Direct Action Day by Muslims of India

It was on August 16, 1946 and the action started in Bihar and Bengal. Later repeated in Punjab.

Here is a picture from the evening before the Direct Action Day. Here the then Bengal Premier, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (right), is engrossed in a telephone conversation at his residence in Calcutta. Khawaja Nazimuddin, his predecessor, is seated next to him. Two years later, Khawaja Nazimuddin became Pakistan’s second governor-general and subsequently Pakistan’s second prime minister. (Source) Suhrawardy was known as the Butcher of Bengal. (Source)

Why was August 16, 1946 selected as the “Direct Action Day”.

Jinnah chose 16 August deliberately for a reason. That day in 1946 was the eighteenth Day of Ramzan and the day was associated with the Battle of Badr which resulted in Prophet Mohammad’s first decisive victory over the heathens and the subsequent conquest of Mecca. The then Chief Minister of Kolkata and an important Muslim League leader Suhrawardy and his Muslim League colleagues delivered fiery speeches reminding Muslims of Bengal of the victory of Badr and exhorting on them to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet and wrest a victory for Islam on 16 August. (Source)

In fact, the writer has seen the announcement that was carried out in the Dawn newspaper (which was owned by Jinnah) for the call to Direct Action Day. The central narrative was to duplicate the “Battle of Badr”.

Most of the accounts, specifically so in Pakistan and the Indian “Secular” media – characterized the events called “Great Calcutta Killings” following the Direct Action Day on 1946 as “Hindu-Muslim riots”. Thus trying to say that it was done by both equally and drive home a false equivalence.

Nothing could be more farcical!

Let us look at the facts from that time itself.

Here is an extract of the official “Bengal Legislative Assembly Proceedings (1946) Vol.71, Pt.3.” (for download click on the link)

It explains clearly how the whole massacre was planned and started.

In fact, the legislative proceedings go on to show how the Muslim leadership worked to create obfuscation even when the evidence of who, how and why the massacres were started was very clear. Prior to the massacres on Direct Action Day, leaflets were distributed which clearly said what was going to be done.

It was at this very time, that the real fight for Independence was taking shape (Source). The ships from docks in Gujarat to Calcutta were taken over by the Indian sailors because they had been inspired by the amazing stories of the INA soldiers under trial at the Red Fort in Delhi. The Royal Air Force did a fly past over Bombay, the Army barracks went empty as Indians, whom the British depended on to kill Indians were deserting them.

The mutiny started on 18 February 1946 and by next evening a Naval Central Strike Committee was formed where Leading Signalman M.S Khan and Petty Officer Telegraphist Madan Singh were unanimously elected President and Vice-President respectively. It happened spontaneously!

Perfect scenario of communal harmony – right?

But all the mainstream politicians – from Jinnah to Gandhi, to Nehru to Maulana Azad – let these people down.

Why would Gandhi not back these people who were doing the ultimate non-violence – of deserting their imperialist masters?

The answer to this came out in the Khosla Commission deposition by Shyamlal Jain.

Netaji could still inspire the entire nation like no one else – despite the machinations of Gandhi and Nehru.

And, he was alive!

So afraid was the Congress establishment of Netaji and the Naval Mutiny that even in 1965, when Utpal Dutt did a play called Kallol in Calcutta (Congress ruled in Bengal at that time) he was arrested for that!

The main researcher on Netaji has been Anuj Dhar. You should read his books – “India’s Greatest Cover-up” and “Back from Dead”.

To get some quick information on this mystery read this post.