The Muslim League Council proclaimed 16th August 1946 as ‘Direct Action Day’ in order to accentuate their demand for a separate Muslim homeland after the British left the Indian subcontinent. Their main aim was to attain a different country with a Muslim majority.

When was the Direct Action Day: 16th August 1946
Who presided over Direct Action Day: It was initiated by Muslim League and led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah
What was the purpose of Direct Action Day: When the Cabinet Mission plan of 1946 failed to find middle ground between INC and Muslim League for a united India as the league wanted a separate homeland for Muslims, Muslim League called for the Direct Action Day

Direct Action Day – Series of Events

• In 1946, the Cabinet Mission was sent to India by the British government to find a resolution to the conflict between the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Muslim League on the issue of independence. The two parties were the largest in India’s Constituent Assembly.
• The League wanted a separate homeland for the Muslims they called Pakistan while the INC wanted a united India.
• The Mission was not successful since the League and the Congress could not agree on the point of a united India with a strong centre.
• Since the Mission failed, the Muslim League announced 16th August as Direct Action Day and called for a general hartal in order to protest the INC’s stand and demand vehemently a separate homeland.
• The Chief Minister of Bengal at that time was Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy of the Muslim League. The League announced that there was to be a mass rally presided over by Suhrawardy. Processions of people would come from different places and meet at the Ochterlony Monument to attend the rally.
• The rally started at noon, although there were instances of forced closing down of shops, stabbing and stoning from morning itself.

“Either a divided India or a destroyed India” were the bloodcurdling words uttered by the leader of the All India Muslim League, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the words that sent chills down the spine.  Thus Pakistan came into existence – the very country born after dividing and destroying India through a bloodbath of many a thousand innocent people or should we not call it genocide of the Hindus?

And this extermination began with an official announcement of a day that was declared as the Direct Action Day slated to be observed on 16th August, 1946, i.e. just a year before our actual independence. This antagonistic attitude caused a massive riot resulting in thousands of innocents losing their lives while rending a million homeless.  Under the garb of a Protest March, a particular community known for their communal onslaughts, launched an assault with sheer ruthlessness.

The All India Muslim League wanted a separate ‘group of provinces’ which would be Muslim majority Northwest and Eastern part of India to be ruled by the All India Muslim League. Before discussing the history of the backdrop of Direct Action Day we need to arrange the episodes of incidents in the right sequences.

During the Lahore resolution in 1940, the Muslim League argued for a separate territory with Muslim majority areas of Northwest and Eastern part of India should be constituted as ‘Independent States’. Muslim League was firm on this demand of separate Muslim independent state. In the meantime, British Government had sent Cabinet Mission to India in 1946 to transfer the power to the Indian leadership on 16th May, 1946. The proposed structure was based on a three-tier system i.e., a centre, groups of provinces and provinces. Back then, the Indian National Congress and Muslim League were the two largest political parties of British India and had the power to construct New India as they had the largest members in the Constituent Assembly of India. These ‘groups of provinces’ were actually the proposed new independent land according to the demands of Muslim League.

Cabinet mission’s plan of this division of power was accepted by both the parties, but the Muslim League did not trust the Congress though Congress leadership was ready to divide India to propitiate the Muslim League.  Finally on June 16, 1946, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim League accepted the plan of the Cabinet Mission while the central leadership of the Congress also had accepted this division and power transfer plan.

On 10th July, 1946, the then Congress president Jawaharlal Nehru, had declared in Bombay (now Mumbai) via a press conference that it might change and modify the Cabinet Mission Plan according to the then situation and agreed to participate in the Constituent Assembly. Now the Muslim League refused to participate in the Constituent Assembly as they feared that their demands would be undermined causing Jinnah to adopt a more rigid stance for ‘Independent and sovereign’ separate Muslim majority land dividing India and rejected Cabinet Mission plan for transfer of power to an Interim Government.

On 29th July, 1946, Jinnah called for a press conference and declared a resolution to describe his stand that they are “preparing to launch a struggle” until their demand for a separate Muslim majority land i.e., Pakistan was considered. He further warned that they would launch “Direct Action” to grapple for their separate independent and sovereign Muslim Land.

His rigidity for Pakistan might be shown by the following statement: “Go to the Congress and ask them their plans. When they take you into their confidence I will take you into mine. Why do you expect me alone to rib with folded hands? I am going to make trouble”. It proves the insensitivity and irresponsibility and a separatist mindset of the Muslim League as well as of Jinnah.

