The Great Calcutta Killings
On August 16, 1946, immediately after the failed Cabinet Mission, Jinnah called for direct action.
Although Jinnah intended the demonstration to be peaceful, it ended in uncontrollable chaos. This led to a wave of violence and bloodshed throughout the nation. After more than three days of rioting, an estimated 5,000 people were killed.
"...a shop was surrounded by a crowd, armed with iron rods. And the employee, he was already half dead in fear. He came with his hands folded like this [as if he was praying], but this furious mob, they had no time to hear what he wanted to say...the man fell down, and someone hit him on the head with an iron rod. I think that one blow finished him."
~Shankar Gosh, Calcutta journalist
Source- BBC Documentary: The Day India Burned
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"...I was thinking of going for a stroll when I saw these Muslims hoodlums. I found out that a neighbor who had come out to see what was happening, [had] his head cracked...these boys, they started hitting the doors, and said that 'we will not spare any Hindu." |
Consequences of Calcutta
"We had absolute faith in British authority, we had absolute faith in the peace the British had given us...but for three days, there was no sign of authority on the streets."
~Golok B. Majundar
Source- BBC Documentary: The Day India Burned
After Calcutta, the violence spread and ruined Britain's hope to leave India peacefully. With British power decreasing, India was in jeopardy of falling apart from communal violence.
Gandhi's Attempt at Preserving a Unified India
"There were 'brave men' in India who from house tops were saying: "Hindus are being butchered. They are subjected to atrocities in Noakhali and we must save them." But, there was only one Gandhi and his peace mission went to Noakhali. The Noakhali episode and Gandhi's peace March brings out his courage as well as compassion."
~Madhue Dandwate in his lecture, Gandhi's Human Touch
Both Hindus and Muslims suffered during the riots, as the Indian government had little practice in controlling widespread violence. Gandhi did strive to keep peace between the communities, traveling between villages promoting the idea of Satyagraha, a philosophy of peaceful passive political resistance.
"Gandhi walked to one village then another, and while he walked, he sang. He rested in a Muslim house, then he rested in a Hindu house...Gradually at the prayer meetings, the non-Hindus were absent." |
Gandhi had always rejected constitutional concessions to Muslims. For many of them, he represented Hindu supremacy.
"Mr. Gandhi did not appeal to the Muslims. He failed to win the hearts and minds of the Muslims of India. The way he talked about politics in his language, it was foreign, it did not appeal to Muslims at all. But he used to be practically naked he used to have one arm on the shoulder of one girl, and one arm on the shoulder of another. And the Hindus thought he was a saint."
~Rhoedad Khan
Source- BBC Documentary: The Day India Burned
His attempts ended in failure, and the idea of a united India began to vanish.
"Until then, there was still a possibility that there could be an undivided India. That impression evaporated, in the heat of what came to be known as the Great Calcutta Killings. Once that impact spread through the rest of the country, the hope that India could remain divided began to vanish."
~Pran Chopra, Reporter for All India Radio
Source- BBC Documentary: The Day India Burned