Radcliffe Boundary Award and the Communal Riots
Modern History › Independence and the New-Born Nation · Topic 30.2
The Boundary Commission under Sir Cyril Radcliffe drew the lines that divided the Punjab and Bengal in a few weeks in 1947, using old maps and the census of 1941. Its report was ready by 12 August but was made public after 15 August. The regions along the Radcliffe line saw the worst violence, with one estimate of 180,000 deaths, while Gandhi's presence kept Bengal calmer.
7 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Independence and the New-Born Nation
At a Glance
- Chairman Sir Cyril Radcliffe
- Time given About six weeks
- Report Ready by 12 August 1947; made public after 15 August
- Basis Census of 1941 and contiguous Muslim and non-Muslim majority areas
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Independence and the New-Born Nation
Where Does It Fit?
This is the second topic of the category on independence and the new-born nation. The previous topic described the first day of independence and the first government. This topic covers the Radcliffe Award and the communal riots that followed. The next topic covers the division of civil government, finances and defence. Previous topic: First Day of Independent India and the First Government.
What Did the Partition Plan Decide About the Punjab and Bengal?
Under the partition plan, the legislative assemblies of the Punjab and Bengal met in two sections, one for the Muslim-majority districts and the other for the rest of the province, and each decided by simple majority in favour of partition. The plan itself is in Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947. The two provinces were then to be divided by a Boundary Commission.
| Region | Territory | Population (1941 census) |
|---|---|---|
| West Punjab (Pakistan) | 62,000 square miles | 15.7 million, of whom 11.85 million were Muslims |
| East Punjab (India) | 37,000 square miles | 12.6 million, of whom 4.37 million were Muslims |
| West Bengal (India) | 28,000 square miles | 21.2 million, of whom 5.3 million were Muslims |
| East Bengal (East Pakistan) | 49,400 square miles | 39.10 million, of whom 27.7 million were Muslims |
On both sides of the Radcliffe line sizeable populations became minorities by religion: 20 million non-Muslims in Pakistan and 42 million Muslims in India, a number later put at 35 million.
How Did the Boundary Commission Work?
In an absurd hurry, the British government appointed the Boundary Commission under Sir Cyril Radcliffe, with two Muslim and two non-Muslim judges in each case. Radcliffe had very limited knowledge of India. He worked with out-of-date maps and census material and had to draw the boundaries and settle disputed points within about six weeks. He had never been east of Gibraltar before he came to India.
Religious demography was the deciding factor, but rivers as natural boundaries, administrative units, economic viability, railway and road connectivity and the canal system were also to be taken into account. The Sikhs, a third party beside Hindus and Muslims, were scattered across the Punjab, and their demand that all Sikh holy shrines be included in East Punjab added to the complication. Where the legal points were intricate, political considerations replaced a rational approach, and the 1941 census on which decisions rested was itself faulty. The lines were bound to create problems and leave many people unhappy.
The report was ready by 12 August, but Mountbatten deliberately made it public only after 15 August, so that the responsibility for the consequences, the riots and their effects, would not fall on the British. The manner of drawing the boundary and leaving the country amid unrest has been called a most callous way to behave. The statements of Walter Reid, Percival Spear and Radcliffe himself, as quoted in the source literature, make the same point: Reid wrote that the failure of British governments to prepare for a planned transfer is seen in the choice of a man of Radcliffe’s inexperience so late; Spear wrote that it was virtually impossible, with the limits of time and knowledge, to deal with canal headworks, communications, mixed populations and pasture lands; and Radcliffe said the authorities had no conception and made no plans for what followed. The earlier phases of the decision are in Plan Balkan and the Integration Problem at Withdrawal.
Where Was the Violence Worst?
Communal riots had begun in August 1946, as described in Interim Government and the Communal Violence of 1946, but the announcement of partition and independence inflamed the situation. The regions through which the Radcliffe line passed became the most violent, with the largest number of murders, rapes and abductions of women and children. Armed bands of Sikhs and Hindus and of Muslims roamed the cities and the countryside of the Punjab. A war of extermination was launched on both sides of the border, and refugee trains are reported to have arrived sometimes carrying only dead bodies. According to one estimate, around 180,000 were killed, 60,000 from the west and 120,000 from the east. Other estimates of the toll are higher, and the figure remains disputed, which is why the figure is given as one estimate.
| Region | Course of events |
|---|---|
| Punjab | Worst affected; mass killings, abductions and the movement of refugees in both directions |
| Bengal | Less violent than the Punjab because of Gandhi’s presence and his efforts, including fasts |
| Delhi | Riots began with a massacre of Muslims in revenge for the Punjab; Gandhi’s fast had a temporary effect |
| Bihar and the United Provinces | In October 1946, Hindu peasants, allegedly instigated by landlords to divert attention from agrarian problems, killed Muslims in Bihar, and Hindu pilgrims killed about a thousand Muslims at Garhmukteswar in the United Provinces; after partition, owing to Gandhi’s initiatives, no massacres took place there |
Why Were There So Many Casualties?
