Partition caused between 500,00 and 1 million killed in Punjab. Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims fleeing across the new borders numbered between 10 to 16 million. {p 130, 2013 Ed}
This book, to my knowledge, is the only book that focuses on the Sir Cyril Radcliffe Boundary Commission that drew up the partition of India. Chester explains how the commission members were selected by Congress and the Muslim League, their legal backgrounds, how they drew up the line and how Radcliffe ended up having the sole discretion to decide on the final dividing line.
There is much speculation on the basis used by Radcliffe for his line. It’s a pity Radcliffe burned his private papers. Such behaviour is questionable in the eyes of posterity.
Chester has a good command of the sources. I find myself ordering a few books footnoted by her. I would have liked a more in-depth study. This book scratches the surface.
Ultimately, she contends that the location of the line did not cause the bloodshed. { p 200}. She contends that the cause was the rush to partition and Indian independence. She contends that Lord Mountbatten rushed to partition as he wanted to return to England to resume his career, the Congress leaders agreed as they were old and tired of imprisonments and Jinnah rushed as he knew he was dying of lung disease. {p 13 and 16}. Unfortunately, she does not support these assertions with detailed analysis. I also find her analysis of Radcliffe’ s motivation to take the job arguably too n.. and idealistic.
Chester concludes ” By 1947…none of the British or South Asian had the political will or resources to disarm the groups who contributed to the violence in Punjab. ” {page 192). She thus put the fault on all parties.
This conclusion can be challenged. The British was the ruling government of the day. They were in control of the police and military. They had the responsibility to maintain law and order. Lord Mountbatten arrived in India in March 1947. The Clement Attlee Labour government had given him till June 1948 to handover. Yet, he chose to accelerate it to 15 Aug 1947, a mere 5 months after he arrived in India.
By any account, Lord Mountbatten bears major responsibility for the deaths. Yet, till the end of his life he refused to admit mea culpa.
I read this excellent book in 6 days {20 to 25 Dec} during my Christmas holiday in Cyprus {21 to 25 Dec 2019} and Malta {25 to 28 Dec 2019}.