By Joydeep Gupta, IANS
New Delhi : This is an account of the last 60 days leading to India’s independence on Aug 15, 1947:
June 15:
Historic session of All India Congress Committee (AICC) in New Delhi accepts the June 3 plan to partition British India into the dominions of India and Pakistan. The socialists oppose partition.
Another resolution, saying free India will not recognise the independence of princely states, is adopted unanimously.
As Hindu-Muslim riots erupt in many parts of India, Jawaharlal Nehru says that the country’s “swift drift to anarchy must be checked”.
June 16:
At his daily prayer meeting, Mahatma Gandhi says: “Treatment of minorities in India must be strictly just and fair.”
A special council is set up to supervise the details of partition.
Recruitment to Indian Foreign Service begins.
June 17:
The government announces that the Indian Army will be divided on a voluntary basis and soldiers can decide if they want to serve India or Pakistan. This decision is later changed, when the army is divided along communal lines. B.R. Ambedkar warns rulers of princely states wavering over joining India. But Mohammad Ali Jinnah declares that the Muslim League will not “interfere” with the princely states.
June 18:
The issue of whether the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) should be a part of Pakistan or independent is becoming more and more difficult. Mahatma Gandhi gets Jinnah and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan – better known as Badshah Khan or Frontier Gandhi – to sit down and talk but it does not seem to lead anywhere.
Amid food shortages, Egypt announces it will donate 20,000 tonnes of rice to India as an independence gift.
June 19:
After the breakdown of talks between Jinnah and Badshah Khan, Gandhi supports the demand for an independent NWFP.
Large-scale arson, bomb explosions and stabbings are reported from Lahore. AICC president Acharya Narendra Kripalani says: “Independence will not be complete till India is again one.”
June 20:
Bengal decides on partition, with the Muslim-majority areas deciding to secede from the Indian union, while the non-Muslim majority areas decide to join India.
Large-scale communal rioting breaks out in Amritsar.
June 21:
Teja Singh of Akali Dal demands that the river Chenab form the boundary between India and Pakistan in Punjab. There are many instances of arson in Lahore.
June 22:
Troops open fire on Lahore mobs after houses are set ablaze all over the city. There is a severe food shortage in paralysed Lahore. Gandhi and Nehru go from Delhi to Hardwar to meet refugees, most of who are from NWFP.
June 23:
It is officially declared that the transfer of power from the British Raj will take place on Aug 15.
Legislators of East Punjab decide on partition by 50 votes to 22 even as riots continue all over the state.
Followers of the Frontier Gandhi advance their plans for an independent Pathan state.
June 24:
The “suicidal strife (between Hindus and Muslims) must end”, Gandhi says. Punjab leaders urge people to end lawlessness. Troops shoot curfew violators in Lahore. There is a rush on banks as Hindus and Sikhs queue up to take out their savings.
Most hotels in Karachi are requisitioned to house the new government of Pakistan.
June 25:
Badshah Khan announces that he and his followers will boycott the NWFP referendum on joining Pakistan.
The government sets up nine expert committees to divide the assets of British India among the dominions of India and Pakistan.
June 26:
From London, Secretary of State, India, Lord Listowel sends three telegrams to Lord Mountbatten asking him to show the draft of the Indian Independence Bill to Indian leaders and get their agreement. Mountbatten presides over a meeting of the Partition Committee, attended by Sardar Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Liaquat Ali Khan and Abdur Rab Nishtar. Field Marshal Claude Auchinlek writes to Mountabatten saying he has started planning the withdrawal of British troops.
Sind assembly takes just 15 minutes to vote in favour of joining Pakistan. In NWFP, a thousand tribals hold a demonstration in support of an independent Pathanistan.
June 27:
The princely states of Rajputana decide to join the Indian union. More riots in Lahore, Amritsar and Gurgaon. Police open fire in Lahore; people in Karachi scramble to withdraw money from banks.
June 28:
Akali Dal announces a nationwide strike July 8 against the impending division of Punjab.
June 29:
Elected members of Quetta assembly and Shahi Jirga decide that Balochistan will join Pakistan. There are 54 votes for and none against. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad asks minorities to “shed fear” and advocates a “common charter of rights” for all citizens in free India. The Nawab of Bhopal Zafarullah Khan writes to Mountbatten demanding that Bhopal be given the same status as India and Pakistan.
June 30:
The British cabinet approves the Indian Independence Bill.
