HISTORY AND MEMORY OF THE PARTITION OF THE PUNJAB: A CASE STUDY OF THE DISTRICT RAWALPINDI

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to investigate the violence and the communal riots followed by the division of India, especially partition of the Punjab. The violence that occurred in Punjab during the division of India (1947) is a tragic episode of South Asian history. Almost seven decades have gone since the partition of the Punjab. At the time of the partition, Rawalpindi, Ambala, Multan, Lahore, and Jullundur had the Muslim majority It was the Rawalpindi wherefrom the riots were begun compare to whole Punjab. In the district of Rawalpindi, riots and violence were sparked by three main factors;1945–1946 elections, Direct Action Day, and Khizar Hayat's resignation. More than two thousand people were killed by mob and major affected areas of Rawalpindi were Kalyan Das Mandar, Raja Bazaar, Mai Veero Di Banni, Lal Kurti, Murree Road, Ghaznavi Road, Taxila, Thoha Khalsa, Chaklala, and Kartarpura. Though the episode of the division and violence caused the hatred among the three major communities of the Punjab (the Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus), unfortunately, the people who were the witness of violence in Rawalpindi are dying, therefore, this paper is an attempt to preserve some migration stories.

Keywords: Punjab, violence, riots, partition, 1947 migration.