A Diary of The Partition Days - Dr. Ganda Singh PDF
A Diary of The Partition Days - Dr. Ganda Singh PDF
A Diary of The Partition Days - Dr. Ganda Singh PDF
of the
PARTITION DAYS
1947
A DIARY
of the
PARTITION DAYS
1947
by
GANDA SINGH
M.A., Ph.D., M.R.A.S.
Reprinted from
JOURNAL OF INDIAN HISTORY
April and August 1960
I
BEFORE PARTITION
Reprinted from Joumd of lndi/lft HistMtI. VoL XXXVIn..
Part I, No. 112, April, 1960
GANDA SINGH
Patiala,
December 5. 1959. GAN1)A S:lNGB;,
A DIARY OF THE pARTITION DAYS 207
THE DIARY
April 1, 1947, Tuesday
Two butchers Sadiq and Taj, who dressed as Nihang Sikhs
and wearing artificial beards and moustaches, and armed with
spears, had murdered Chanadin, a big land-lord of Mandeke in
the jurisdiction of the Barki, confessed their crime and produced
the artificial beards and moustaches used by them to look like
Nihang Sikhs.
Five former soldiers of the Indian Army, namely Sardars
Nanak Singh, Chhajju Singh, Gian Singh, Banta Singh and
Surat Singh, who had been court-martialled at Singapore for refus-
ing to shoot 'Indonesians, were released from the Lahore jail after
the expiry of full term of 18 months of imprisonment.
Meetings were held in different parts of the country, particularly
in the district of Jullundur, to mourn the loss of an eminent Sikh,
Babu Labh Singh, who was murdered by Muslims while he was
appealing to people to maintain peace and order and to resume
-
normal work.
..
April 2, 1947, Wednesday
Sardar Ishar Singh Majhail, M.L.A., and Giani Gurmukh
Singh Musafar, who had toured the affected and disturbed areas
in the Rawalpindi and neighbouring districts, urged upon the
Deputy Commissioner of Rawalpindi the necessity of restoring con-
fidence among the minority communities. They were also success-
ful in composing the difterences between the local Sikhs.
Sardar Partap Singh, Giani Gurmukh Singh and Dr. Lehna
Singh invited the attention of Mr. Plumb, D.I.G. in charge -of
investigations, to the havoc caused by Muslims in Chauntra Police
Station in the Attock district and asked for immediate investiga-
tions in that area.
Qazi Attaullah, speaking in the Frontier Assembly, remarked:
"I feel that certain British Government officials in the N. W. F. P.
are in an unholy alliance with the Muslim League". "These
British officials", he continued, "have been giving full -access to
Pir of Manaki and certain other League elements and are carry-
ih~ on League propaganda in the tribal areas".
JOURNAL OF INDIAN HISTORY
Six persons were killed and 20 injured as a result of the
attack by green-uniformed Muslim Leaguers on Hindu and Sikh
passengers at Gorazai Railway Station, 17 miles from Kohat Lo-
wards Rawalpindi.
April 3, 1947, Thursday
Nine Hindu and Sikh members of the Central Assembly from
the Panjab sent a letter to Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru requestmg
him to forward it to the Viceroy and H. M. G. "The only way
out of the present deadlock is to partition the Panjab into two
provinces", said the letter, adding that "it is no longer a long
term constitutional issue but an urgent and immediate adminis-
trative problem which should have the first priority".
Mr. Virendra, M.L.A., asked the Secretary of the Panjab
Muslim League, Mian Mumtaz Daultana, in a statement, "if the
Muslim is prepared to negotiate on the basis of two ministries
in the province, one for the Muslun ma~ority area, and the other
for the non-Muslim majority area. As at present the .Panjab
will either have two ministries or none at all".
Sardar Ujjal Singh, M.A., M.L.A., said: "Division of the Panjab
is the only remedy now and we ail agree on that issue."