Gurgaon, Dhaka and parts of Lahore are placed under curfew as riots spread. The Frontier Gandhi throws a challenge: “Let the (Muslim) League hold a referendum on Pakistan versus a free Pathan state.”
July 1:
Mahatma Gandhi, Jinnah, Nehru, Patel and Liaquat Ali Khan start to go over the draft of the Indian Independence Bill. Congress and Muslim League leaders study the bill in different rooms in Viceroy House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan).
The government starts to work out a procedure for division of armed forces.
July 2:
Riots break out in Meerut and Alwar. Howrah near Calcutta is placed under curfew.
The Delhi Provincial Political Conference holds a session in Shahdara and adopts a resolution – Delhi should remain the capital of India after independence.
July 3:
The government announces a new pay structure for armed forces. A resolution is passed in Tiruchirapalli demanding an independent Dravidistan.
July 4:
The Indian Independence Bill is presented to the House of Commons in London. British lawyer Sir Cyril Radcliffe is appointed chairman of the boundary commissions for Punjab and Bengal.
July 5:
In his daily prayer meeting, Mahatma Gandhi says: “The very creation of two nations is a poison. The Congress and the Muslim League have accepted this but a vice does not become a virtue merely because it is accepted by all.” There is a pitched battle between Sikhs and Muslims near Amritsar. Sardar Patel assures the rulers of over 550 princely states that the Congress will not interfere with their internal matters, so “they should merge with the Indian Union in a spirit of friendship”.
July 6:
Voters in NWFP and Sylhet vote in a referendum over joining Pakistan. There is tension in NWFP as followers of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan decided to observe a Pathanistan Day. But Gandhi writes to the Frontier Gandhi saying there should be no demonstrations against the Muslim League. Gandhi foresees an arms race between India and Pakistan as the “freedom fight is approaching an inglorious end”.
Panthic Party leader Sardar Swaran Singh says the Independence Bill is against the interest of the Sikhs and the Sikhs will oppose it at all costs.
July 7:
Major riots break out in Bengal, with Calcutta being the worst affected – 41 people are killed and over 200 injured.
British officials say in London that the Indian Independence Bill will become an act by July 20. The British cabinet approves the proposal to make Mountbatten the Governor General of India.
The US assures a free India full cooperation.
July 8:
All of Punjab and Delhi come to a halt as Sikhs hold protests meetings against partition.
There is fresh rioting in Calcutta, Peshawar, Hyderabad and many parts of Bengal.
Radcliffe arrives in Delhi and goes straight to Viceroy House.
July 9:
Riots continue in Bengal for the fourth day. In Calcutta, two bombs are thrown at trams. In Rawalpindi, curfew is extended to Aug 6.
July 10:
Attlee announces in the British parliament that Lord Louis Mountbatten will be the first Governor General of India and Jinnah the Governor General of Pakistan.
There are riots in Gujranwala and again in Calcutta.
July 11:
The division of the Indian Army and navy starts on communal lines. India gets 34 vessels, Pakistan 18; India gets 18.5 regiments, Pakistan gets 8.5. There is more arson in Lahore. Refugees are sent to military camps and the curfew extended.
July 12:
There are more riots in Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Sylhet, Jaipur, Amritsar and Lahore.
July 13:
The Sylhet referendum results show that a majority want to join East Pakistan. Both Nehru and Jinnah complain about bogus voting, but Mountbatten rejects their demand for an inquiry.
People continue to flee Rawalpindi and Lahore; property prices in Punjab and Sind fall by half. Police fire at violent mobs in Trivandrum, Amritsar and Calcutta. Bengal is declared a disturbed area.
Jinnah holds a press conference in Delhi and says non-Muslims will be fully protected in Pakistan – in terms of religion, property and culture.
July 14:
The French Government at Pondicherry declares Chandernagore in Bengal fully autonomous. British Prime Minister Clement Attlee declares that Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a part of India.
After confusion over some words in the Indian Independence Bill, Attlee clarifies that dominion means full independence for both India and Pakistan.
July 15:
The British House of Commons approves the Indian Independence Bill, with Britain making it clear that it will not grant independent recognition to any of the princely states. Attlee and opposition leader Harold Macmillan express anguish over partition.
The first train to Pakistan leaves Delhi, carrying Pakistani officials to Karachi. Thousands go to the station to bid them farewell.
