Demographic aggression
S.K. Sinha
Muhammed Ali Jinnah announced that his party would observe August
16, 1946, as Direct Action Day. He declared, “Today we bid good-bye to
constitutional methods. Today we have forged a pistol and are in a position to
use it. We mean every word of it.” Bengal was
the only province in the country where the Muslim League was in power. Direct
Action was launched in Calcutta .
Suhrawardy, the Muslim League chief minister, released his goons, as per plan.
There was a massacre of non-Muslims on the first two days. It was
surprising that the British governor did not exercise his special powers to
dismiss the Muslim League ministry and impose Governor’s Rule. He remained a
mute spectator. From the third day, non-Muslims, primarily Sikh taxi drivers
and Bihari labourers, started retaliating in a big way and Muslims now suffered
equally. Suhrawardy asked for help from the Army to restore order. He now
turned on East Bengal , which had a hapless
Hindu minority.
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