The Hapless Biharis, the Worst Victims of Partition of India: The Sikhs and Hindus of West Punjab went to East Punjab mainly. The local Muslims usurped some of their properties, but migratees from East Punjab were settled in their lands and properties. They usually got more than what they had left in East Punjab. The same thing happened to all migratees who had gone over to West Pakistan. They could get property everywhere. The process of migration was almost total. The Sindhis went to Gujrat and adjacent provinces of India. Many from other provinces of West Pakistan went over to the heartland of India. Hindus from East Bengal went over to West Bengal. Those who had gone as destitute were settled in the Dandakaranya of the Madhyapradesh. From West Bengal very few people had to come to East Bengal due to partition. Most of those who migrated, settled in the border areas and did not move beyond that in East Pakistan. Some rich and educated Muslims came from West Bengal to Dacca to get better positions. This was similar to the migration of people from Iran and Central Asia to India during Mogul rule here. As expected, they got very prestigious positions in East Pakistan, just like their forbears used to get during the Mogul rule in India. Very few common people felt inclined to migrate from West Bengal to East Pakistan. Congress leaders of consequence were all the time declaring that the Muslims did not have to migrate for they would have an honourable life in India, a secular polity. Unfortunately, that did not happen to the Hindus of East Pakistan. They were not assured by anybody that they would not have to move from their ancestral homes. Rather, in 1950, a very serious riot was organized in Dacca and other towns like Barisal, Chittagong etc, intended to frighten the Hindus so that they decide to migrate. For, the paucity of migrants from West Bengal had created anxiety among those who were waiting eagerly for migrations of the Hindus. Since the migrations from West Bengal was minimal and from East Bengal was semi-total, many property remained for usurpation. This made minority property a great source of enrichment for the local Muslims. This source of gaining quick wealth became a regular way to wealth. So, minority-repression remained an intermittently regular affair. Minority repression in 2013 was just one in the chain events of the same nature. But what about the Biharis? The West Pakistan was far off from their province. Their province did not have a Pakistani counterpart like Bengal and Punjab. But the 1946 riots in Bihar in retaliation to Calcutta riots, had undermined their confidence in safety in India. Moreover, their participation in Pakistan movement had undermined their position in their ancestral homes. They went to far off West Pakistan where they could not be assimilated and came over to East Pakistan where again they could not be assimilated. In the previous post, I have described their fate. A spurious, feudal, and anti-people idea of Two Nation Theory threw these hapless industrious people into an abyss. Who were responsible for the sad plight for these unfortunate Muslims and hapless Hindus? Should we not find them out and put them on the dock? Where are they now? Can we not pass a verdict of history on them?
Posted on: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 21:34:55 +0000
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