The Governor-General anticipated the danger and assembled a Boundary Force of 50,000 men. Nehru’s decision not to allow British troops to take part in the matter proved devastating, since the Boundary Force itself divided along communal lines. The European officers were busy preparing to leave India. According to Lockhart, the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from 15 August to 31 December 1947, the widespread disorder would have been under control if all personnel of the civil and armed services had been placed in their respective new countries. As an analytical point, the toll came from four causes acting together: a hurried boundary drawn on faulty data, the late publication of the Award, a security force that was not neutral, and an administration in the middle of dividing itself. The division of the services and the army is in Division of Resources: Civil Government, Finances and Defence, and the human cost of displacement is in Rehabilitation of Refugees and the Delhi Pact on Minorities.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Radcliffe Award Dates, chairman and the faulty basis are standard Prelims facts
- Consequences of partition A theme for GS Paper 1 on the costs of the transfer of power
- Gandhi in Bengal A contrast with the Punjab that is often asked in comparison
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the division of civil government, finances and defence between India and Pakistan. Next topic: Division of Resources: Civil Government, Finances and Defence.
Key People and Terms
- Radcliffe line The boundary between India and Pakistan in the Punjab and Bengal
- Boundary Commission The body headed by Sir Cyril Radcliffe
- Boundary Force The 50,000-strong force assembled in the Punjab
- Garhmukteswar Place in the United Provinces where Muslims were killed in 1946
- Lockhart Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, August-December 1947
- Census of 1941 The faulty basis of the boundary decisions
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Chairman: Sir Cyril Radcliffe; about six weeks.
- Report ready 12 August; published after 15 August.
- Boundary Force: 50,000 men.
- Estimate quoted: 180,000 dead (60,000 west, 120,000 east).
- Bengal calmer because of Gandhi.
Do Not Confuse With
- Radcliffe Award and Mountbatten Plan The boundary versus the plan for partition
- West Punjab and East Punjab Pakistan’s share versus India’s share
- Boundary Commission and Boundary Force A body to draw the line versus troops to keep order
Memory Hook
Six weeks, old maps, a late report, and a line drawn through the Punjab.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about the Award and its consequences. These points add depth.
- Process Haste, faulty data and withheld report
- Impact Violence strongest along the line
- Contrast Punjab versus Bengal
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Examine the working of the Radcliffe Boundary Commission and the reasons for the violence that followed partition.”
How to Answer
- Commission Members and time.
- Constraints Maps and census.
- Violence Regions and toll.
- Conclude Causes together.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
Who headed the Boundary Commission of 1947?
Sir Cyril Radcliffe headed it, with two Muslim and two non-Muslim judges in each case. He had limited knowledge of India, used out-of-date maps and census material, and was asked to complete the work within about six weeks.
Why was the Radcliffe report made public after 15 August?
It was ready by 12 August, but Mountbatten made it public only after 15 August so that the British would not carry the blame for the communal riots and other consequences of the boundary lines.
How much territory did West Punjab and East Punjab receive?
West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, received 62,000 square miles and 15.7 million people, while East Punjab, India's share, received 37,000 square miles and 12.6 million people on the 1941 census figures, and sizeable minorities remained on both sides.
Why was Bengal less violent than the Punjab?
Bengal experienced less violence because Gandhi was present there and made efforts through fasts, while the Punjab, which the Radcliffe line cut through, saw the largest number of murders and abductions of women and children.
Why was the Boundary Force unable to control the violence?
The Boundary Force of 50,000 men divided along communal lines, Nehru had decided against allowing British troops to take part, and European officers were busy preparing to leave, so disorder spread, as Lockhart observed about the divided services.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Sir Cyril Radcliffe headed the Boundary Commission for the Punjab and Bengal.
He had never been east of Gibraltar before.
2 The Radcliffe report was published before 15 August 1947.
It was ready by 12 August but made public after 15 August.
3 The 1941 census was the basis for the boundary decisions.
It was itself considered faulty.
4 Bengal saw more violence than the Punjab in 1947 because Gandhi was absent.
Gandhi's presence helped keep Bengal calmer.
5 The Boundary Force of 50,000 men was successful in preventing the riots.
It divided along communal lines.
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