Firestorm In Punjab: Rawalpindi, Colonial Rule and the Mayhem Of Partition

The partition of India in 1947 was marked by brutal violence and mass migration, with Punjab at its epicentre. The Rawalpindi division experienced an early and brutal eruption of violence in the month of March. The “Rawalpindi massacre,” with killings, arson, looting, and violence-induced migration as prevalent forms of violence against Sikhs and Hindus, constitutes a crucial yet unexplored chapter in partition studies, as it significantly shaped the subsequent political and communal landscape of the Punjab. By examining the socio-political organisation of the Rawalpindi division, including the role of rural-military elites as British allies in providing military manpower and maintaining local authority, this research demonstrates how the dissolution of the link between the state and these rural-military elites contributed to the unprecedented escalation of violence. The study argues that the “Rawalpindi massacre” is not a peripheral occurrence but rather a constitutive episode of violence that set the stage for further gruesome bloodshed in August and September 1947. The Sikhs were greatly agitated and began mobilisation of their community to avenge the “Rawalpindi massacre.” The dispossession of land following the Punjab’s partition intensified their resolve for revenge and retaliation. Amid the chaos of partition, this mobilisation culminated in organised and dreadful attacks on Muslims in East Punjab, thereby forcing them to flee westward. Through detailed archival analysis, this research situates the Rawalpindi division as a critical flashpoint, whose events were integral to the broader narrative of violence in the Punjab in 1947.