July 16:
Mahatma Gandhi opposes the demand for a separate Dravidistan. The postal network has collapsed in large parts of Bengal and Punjab due to the riots. This adds considerably to the tension in both provinces. The House of Lords passes the Indian Independence Bill.
July 17:
The Constituent Assembly approves the choice of Hindi as the national language by 63 votes to 32.
Both Muslim League and Congress lay claim to Calcutta. Riots break out in Aligarh.
A major shipwreck off Bombay harbour kills 700.
July 18:
Britain’s King George VI gives his approval to the Indian Independence Bill, officially ending almost 200 years of British rule in India and creating the dominions of India and Pakistan.
The ruler of Travancore announces that the princely state will become independent on Aug 15. Congress opposes this.
Fifteen people are killed in riots in Aligarh. There are so many refugees in Dera Ismail Khan that thousands have to sleep on open ground.
July 19:
Two provisional governments are set up at New Delhi – one for India and one for Pakistan.
A delegation from Nagaland comes to Delhi and announces that they will declare their region independent on Aug 15.
The rulers of Punjab, Bengal, NWFP and Sind write to the Viceroy asking for arms but he chooses not to respond.
July 20:
The referendum results from NWFP show that the province has decided by a slender margin to join Pakistan.
There are riots and bomb explosions in Lahore.
July 21:
The Constituent Assembly decides that the President of India will have a five-year term.
July 22:
There are riots in Bharatpur (Rajasthan) and Kharagpur (Bengal). Mountbatten starts a calendar that says: “… days left to prepare for transfer of power”.
The new flag of India is unfurled – it replaces the spinning wheel of the Congress flag with the Ashok Chakra.
July 23:
Sikhs demand that the birthplace of Guru Nanak Nankana Sahib be a part of India.
Simla is named the interim capital of East Punjab. A train is stopped and attacked with guns and bombs at Mughulpura station in Lahore, killing eight passengers.
July 24:
The Partition Council decides that India and Pakistan will honour the decision of the Boundary Commission, whatever it may be. Gandhi says: “India will have to win over the Muslims. This will not be possible with enmity or appeasement. It will have to be achieved through friendship and non-violence of the brave.”
Nehru assures Indonesia that India will give all possible help in its freedom struggle against the Dutch.
July 25:
Mountbatten addresses convention of the heads of princely states and urges them to accede to India.
About 15,000 soldiers of Indian Army arrive in Lahore to maintain law and order in Punjab – they are to be deployed in Gurdaspur and Amritsar.
July 26:
The Nawab of Bhopal and the Prime Minister of Hyderabad write to the Viceroy that they are against accession and are not even prepared to hold talks on the subject.
July 27:
The Sikh congregation takes place in Nankana Sahib despite the attempts of the government. The crowd grows restive and the police open fire. Riots break out again in Hyderabad, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Calcutta, Chandernagore, Amritsar and Lahore. The Refugees Commissioner in Rawalpindi says about 100,000 people have fled their homes. In Bombay, a nameplate is removed from a chamber in the Bombay High Court.
It read M.A. Jinnah – Bar at Law.
July 28:
The Constituent Assembly agrees to adopt the parliamentary system of democracy.
In London, the British government rejects the claim of Afghanistan to the NWFP.
July 29:
The princely state of Travancore decides to join India on certain conditions.
Riots continue in Calcutta while Radcliffe holds a meeting of the Boundary Commission there. Fresh riots break out in Lahore.
July 30:
Mahatma Gandhi holds his last meeting with Frontier Gandhi. He tells Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan: “Go there and make Pakistan a real Pak or holy place. It is your duty.”
All the cases against Subhas Chandra Bose in Calcutta are withdrawn.
There is an attack on a train at the Tangra station in Amritsar.
July 31:
Gandhi is on his way to Kashmir. There are slogans against him at the Amritsar railway station – “Gandhi go back”. He is welcomed in Rawalpindi by Bakhshi Ghulam Mohammad.
The Constituent Assembly is adjourned till midnight Aug 14. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi sanctions Rs.25,000 for celebration of Independence Day.
Aug 1:
Twenty-two princely states announce their intention to merge with India. There are reports of an unsuccessful attempt to bomb Gandhi’s train at Phillaur station.
The telephone service virtually collapses in Karachi, where most of the telephone operators had been Hindus or Christians who had left. Thirty Muslim girls are recruited in a hurry.
Aug 2:
The air force is divided between India and Pakistan – India gets eight squadrons and Pakistan two.
