14th August, 1947 is a black day in the history of India, which is stained with the blood of millions of Indians. It was the time of the partition of India. The land of independent, autonomous Indians was divided on the basis of religion, because of the ‘Two Nation Theory’.
Firstly, the demand for a separate nation arose from Muslims and thousands of Hindus became victims. Then, when a separate territory was given, namely Pakistan, even then, the bloodthirsty people shed the blood of Hindus. Thousands of Hindu bodies were loaded into trains coming from Pakistan and thousands of women were raped.
The situation was so serious that millions of Hindus living in present-day Pakistan were in danger. This partition had not only divided the land, but also cut the hearts of millions of Hindus. There was no one to hear this cry of Hindus against these atrocities.
Hindus were dying and were fleeing from the lands of their ancestors. In such a difficult time, only the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) stood by the side of the Hindus. Neither the government nor the Congress cared. Only the RSS volunteers risked their lives to save the Hindus.
What role did the Sangh volunteers play during the partition
At the time of partition, the Sangh and its volunteers kept a close watch on the activities of the Pakistani army. When riots broke out and the Nehru government was completely on the backfoot, the Sangh took the lead and arranged more than three thousand relief camps for lakhs of Hindu refugees from Pakistan.
RSS took up the task of bringing the Hindus living in Pakistan safely to India. At that time, the RSS was fighting a war on two fronts simultaneously. One was to evacuate Hindus from Pakistan at any cost and the other was to fight the anti-Hindu riots started by the Muslim League within the country.
Professor Dr. Harendra Singh, who has worked on the Sangh, says in an article that at the time of partition, the Muslim League had accumulated a large amount of weapons and explosives and had built a huge arsenal in Delhi. Not only this, but it had also trained numerous Muslim workers and hatched a conspiracy to massacre the Hindus and Sikhs living in India.
Even during this time of crisis, the volunteers of the Sangh exposed the conspiracy by risking their lives. While the second-tier leaders and volunteers of the Sangh were protecting Hindus within the country, the first-tier leaders and many volunteers were monitoring the situation of Hindus in Pakistan.
The article says that at the time of partition, the then Sarsanghchalak of the RSS, Guruji himself had said, “As long as there is a single Hindu there (in Pakistan), do not leave him there.” On his call, lakhs of volunteers brought about two crore Hindus from Pakistan to safety. While the RSS was helping in Pakistan, there was also a struggle to maintain the integrity of the independent part of India and to save the lives of Hindus trapped in modern-day Bangladesh.
What role did the Sangh volunteers play during the partition
During the partition, the RSS and its volunteers kept a close watch on the activities of the Pakistani army. When riots broke out and the Nehru government was completely on the backfoot, the RSS took the lead and arranged more than three thousand relief camps for the lakhs of Hindu refugees from Pakistan.
RSS took up the task of bringing the Hindus living in Pakistan safely to India. At that time, the RSS was fighting a war on two fronts simultaneously. One was to evacuate the Hindus from Pakistan at any cost and the other was to fight the anti-Hindu riots started by the Muslim League within the country.
Professor Dr. Harendra Singh, who has worked on the Sangh, says in an article that at the time of partition, the Muslim League had collected a large amount of weapons and explosives and built a huge arsenal in Delhi. Not only this, but it had prepared numerous trained Muslim workers and hatched a conspiracy to massacre the Hindus and Sikhs living in India.
Even in this time of crisis, the volunteers of the Sangh risked their lives to expose the conspiracy. While the leaders and volunteers of the RSS were protecting the Hindus in the country itself, the leaders and many volunteers of the first row were going to Pakistan and monitoring the situation of the Hindus.
In the regions of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Lahore and Karachi in Pakistan, the then Sarsanghchalak Guruji and senior officers of the Sangh were working tirelessly and were taking many people with them to boost the morale of the Hindu community there and taking protective measures.
The Sangh also organised yatras of revolutionaries like Veer Savarkar and leaders like Balasaheb Devsarji across Punjab. Not only this, but Sindhutai, the director of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, organised Hindu women in Sindh and Punjab by spreading awareness and made strenuous efforts from Karachi to Lahore over a period of three weeks.
