1947 - Some unheard facts

Partition of India is one of the most gruesome events in the book of world history. More than 10 million people got displaced, the largest in human recorded history and for many months post-August 1947, the bloodshed continued to happen in the regions of Punjab, Bengal and Assam. Districts such as Gurdaspur, Lahore, Dinajpur, Malda, Nadia, Jessore and Sylhet was partitioned and Sylhet being the only one where partition took place with a referendum. For others, fate was already decided. There was ethnic cleansing, chaotic migration and jumbling up of people belonging to Punjabi, Bengali and Assamese diaspora. Ultimately the three provinces were partitioned on religious lines among Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs in the August of 1947. Chronologically, 14th August was the date sealed to grant independence to India and Pakistan, 15th August India declared independent and from 17th August to somewhere in October-November, partition followed by widespread riots and bloodshed took place. Roughly over 1-2 million people were killed. 

 Some unheard facts during the partition:

1. Some of the other unheard facts about the partition could be read in the First Schedule of Indian Independence Act 1947 which had the districts of Khulna and Chittagong Hill Tracts to join India while the districts of Nadia, Murshidabad, Malda and entire Sylhet to East Pakistan. 
2. In a telegram on 14th June 1947, Brojendra Kishore Deb Barman, Vice President of Tripura sought the help of Sardar Patel to save Tripura from isolation by creating a compact area comprising Tripura, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Lushai and Khasi Hills together with the Chakla-Roshnabad Zamindari of the Tripura rulers, i.e., part of Tippera (Comilla), Noakhali and Sylhet Districts under the Indian Union. 
   
3. A tiny princely state in the Sindh area known as Umerkot (or Amarkot) was the only Hindu majority princely state (with a Hindu ruler) that joined Pakistan. 
4. On 4th August 1947, an urgent telegram by the Secretary of Bamanhat Thana Congress (in Cooch Behar or Koch Bihar, now in West Bengal) to Sardar Patel indicated that the Cooch Behar authorities were forcing the people to sign against merger with the Indian Union and were making propaganda to that effect. There were fears of losing Cooch Behar to Pakistan and a secessionist movement growing wings. 
5. On 15th August, the Junagarh State, ignoring popular expectations, announced its accession to Pakistan. 
6. There was a demand for a separate entity of Gorkhastan which the Government of India ignored and instead the independence of India was celebrated. The Nawab of Bahawalpur declared himself as an Amir and Jalal-ul-Mulk ala Hazarat i.e. full independence. 
7. On 11th August 1947, a Standstill Agreement was concluded between the Maharaja of Manipur and the Government of India. As per this Agreement, three major subjects (defence, external affairs and communications) and also fifteen ancillaries (custom, excise, coinage etc.) were surrendered to the Government of India and the Government made the solemn commitment for the protection of the internal autonomy and authority of Manipur. Thus Manipur was reduced to a federal unit of the proposed Indian Federation. 
8. At the midnight of August 14th, Nivarthi Venkatasubbaiah hoisted the Indian National Flag at Banganapalle State (today, part of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh) and appealed to the State authorities to transfer power to the elected representatives of the people. Also, the local leaders took a decision to start a school for imparting political training for the volunteers. 
9. The secessionist section of the Mizo Union Council decided to boycott the independence day of 15 August 1947 and threatened bloodshed to the Mizo Union followers with arms if they intended to celebrate the independence day. However, the showdown was avoided by cancelling the celebration procession. While the rest of the country celebrated freedom from colonial rule, the Lushai Hills remained unaffected. Everything became quiet. However, a touching farewell was given to the British in a meeting attended by a large crowd at Dawrpui Church, Aizawl. 
10. The Hyderabad State Congress, led by Swami Ramananda Thirtha, intensified the Satyagraha movement and unfurled tricolour flags in public places on August 15, 1947, defying the Nizam's orders. Certain radicals within the Congress set up a working committee to mobilize the public opinion in Bombay, Andhra and Karnataka regions. They set up border camps in different places to intensify the struggle. Similarly, the Hindu militants also intensified their activities under the guidance of Arya Samaj. They also set up border camps at Sholapur (Solapur, Maharashtra), Osmanabad (in Maharashtra), Amaravathi (Amaravati, Maharashtra), Pandharpur (in Solapur, Maharashtra) etc.
    

Here's a map of those districts that got this unfortunate fate. The red line marks the boundary sketched by Cyril Radcliffe, the lawyer appointed by the British government to partition British India into Unions of India and Pakistan.