Aug 3:
There is violence in Lahore, Hyderabad, Bombay and Sholapur. At a party in Delhi, Jinnah says: “The elected government in Pakistan will be that of civilians and will be a people’s government. Anyone who thinks contrary to democratic principles should not opt for Pakistan.”
Aug 4:
Nehru writes to Mountbatten suggesting six new names for the cabinet – Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Bhimrao Ambedkar, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Shanmugam Chetti and Narhari Gadgil. In Jammu, Gandhi is asked about the fate of Kashmir. He says: “This will depend on the people of Kashmir.”
There are fresh riots in Lahore and Jullundur. The refugee population in Delhi reaches 80,000. There is acute shortage of food and housing.
Aug 5:
Riots again in Calcutta, Ambala, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Rampur, Amritsar, Lahore and Lyallpur.
Gurkha troops decide they will not serve in the Pakistan Army.
Aug 6:
At Lahore railway station, Gandhi says: “I will spend the rest of my life in Pakistan… But right now I have to go to Noakhali. My place is there.” The law and order situation in Calcutta continues to get worse and the army is called out. There is more rioting in Alwar, Lahore and Karachi.
Aug 7:
Jinnah cleans out his Delhi house at 10 Aurangzeb Road and leaves for the airport in the afternoon, on way to Karachi.
Crowds gather at every station to see Gandhi as he travels on Calcutta Mail. At Amritsar, people stand to apologise for anti-Gandhi slogans of the previous week.
There are fresh riots in Amritsar, as well as in Lyallpur and Calcutta.
Aug 8:
The Boundary Commission sends the proposed new map of Punjab to the governor for his comments.
In Calcutta, 17 people are killed in an attack on a train. Riots worsen in Amritsar, Alwar and Lyallpur.
Twelve princely states sign the accession document.
The food crisis gets worse. Burma promises to send rice to India.
Aug 9:
Rajendra Prasad unfurls the national flag at Gandhi Maidan in Delhi.
150 people are reported killed in an attack on a train near Karachi. In Bombay, chairman of Board of Control for Cricket in India A.S. DeMello says: “Sports should be spared from partition. This will harm both the games and the spirit of the games.”
Aug 10:
The Pakistan Constituent Assembly begins its session in Karachi.
In Calcutta, Gandhiji agrees to postpone his proposed visit to Noakhali.
There are riots in Alwar, Hapur and Amritsar.
Aug 11:
Jinnah is elected unopposed as President of Pakistan. Mountbatten receives a telegram from Punjab that reads: “A hundred people die on an average daily. Mass migration has started from both sides.”
Aug 12:
Punjab Governor E. Jenkins sends a telegram to Mountbatten: “The police cannot be trusted in Lahore and Amritsar. Muslim League national guards roam around in police uniform. It is impossible to depute the police on emergency duty.”
Over 50 people are killed in riots in Lahore, Gurdaspur and Lyallpur.
Aug 13:
There is widespread rioting in Lahore. In Amritsar, 61 more die in police firing. But Bengal remains peaceful due to the presence of Gandhi in Calcutta, though there are sporadic anti-Gandhi demonstrations.
The Nizam of Hyderabad announces that his state will not join India. Mountbatten reaches Karachi at 5.30 p.m. for the Pakistan independence celebrations.
Aug 14:
Indian and Pakistani flags fly from most houses in Delhi and Karachi.
Thousands throng the streets and many local processions are taken out. The first ceremonies to symbolise the transfer of power from Britain to one of the new dominions take place in Karachi on the morning of Aug 14. Mountbatten and Jinnah – who is to become governor general of Pakistan at midnight, address the Constituent Assembly.
It rains heavily in Delhi. Mountbatten returns to Delhi in the evening after taking part in the celebrations that herald the birth of Pakistan. He is to stay on as Governor General of India, while Nehru becomes the country’s first prime minister.
Huge crowds assemble near the State Council building – which will later be called Parliament House – around 10 p.m. despite rains. Nehru, Azad, Patel and other leaders arrive amid loud cheers. Tens of thousands celebrate outside the building – many more do so in cities around India.
Mahatma Gandhi remains in a Muslim-dominated slum in Calcutta, appealing to people to maintain peace. In his evening prayer meeting, he says: “We’ll be free tomorrow but the country will split tonight.” In Calcutta, Hindus and Muslims hoist India’s national flag together while rioting continues unabated in Punjab.