The Islamist Connection

Jinnah declared that he was going to “create trouble” and pledged “I will have India divided or India burned”. He gave a call for ‘Direct Action Day’ on 16 August 1946, where Muslims would observe a hartal (general strike) to demonstrate to the British their resolve for the creation of Pakistan. In what gives the lie to later claims that Jinnah was tolerant and secular, and exposes him as a bigoted Islamist, he chose 16 August deliberately. That day in 1946 was the eighteenth day of Ramzan, and it was on that day that Prophet Muhammad waged the bloody Battle of Badr which resulted in his first decisive victory over the heathens and the subsequent conquest of Mecca. Islamists celebrate the victory in this battle as a decisive one for Islam.

Suhrawardy and his Muslim League colleagues delivered fiery speeches reminding Muslims of Bengal of the victory of Badr and exhorting on them to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet and wrest a victory for Islam on 16 August. Devendra Panigrahi, in his seminal India’s Partition: The Story of Imperialism in Retreat, quotes the 13 August 1946 issue of Muslim league mouthpiece The Star of India, which gave detailed instructions on how to observe ‘Direct Action Day’. The newspaper wrote:

Muslims must remember that it was in Ramzan that permission for jehad was granted by Allah. It was in Ramzan that the Battle of Badr, the first open conflict between Islam and heathens, was fought and won by 313 Muslims and again it was in Ramzan that 10,000 Muslims under the Holy Prophet conquered Mecca and established the Kingdom of Heaven and the commonwealth of Islam in Arabia. The Muslim League is fortunate that it is starting its action on this Holy month and day.

16 August was also a Friday, and the Muslim League under Suhrawardy instructed all clerics to deliver sermons urging Muslims gathered for jumma namaz to use all means for the creation of Pakistan. Accordingly, the clerics interpreted ‘Direct Action’ as a call for violence against Hindus to force them to accept the creation of Pakistan. It was, to the Muslim League goons, a call to kill Hindus and reduce them to a minority.

“There were enough indications from Jinnah that there would be grave trouble and the whole intention of calling for ‘direct action’ was creating trouble. Jinnah became hell-bent on proving to the British that Hindus and Muslims would not be able to live together in one nation and the best way to demonstrate that was to engineer killings and communal clashes on a big scale. He thus gave a free hand to Suhrawardy to terrorise the Hindus and start a pogrom against Hindus,” explains historian Juthika Roy.

Suhrawardy was, according to all accounts, a bully who believed in violence and had a large army of goons at his disposal to enforce his writ. He was highly corrupt and lacked administrative skills. Also, he had a visceral hatred for Hindus who, he believed, were heathens who had to be killed or converted to Islam. Suhrawardy’s personal diaries reveal he was an Islamist hardliner who believed in making the entire Indian sub-continent an Islamic state.

So by observing 16th August, 1946 as “Direct Action Day”, Muslim League proved that they were an enemy of India and its people. They wanted to destroy India in the name of birth of Pakistan. They had shown their utter hatred towards the Indian society. They had not only warned, but also fulfilled their words. The tragic consequences had ruined social and communal harmony, thereby demolishing forever the Hindu-Muslim Unity and Brotherhood theory. They had acted just like the separatist or even worse, like like a terrorist outfit. Demand for establishment of a new state is perhaps not a crime but to blackmail a civil society with dire consequences is a definite act of terror. It is reported that more than 4000 people were killed on that day and lakhs of people became homeless. Kolkata had experienced its most dreaded day of bloodstains.

An organized massacre Against Hindus

In fact on 16th August, 1946 the gathering, estimated variously between 60,000 and 200,000, was by far the largest assembly of Muslim congregation of the then Capital of Undivided Bengal.

Muslim League leader Khwaja Nizamuddin (who later became governor general of Pakistan after Jinnah’s death) was one of the first to address the rally. He laid the ground by alleging that Hindus had attacked Muslims that morning and the Muslims had only retaliated in self-defence. Suhrawardy delivered a fiery speech calling for the creation of Pakistan and urging Muslims to fight for it. He gave the slogans: “Maar ke lenge Pakistan, lad ke lenge Pakistan, le kar rahenge Pakistan, Allahu Akhbar, nara-i-takhbir”. (We will kill and fight to create Pakistan, we are determined to create Pakistan.)

