We are not happy to share such horrific & tragic images of partition of India. Below given some facts about the partition of India and Pakistan 1947.
Let’s go back to the flashback, 68 years ago, when the historic decision was taken in Delhi. Even when Pakistan and India achieved independence, till Aug 17, there was no announcement on the borders of two countries. The man who set the boundary lines for India and Pakistan was Cyril John Radcliffe, the British lawyer and Law Lord. Radcliffe was given the daunting task of the chairmanship of the two boundary committees of drawing the borders for the new nations of Pakistan and India, in a way that would leave as many Hindus and Sikhs in India and Muslims in Pakistan as possible.
On Aug 17, 1947, the Radcliffe Line was formally declared as the boundary between India and Pakistan, two days following the Partition of India. British government had given the responsibility of dividing Punjab and Bengal province between the Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan to Sir John Radcliffe. He was commissioned to equitably divide 4,50,000 km sq of territory with 88 million people.
The estimated loss of life during the partition of India is one million. For the Punjab alone, the loss of life is estimated somewhere between 500,000-800,000 and 10 million people were forced to flee for their lives.
Lets see 20 Rare, Unseen & Shocking Photo From Partition of India Pakistan 1947 | Part-2
1. The aftermath of the blood bath at Calcutta. The news of Bengal being split into East Pakistan caused the fury in the city.
2. Officers and people bid adieu to the official train to the newly formed nation of Pakistan.
3. A foot of a victim lies in the junkyard at the end of the riot. Many witnessed this horrific sight in Calcutta as a result of the riots.
4. Bodies of victims being burnt in a funeral pyre by a few good Samaritans.
5. Barely a few of months after the independence of the two nations the first Indo-Pak war was declared by India. The picture shows Indian soldiers trying to silencing their enemies by firing from across the border.
6. Several belongings of refugees lied unattended at the corners of the roads and dead bodies were hastily buried.
7. People belonging to the Muslim community arrive at an ancient fort, which had turned into a refugee camp for millions of such refugees. Many of these unfortunate living beings camped at such forts for days.
8. Carcasses lying on the roads, being dumped into a truck for cremation.
9. Muhammad Ali Jinnah being sworn in as the first supreme of the republic of Pakistan in 1947.
10. Scores of decaying corpses lie abandoned at the sides of railway tracks. Many didn’t bother cleaning up the mess.
11. A dead body of a woman at a railway station becomes a meal for a stray dog.
12. Vultures feeding on the carcasses of the travellers rotting at a water source near the border region.
13. Many guest houses also turned into shelters for refugees who were commuting between the two countries.
14. The awful plight of those affected by the partition tragedy, at a shelter for refugees.
15. This is how the old and the sick were ferried across the border by the men in the family.
16. Not just people, books and many non-living objects were also distributed amongst the two nations.
17. A picture of the ‘VP17’, an aircraft of the Indian Air Force landed at the Poonch region of Jammu and Kashmir. It was aimed at ferrying defense troops as well as the refugees of the great tragedy.
18. Hundreds of tents were erected to help those who were affected by this great tragedy. Doesn’t this picture speak volumes about the impact the partition had made on the lives of the people?
19. A huge crowd tries to move across the border in a bid to reach their destination.
20. Another picture of Vultures feasting on the many bodies lying scattered on the streets after the mass murder.
India Pakistan Partition BBC Special Presentation:
How Sikhs saved their women from Muslim Mobs during Partition of 1947:
Wo Mera Ghar- BBC Hindi documentary (2007) on India-Pakistan partition