Why parts of Bengal still mark Bharat Bhukti Dibas on Aug 18

Kolkata, Aug 15 (AHN) Several parts of West Bengal briefly became a part of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) from August 14, 1947, due to a blunder by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, who was entrusted with redrawing the map of India and dividing the country into two.

His mandate was to leave areas with a larger Hindu population with India and hand over those with a majority Muslim population to Pakistan.

In the map he prepared, Radcliffe handed over parts of Nadia district to Pakistan. The whole of Murshidabad and large portions of Malda, Dinajpur and North 24 Parganas also ended up beyond the Indian border. Instead of celebrating India’s first Independence Day on August 15, 1947, residents of these places were busy with protests. Reports from the time said there were complete blackouts in some parts and women stopped cooking for two days.

Pakistan was only too happy to have received more than its share, and Muslim League leaders and workers went around hoisting Pakistani flags at prominent places. Tensions rose, and Hindu families reportedly kept pots of boiling water in their houses to thwart any attack. Pakistani flags were seen atop the Malda district collector’s office and the District Library at Krishnanagar, the headquarters of Nadia district. The royal family of Krishnanagar led the protests, and prominent Hindi personalities reached Calcutta (now Kolkata) to register their opposition.

Radcliffe was then ordered to rectify the error by Lord Louis Mountbatten, the final British Governor‑General of India. On the night of August 17, it was announced that only parts of Malda, Dinajpur and Jalpaiguri districts and three Muslim‑majority subdivisions of Nadia, Meherpur, Chuadanga and Kustia would be transferred to East Pakistan. India would retain the rest of the area, including Murshidabad.

There was rejoicing, and residents began observing August 18, 1947, as “Bharat Bhukti Dibas” (India Inclusion Day). Even today, the National Flag is raised at many of these places both on August 15 and August 18. Among significant incidents, Ashok Sen, then district magistrate of Malda, raised the Indian National Flag in the district’s administrative building to signify its return to India.

Some blunders remained unrectified. The entire Chittagong Hill Tracts, dominated by Buddhist tribals, remained with Pakistan despite widespread protests. Residents of the area continue to face oppression for their religion, though East Pakistan is now Bangladesh.