Suhrawardy, according to reports filed by British intelligence operatives after the 16 August rally, told the large and agitated crowd that he had ensured the police and army would not intervene. That was seen as an open call and encouragement to the goons to attack Hindus. Even Banglapedia, the ‘National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh’ (where Suhrawardy is a revered figure), writes that Suhrawardy had told the gathering that the police and the army had been “restrained”. That meant they would not look the other way and would not interfere when Muslim mobs attacked and killed and raped Hindus.

North Central Hindu majority and financially powerful areas of the city were attacked from the morning of the very same day from 10 AM onwards. The shops were forced to close shut, several reports of hooliganism, stabbing, pelting of stones in the area of College Street, Collotolla, Burrabazar, Kalabagan, Harison Road were reported. Muslims had started gathering around the then Ochterlony Monument, now Shaheed Minar, adjacent to the Maiden areas since midday prayers and the meeting began at around 2 PM and crowds were addressed by the principal speakers like Khawaja Nazimuddin and the then Prime Minister of Bengal province, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. The gatherings were relatively peaceful and did not gear for any provocation, but the speakers Nazimuddin and Suhrawardy instigated the assembled Muslim people as they misinformed the crowd intentionally that Muslims were being attacked first, were injured and they needed to retaliate and they should do so in self defense. So the tension brewed and Muslim leaders fired up the situation for the worse. Thus they acted upon and executed their plan to bleed and divide India.

Amrita Bazar Patrika - 16th Aug 1946

In the archives of venerable Calcutta-based newspaper Amrita Bazar Patrika, there was a comment upon the “dangerous atmosphere created by the league government”, and further added that there will not be any tram services in Kolkata on that day.

Some sources estimate that nearly 30,000 people gathered at the Maidan area of Central Kolkata that day while others estimate nearly 100,000, but whatever the number the aftermath of the riot left deep scars that would never heal with time.  It was a planned barbarous butchery of humans – a genocide. After listening to the provocative speeches of the Muslim leaders, uneducated and mostly poor Muslims started looting and murdering Hindus.

The attack was orchestrated by the diabolic Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, the then chief minister of Bengal, with the sole intention of terrorising Hindus and forcing them to accept Bengal’s inclusion into the proposed Pakistan. He engineered the killings, maiming, rape and molestation of tens of thousands of Hindus in Calcutta, prevented the police from going to the aid of Hindus and then triggered the Noakhali riots in October-November that year that left an estimated 5,000 Hindus dead, while 10,000 were raped and forcibly converted to Islam along with a few thousand Hindu families.

It is reported that Chief Minister Suhrawardy had that much influence in the police headquarter at Lalbazar to restrain the military and police force to act aptly, but really were the Muslims on the road attacking the Hindus local Muslims? The answer is no. There were lorries of non-Bengali Muslims brought from different parts, equipped with arsenal like the brickbats, lathis, bottles, swords, choppers etc. Only after 6 PM curfew was imposed and at 8 PM forces were deployed, but before that a planned Hindu genocide took place under the aegis of the Muslim leaders demanding a separate land for Muslims. The riot continued for nearly a week and on 21st August, Bengal was taken under direct Governor’s rule. But by then, Kolkata was devastated with so many riot affected people wherein they either lost their relatives or were rendered homeless.

Since 1947, Marxist and Nehruvian historians and scholars have successfully whitewashed the grave crimes of Suhrawardy and made him a respectable figure. Few people know that Suhrawardy, who went on to become Pakistan’s prime minister, is actually the ‘butcher of Bengal’. It is, thus, necessary to revisit history and set the record straight on Suhrawardy as well as his murderous Muslim League colleagues.

17th August Newspaper - Jugantar

Jugantar Newspaper Publication - 17th Aug 1946

On 17th the other Bengali newspaper Jugantar led with the headline “Lamentable riots and arson in Kolkata on ‘Direct Action Day’ called by the Muslim League.” There are details about shops being robbed, Hindu houses being attacked by Muslim mobs.

• In the Maniktala area, a Hindu sweet shop was attacked by Muslims, who went on to attack a nearby Temple.
• The violence spread from Rajabajar to Circular road, to University Science College.
• Shops in College Street, Dharmatala areas faced massive losses due to looting.
• The Cinema Hall Rupabani got attacked, following which violence spread in Cornwallis Street.
• The offices of The Statesman newspaper got attacked.
• We find reports of stone, soda bottle pelting, and organized mobs attacking Hindu localities.
• We also find initial reports of Hindu residents fleeing from their areas.
• There are reports of Muslim Students unfurling the Muslim League flag, and then those being pulled down and replaced with tricolor, and that leads to tensions.
• There are reports of both Hindu and Muslim shops being looted at a few places.

