CHAPTER 14
BIRTH-PANGS OF NEW INDIA continues...

I heard it whispered in certain bureaucratic circles in the Punjab and elsewhere that the sudden departure of the British from India would lead to anarchy and Indians would have to invite the British back to take over the administration. Luckily—but to the disappointment of such prophets of woe- events did not take this turn in spite of the grave situation that arose soon after the attainment of independence by reason of the creation of two dominions, India and Pakistan.

Originally it was intended that the British would ‘quit’ and hand over power to Indian hands in June, 1948. But the rather cumbersome plan of the Cabinet Mission for framing a constitution for India broke down. It seemed Mr. Jinnah had banked on Congress intransigence in the matter of forming the Interim Government which was to supervise the change of Government. But when, on his refusal to have any share in the central Government unless it had an equal number of members drawn from the Congress and the League, Lord Mountabatten invited the Congress to form a Government, he declared the day on which the Congress Government assumed office as a day of a mourning for Muslims all over India. The Bengal Government presided over by Suhrawardy declared it a public holiday. This led to rioting, arson and murders in Calcutta. Rather than try to control-the situation, Suhrawardy let the mob do its worst. Sitting in the police control room in Calcutta, he made it impossible for the police to intervene effectively. Lord Mountbatten was now convinced that in order to save the situation, the date for handing over power should be changed to 15th August, 1947.

The Calcutta riots had their repercussions in Bihar where there was mass killing of Muslims by Hindus. Mahatma Gandhi’s intervention restored peaceful conditions in both the places. The scene then shifted from Bihar to Punjab where in the districts of Rawalpindi and Jehlum the Muslims killed a large number of Hindus and burnt some of them alive. A large number of Hindu and Sikh women ended their lives by jumping into wells.

to be continued...