The partition riots in Rawalpindi, also known as the Rape of Rawalpindi is the name given to the sectarian violence which occurred between Muslims and Sikhs, Hindus in Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan) during Feb-March 1947, on the backdrop of ensuing Partition of India.[1] The partition of India was the partition of British India (at the time of independence of India) on the basis of religious demographics, with Muslim-predominant regions forming Pakistan and non-Muslim predominant regions forming Republic of India. The communal killings occurred in a northern district of Punjab, and have been termed as the Rape of Rawalpindi.[2] Several Hindu and Sikh women died by suicide and killed their female children in order to keep their honour.[3] In order to save their lives large number of non-Muslims residing in the region had to accept Islam.[3]
The event has also been described in a book titled "Rape of Rawalpindi" by Prabodh Chandra, Member of the Legislative Assembly.[4] The book describes the happenings and also includes a collection of photographs of the communal incident.[5] The event has been covered in a number of partition of India related historical works.[6][7]
References
- ^ Gillani, Waqar (March 30, 2004). "History books contain major distortions: SDPI". Daily Times.
- ^ India. Commission of Inquiry into Conspiracy to Murder Mahatma Gandhi; Jeevan Lal Kapur (1970). Report of Commission of Inquiry into Conspiracy to Murder Mahatma Gandhi. Ministry of Home affairs. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ a b Jain, Jagdish Chandra (1987). Gandhi, the Forgotten Mahatma. Mittal Publications. p. 206. ISBN 9788170990376.
- ^ Prabodh Chandra (1946). Rape of Rawalpindi. Punjab Riot Sufferers' Relief Committee. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ Mushirul Hasan (1997). India partitioned: the other face of freedom. Roli Books. ISBN 978-81-7436-011-3. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ Ishtiaq Ahmed (2011). The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed: Unravelling the 1947 Tragedy Through Secret British Reports and First Person Accounts. Rupa & Company. ISBN 978-81-291-1862-2. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ "Voices from a Cleaved Land". The Indian Express. September 17, 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- "Horrors of Partition". Frontline. February 25 – March 9, 2012.
External links
- The partition of India and retributive genocide in the Punjab,1946–47: means, methods, and purposes Archived 2015-03-19 at the Wayback Machine University of Washington
- Thematic Chronology of Mass Violence in Pakistan, 1947-2007:1947; March 3 massviolence.org