There are also claims that the police were completely missing from the action, or totally ineffective when they did arrive.

Amrita Bazar Patrika 17th Aug 1946

Amrita Bazar Patrika led with a far more ominous headline – “Calcutta under mob rule.” It claimed 161 dead and over 800 people were injured.

Curiously, there was no reaction from either Nehru or Gandhiji on what had happened. We find them talking about grand issues of government formation or ruminating on the “ideal state.”

Amrita Bazar Patrika 19th Aug 1946

On 19th Aug Amrita Bazar Patrika reported that the city is “strewn with dead bodies,” and that the disturbances continued “unabated.” It laments “inadequate” military patrolling which leads to the continuation of “murder, firing & arson.” Markets were closed, shops that hadn’t been looted were shuttered, telephone lines were dead and no transport was available. The paper commented that there was no way of knowing the actual figures of the dead and the wounded since the city was littered with corpses.

There is a big statement from Nehru on high-sounding state affairs, but no mention of the happenings in Calcutta.

Here some pertinent questions arise – Jinnah called for a Direct Action for all over India but why only Kolkata was so badly affected? Were British Troops not available to control the riots and to save Hindu lives?

On 21st August, 5 battalions of British troops were deployed in the different parts of the city. The then Viceroy, Lord Wavell alleged that to control the situation, troops should have been called in earlier and British Troops were available for any situation at that time. The riots were coming to an end by 22nd August. Suhrawardy used all his tricks to delay the deployment of British troops and prevented any timely action.  The then British Army was in the Sealdah Rest Camp and he influenced all the officials to not act appropriately and the riots continued under his conspiracy and machinations. People died due to inaction of the army and police. It is even reported that Suhrawardy was in the police control room of Lalbazar with his accomplices and influenced the local officials to not take relevant timely actions. It is also alleged that the then Viceroy of Bengal, John Burrows also had not taken actions to restore law and order to save the helpless people.

Kolkata had faced the ugliest riots in the context of the Direct Action Day and the deep rooted cause for this was evident. Jinnah led Muslim League took a resolution to reject the Cabinet Mission Plan of power transfer to India on May 16th and called on Muslims from all over India to protest against the Cabinet Mission Plan. Though the plan clearly stated for a separate Muslim Land but Jinnah needed absolute conformity and for this deal he wanted assurance from the authority. He was ready to destroy India in exchange of confirmation of their demand. Direct Action Day was observed throughout India like Northwestern provinces like Punjab, Sind, in cities like Karachi, Lahore, Dhaka, but riots emerged only in Kolkata.

Kolkata had a different picture then, the gateway of Eastern India, an affluent Economic zone, rich Industrial belt, Capital of Bengal Province which was ruled by the Muslim League. Muslim League was in Power under a regime of provincial autonomy which was introduced in 1935. Congress and Hindu Mahasabha were the oppositions there. Bengal compromised of 54% Muslims and 44% of Hindus (1941 census) and this was the main reason for League Coalition Government then. The Eastern part of Bengal Province had a clear Muslim majority which is now Bangladesh and Hindu majority prevailed in the western part of Bengal Province which is now West Bengal, a state of India. Kolkata had a clear Hindu majority with 73% of population and was influenced by the Marwari and Gujarati communities who were the economic backbone, not only for Kolkata, but for the entire Bengal. The areas where riots took place during the Direct Action call of Jinnah – the Northern and Central part of Kolkata were predominantly Muslim dominated areas. These Muslims were poor, non-Bengali speaking and had a connection with underworld, and they carried out assault against the Marwaris as they were trying to run a parallel economy. So it is very clear that in the name of Direct Action Day, it was a fight for control over the economy of Kolkata and a wider plan to include Kolkata in the future Pakistan. The entire day including the North Western part of India and Eastern part of Bengal province had followed the peaceful demonstration, no riots were reported. No violent outrages were seen in the cities like Karachi, Hyderabad (Pakistan), Lahore or even Dhaka. This is because all these cities were Muslim majority and were already confirmed to be appended into future Pakistan. But for Kolkata, they had their suspicion, their doubts. Kolkata was Hindu-dominated and hence had to pay a heavy price with their blood.  Hindus had to face the consequences of not merging with Pakistan.  Kolkata paid heavily with their lives and property for not affixing to Pakistan and sadly this darkest chapter in history remains buried – never talked about, never taught, never even whispered in this lively city, but then this riot is nothing short of ‘The Great Calcutta Killing’.