY, LEADING TO WIDESPREAD PROTESTS IN
TRIPURA AND OTHER PARTS OF NORTHEAST INDIA.
 THE ‘PARTITION OF BENGAL’ GAVE RISE TO MANY OTHER
UNFORTUNATE INCIDENTS, WHICH LED TO THE LOSS OF MANY
INNOCENT LIVES. EVEN TODAY, THE BENGAL PARTITION IS
SUBJECTED TO VARIOUS DEBATES.
 REFUGEE PROBLEM
 APART FROM THE MIGRATION THAT TOOK PLACE BETWEEN EAST AND
WEST BENGAL, A MASSIVE POPULATION TRANSFER OCCURRED IN PUNJAB
AS WELL. THANKS TO THE WIDESPREAD COMMUNAL RIOTS THAT TOOK
PLACE IN PUNJAB JUST BEFORE THE PARTITION OF BENGAL, PUNJAB
WITNESSED A LARGE POPULATION TRANSFER IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE
PARTITION OF BENGAL IN 1947. THE POPULATION EXCHANGE IN BENGAL
HAPPENED IN A MORE GRADUAL FASHION. IN FACT, THE BENGAL
MIGRATION PROCESS CONTINUED OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS AFTER THE
PARTITION IN 1947. ONE OF THE PRIMARY REASONS FOR THE MIGRATION
WAS DOUBTS OVER THE SAFETY OF HINDUS IN PAKISTAN AND THE SAFETY
OF MUSLIMS IN INDIA. HENCE THE ECONOMICALLY WELL PLACED AND
HIGHER CASTE HINDUS OF EAST BENGAL DECIDED TO MOVE FIRST. ALSO,
THE EDUCATED AND THE ONES BELONGING TO THE UPPER AND MIDDLE
CLASS FAMILIES, INCLUDING TRADERS, ARTISANS, AND BUSINESSMEN LEFT
FOR INDIA WITHOUT MUCH OF A HASSLE. HOWEVER, THE POORER LOT
AND THE ONES BELONGING TO LOWER HINDU CASTES FOUND IT ALMOST
IMPOSSIBLE TO MIGRATE. SINCE MANY OF THEM WERE FARMERS, ALL
THEIR ASSETS WERE IN THE FORM OF IMMOVABLE LAND HOLDINGS AND A
MAJORITY OF THEM HAD NO OTHER SKILLS EXCEPT FARMING. HENCE
MANY HINDUS DECIDED TO STAY BACK IN EAST BENGAL AND EVENTUALLY
BECAME A PART OF PAKISTAN.
 APART FROM BENGAL, A NUMBER OF BIHARI MUSLIMS ALSO LEFT INDIA
DURING THE PARTITION AND SETTLED IN EAST BENGAL. SINCE THEY
CHOSE TO SUPPORT WEST PAKISTAN DURING THE LIBERATION WAR OF
BANGLADESH, THEY WERE DENIED CITIZENSHIP IN INDEPENDENT
BANGLADESH WHEN EAST BENGAL FINALLY MANAGED TO FREE ITSELF
FROM PAKISTAN.
 SOCIAL & ECONOMIC IMPACT
 AS ANTICIPATED BY MANY, THE PARTITION OF BENGAL HAD MAJOR SOCIAL AND
ECONOMIC IMPACT ON WEST BENGAL, NORTHEAST INDIA, AND EAST BENGAL.
HISTORICALLY, BENGAL WAS A SINGLE ECONOMIC ZONE AS THE WESTERN AND EASTERN
PARTS OF THE PROVINCE WERE DEPENDENT ON EACH OTHER. WHILE THE EASTERN PART
OF BENGAL PRODUCED RAW MATERIALS AND FOOD, THE WESTERN PART OF THE STATE
WAS INDUSTRIALLY ADVANCED AND PRODUCED MANUFACTURED GOODS FROM THE
RAW MATERIALS OF THE EAST. ONCE BENGAL WAS SPLIT INTO TWO SEPARATE STATES,
THE MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL TRADE BETWEEN THE EAST AND THE WEST WAS DISRUPTED
SEVERELY, RESULTING IN HEAVY LOSSES. WEST BENGAL SUFFERED MASSIVELY AS IT
FACED SUBSTANTIAL FOOD SHORTAGE THROUGHOUT THE 1950S AND THE 60S. BY
1959, PROTESTS AND HUNGER MARCHES HAD BECOME A COMMON SIGHT IN WEST
BENGAL’S CALCUTTA.
