The Sordid Saga of Partition: Forced Migration from East Pakistan to West Bengal

Abstract

Partition of Indian Sub-continent between India and Pakistan in 1947 created one of the world's largest migration problems. Punjab in the north-west and Bengal in the eastern border was the main epicentre of this migration problem. Near about fifteen million people were displaced with close to two million killed. Though the scale of violence was very high in the western border but situation was under control within one or two years. However, what is unique about the Bengal Partition is that unlike the massive exchange of population in 1947-48 and till 1950 on the western border, the influx of refugees continued for many years after partition, and continues in different forms on the eastern border of India. Therefore, the displacement and migration from East to West, that is former East Pakistan and Bangladesh to West Bengal is still a reality. Though the Migration of the Bengali Hindus from East Pakistan is a ceaseless process but there is some specific developments which accelerated the refugee flow from East.