In a meeting of the Panjab Assembly Panthic Party, with
Sardar Swaran bmgh as its leader, there was complete unanimity
on the questIOn oJ: tile "diVlSlOn of the .1-'anJab. The Governor was
urged "to take necessal'y steps to remove the inadequate repre-
sentation of the minorItIes III the police now that 6,OUO constables
are to be recruited in the additional police. The party protested
against "the heavy, inequitable and unjust collective hIles" in
Multan demanding that "only the aggressors be punished and not
the aggrieved".
Malik Feroze Khan Noon, in a press interview, demanded the
division of the armed forces and military equipment, and also
ordnance factories.
A bill aiming at nullifying forcible conversions and marriages
was introduced "in the Council of State by Mr. S. K.. Roy
Chowdhry.
Eighteen prominent Sikh leaders issued an appeal to the
Panth to contribute at least Re. 1 per head for a 50-lakh Fund to
A DIAlV 0' THE pAB!1'ITION DAYS 209
enable the Sikh community to fight Pakistan. Sardar Baldev
Singh and S. Bhag Singh Gurdaspuri were appointed treasurers.
Replying to Mr. Jinnah's speech calling for truce on Pakistan
basis, Sardar Patel said at Ahmedabad: "Congress is ready to sign
the truce if the question of Pakistan is referred to an impartial
tribunal ... Congress has made its decision .... Congress will not
submit to any injustice."
Dr. Khan Sahib said at press conference at Peshawar, "that six
Hindus and Sikhs were killed, five injured seriously and three
slightly injured by Muslim Leaguers in green uniform on the train
yesterday. Fifteen men, women and children travelling on the
train were missing.
Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud, head of the Ahmadiya com-
munity, in the course of his address at a meeting of his followers,
advised the Muslims not to get mad for Pakistan. Majority of the
world is not in favour of Pakistan; rather it stands for the unifica-
tion and solidarity of countries.
Addressing the 1st Sikh Infantry Regiment at Patiala, His
Highness Maharaja Yadavindra Singh felt proud of the glorious
traditions of his forces. They belonged to the Panth and Panth
was theirs, said he, and that they were ever ready to offer the
biggestsacrmce for its protection.
Malik Ferozez Khan Noon told the A.P.I. that a certain num-
ber of the divisions of the armed forces should be immediately
handed over to Pakistan and Hindustan when sowreign powers
were transferred to the Constituent Assemblies of the two areas.
(Tr.25).
Reported from Karachi that Mr. Jinnah has sabotaged the com-
promise that had been accepted by the Muslims and Hindus of
Sind on the Sind University Act.
(To be continued)
II
AFTER PARTITION
Reprinted from Journal of Indian RistOT'lJ. Vol. XXXVIII, Part II,
August 1960
GANDA SINGH
26 August, 1947
Muslim refugees, helped by local Muslims, attacked non-
Muslims at Bahawalnagar, inflicted 445 casualties and looted Hindu
shops.
(Other towns affected by Muslim attacks on non-Muslims,
being Hasilpur with 348 casualties. including 11 Muslims, the city
of Bahawalpur with 147 casualties including 21 Muslims and
Christians, Mandi Sadiqganj, Khairpur and Udhampur, with casu-
alties under 1000. (CMG. Nov. 22).
7 September, 1947
Over 100 Sikhs, men, women and children were massacred
at the instigation of Mahfuz Hussain, Sub-Inspector Police, in the
village of Wanieke Tarar in the district of Gujranwala, according
to the statement of L. Sundar Das Narang, dispenser of the place.
(Ajit, Dec. 14).
The East Punjab Government decided that all schools and col-
leges would further continue to remain closed until the end of
February, 1948, to provide shelter during winter to ten lakh suf-
ferers arriving from the Pakistan Punjab, in addition to those who
have already come. (Tr. 14).
Khan Muhammad Yahiya Jan contradicted the news of the
establishment of Azad Pathanistan Government at Kabul. (Tr. 14).