 THE SEPARATION ALSO LEFT IN JEOPARDY THE LIVES OF JUTE MILL WORKERS. THE
CULTIVATION OF RAW JUTE IN EAST BENGAL MADE NO SENSE UNTIL THE PRODUCE WAS
TAKEN TO WEST BENGAL, WHICH HAD THE MILLS. HENCE THE PARTITION HAD A MAJOR
IMPACT ON FARMERS IN EAST BENGAL AND ON THE MILLS OF WEST BENGAL. WHILE THE
FARMERS COULDN’T FIND A MARKET TO SELL THEIR PRODUCE, THOSE WORKING IN THE
MILLS FACED ACUTE SHORTAGE OF QUALITY JUTE. THOUGH INDIA AND PAKISTAN
INITIALLY AGREED TO ALLOW THE IMPORT AND EXPORT OF JUTE, PAKISTAN LATER
CAME UP WITH RESTRICTIONS TO EXPORT RAW JUTE TO INDIA. IN FACT, PAKISTAN
WENT ON TO MAKE THE ACT OF EXPORTING RAW JUTE TO INDIA A NATIONAL CRIME,
WHICH LED TO A MAJOR INDUSTRY CRISIS IN WEST BENGAL. HOWEVER, WEST BENGAL
WAS SOON ABLE TO INCREASE THE PRODUCTION OF RAW JUTE AND PAKISTAN TOO
CAME UP WITH MILLS AND FACTORIES IN ORDER TO PROCESS ITS OWN JUTE PRODUCE.
 SOCIAL & ECONOMIC IMPACT

 THOUGH WEST BENGAL MANAGED TO SAVE ITS JUTE INDUSTRY, THE STATE’S
LEATHER AND PAPER INDUSTRIES SUFFERED MASSIVELY, WHICH ULTIMATELY
RESULTED IN THE DECLINE OF THESE INDUSTRIES. SINCE THE LEATHER AND PAPER
INDUSTRIES OF WEST BENGAL DEPENDED ON THE RAW MATERIALS PRODUCED IN
THE EAST, THE PARTITION CAUSED THE DECLINE OF THESE INDUSTRIES. THIS LED
TO DEINDUSTRIALIZATION IN WEST BENGAL, WHICH FELL BEHIND OTHER INDIAN
STATES IN TERMS OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT.
 APART FROM THE IMPACT FACED BY THE WEST AND EAST BENGAL, NORTHEAST
INDIA ALSO FACED A MAJOR IMPACT CAUSED BY THE PARTITION OF BENGAL.
ALMOST ALL ROAD AND RAIL LINKS THAT CONNECTED NORTHEAST INDIA TO
OTHER PARTS OF THE NATION PASSED THROUGH THE NOW SEPARATED EAST
BENGAL. THIS HAD A MAJOR IMPACT ON TRADERS AS THE LINES CONNECTING
ASSAM TO CHITTAGONG WERE DISCONNECTED. ASSAM’S TEA INDUSTRY, WHICH
DEPENDED HEAVILY ON THE PORT OF CHITTAGONG, WAS HIT BADLY AS
CHITTAGONG BECAME A PART OF PAKISTAN. BY 1950, INDIA HAD NO OTHER
OPTION BUT TO BUILD A 229 KILOMETER METER-GAUGE RAILWAY TO RECONNECT
ASSAM TO THE REST OF INDIA. HOWEVER, EXPORTING TEA FROM ASSAM BECAME
THAT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT AS THE TRADERS WERE NOW FORCED TO EXPORT
THE PRODUCE FROM THE FARAWAY CALCUTTA PORT INSTEAD OF EXPORTING IT
THROUGH THE NEARBY CHITTAGONG PORT. EAST BENGAL TOO HAD ITS SHARE
OF DIFFICULTIES AS ITS ECONOMY BECAME COMPLETELY AGRARIAN AFTER
LOSING CALCUTTA TO WEST BENGAL.
 BESIDES THE ABOVE MENTIONED FACTS, PAKISTAN (WEST PAKISTAN) STARTED
DOMINATING EAST BENGAL POLITICALLY, WHICH LED TO EAST BENGAL’S
EVENTUAL STRUGGLE FOR SEPARATION.
