Sir Cyril Radcliffe, a British lawyer who had never visited India, was tasked with drawing the borders with outdated maps and census records.
: The provinces of Punjab and Bengal were divided based on religious majorities, often running through villages and even homes. partition
: Proposed on 3 June 1947 by the last Viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten , it moved the independence date forward by a year, leaving only nine weeks to execute the division. 2. The Radcliffe Line Sir Cyril Radcliffe, a British lawyer who had
The partition was formalized by the and was the culmination of decades of political and religious tension. Key drivers included: Sir Cyril Radcliffe
: The borders were not made public until 17 August 1947—two days after independence—leaving millions of people uncertain about which country they were in. 3. Immediate Humanitarian Impact
The was the division of British India into two independent dominion states: the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan . This event marked the end of the British Raj and resulted in one of the largest mass migrations and humanitarian crises in human history. 1. Historical Background and Causes
: For decades, British administration utilized religious differences to prevent a unified independence movement, which eventually seeded the roots of communalism.