The article says that at the time of partition, the then Sarsanghchalak of the RSS, Guruji himself had called out, “As long as there is a single Hindu there (in Pakistan), do not leave him there.” On his call, lakhs of volunteers brought about two crore Hindus from Pakistan to safety. While the RSS was helping in Pakistan, there was also a struggle to maintain the integrity of the independent part of India and to save the lives of Hindus trapped in the other separated part.
RSS volunteers came to save the lives of Hindus
The Sangh had taken upon itself the responsibility of protecting the lives and honour of Hindus in Pakistan. At the time of partition, the Sangh Shiksha Vrag was suspended in Punjab and the volunteers started performing their duty without going home. The Sangh provided protection to Hindus by setting up 80 security camps in Lahore and more than 300 in other parts of Pakistan. It also set up relief camps with names like Hindu Raksha Samiti, Punjab Rahat Samiti, Vastuhar Sahayata Samiti etc. for the Hindus who had been displaced from Pakistan and reached Jammu, Delhi, Amritsar, Kolkata.
Volunteers also provided various services through these camps in collaboration with the society. For example, the Sangh took up the responsibility of finding and reuniting separated siblings, parents, husband and wife. Apart from that, services like treating the injured, giving blood when needed, running blood donation camps are also provided. Arrangements were made to provide food to 20 to 25 thousand people every day and to provide clothes, utensils, food items, etc. Arrangements were also made for accommodation in schools, dharamshalas and economically well-off residences in other cities and places of the country.
Bhagirath’s work was done without any publicity
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, while praising the work of the volunteers during that difficult time of partition, said, “It cannot be denied that the brave volunteers of the Sangh saved countless innocent women and children. They saved them from far and wide and brought them here.” However, it is also a reality that very few people took note of this heroic work of the Sangh. It can even be said that they did not take note at all.
At present, hardly anyone would have information about the work done by the Sangh. Gandhi was sitting in Noakhali at that time and Hindus were dying, children were being mutilated and women were being robbed. If there was another sight, it was only the service spirit of the Sangh. Thousands of volunteers of the Sangh had devoted their all to the service of those unfortunate victims without any publicity.
Millions of Hindus became victims of Islamic Jihad
Hindus were the worst victims of violence in both India and Pakistan. About 2 million people were killed and two crore people had to leave their ancestral lands. Daughters were raped in front of their fathers. Entire families were burned, temples and gurdwaras were targeted, and young children, the elderly and even women were killed by Muslim mobs.
The worst violence was committed in Sindh, Hyderabad, Punjab, Bengal and Kashmir. In Kashmir, Pakistanis in tribal guise massacred Hindus, in Sindh, Bengal and Punjab, Hindu and Sikh families were burnt alive and children were tortured and killed. During all these incidents, rape and gang rape of Hindu women and girls had become common. Millions of people have never forgotten this atrocity.
The misfortune of the country is such that such horrible, cruel and barbaric events were erased from history. There is no mention of such events in academic history. This includes people like Munshi, Savarkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. This work of remembering the pain of millions of Hindus and making the next generation aware of the truth is done through the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day by PM Modi.
Was RSS inactive in the freedom movement
The biggest propaganda spread by the Left and the Congress till now is that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh remained inactive in the freedom movement. This propaganda is part of a deliberate conspiracy. The fact is that the Sangh not only played a role in the great freedom struggle, but every member also gave their life when needed.
Sangh volunteers like Umakant Kadia participated in Gandhi’s ‘Quit India’ movement and also attained martyrdom. Umakant Kadia is the first revolutionary to attain martyrdom in the ‘Quit India’ movement.
The reality is that when the country was in need, the Sangh came forward and helped. When the then Nehru government was going on the back foot, the volunteers of this same Sangh helped the government by exposing the activities of the Pakistan Army and the Muslim League. Many volunteers participated in this freedom movement and even gave their lives for the country.
In addition, when the Hindu community was isolated, only the volunteers of the Sangh stood by them. They fought for the Hindu community by risking their lives and also saved the lives of lakhs of people. Later, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Sardar Patel also said that thousands of brave volunteers of the Sangh were at the forefront to save the lives of lakhs of people and to stop the barbarity against women.
Therefore, the claim of the Congress and the Left historians-clique that the RSS was not involved in the freedom movement is baseless and a propaganda spread deliberately as part of a conspiracy. It is a well-known law of nature that no matter how much truth is suppressed, at the right time it comes out. This is the time.
The original Gujarati report can be read here.
