Partition of India

Mann is facing criticism from both political and religious groups as calls for his resignation and boycott intensify.

On Nov 9, 1947, Junagadh joined India despite its Nawab acceding to Pakistan. A popular revolt by the Arzi Hukumat, backed by Sardar Patel, led to the Nawab's flight. A final plebiscite overwhelmingly confirmed the merger with India.

I watched it a third time yesterday, Thursday, at a late evening show. The audience was about 50%, with half of them evidently affluent and cultured citizens, going by their appearance even from a distance. The rest half were mostly smart Mumbaikars in their 20s and 30s.

The dangerous outcome of such narratives is that they rehabilitate the very justifications once used to legitimise massacres like the Moplah riots of 1921, Direct Action Day, and the Noakhali genocide.

NCERT noted, "Even though a separate country was created for Muslims, about 3.5 crores Muslims did not shift and continued to stay in India."

The Hindus, who chose Pakistan over India, were brutally killed in front of their houses for being 'Kafirs'. And, the handful of Muslims who supported progressive ideas were either forced to leave Pakistan or were left to die in isolation.

The act of 'Partition', fuelled by the Muslim League and facilitated by the British in cahoots with the Congress party, stripped by maternal grandparents of their peace, stability and heritage.

Ironically, Rehmat Ali Khan, who so vehemently vouched for a separate Muslim nation which was supposed to be the dreamland of the Muslims of British India, could not get a piece of land in that Muslim dreamland even for his grave.

The Wire journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani rememebred Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, who coined two-nation theory, to give right direction to Muslims