Forum Pakistan

Bengal, Partition of, 1905-11
The partition of Bengal was carried out in 1905 by Viceroy Lord Curzon (1859-1925). It proved to be a rehearsal for the partition ofIndia in 1947 and the 1971 emergence of Bangladesh (see Bangladesh-Pakistan Relations). The Viceroy had proposed partition for administrative reasons. With a population of 78 million and with an area of 189,000 square miles, the Province was too large to govern and the eastern districts suffered neglect. Officials in the Viceroy's Secretariat had been formulating proposals for partitioning Bengal since 1902. The partition gave rise to agitation because, although Bengal had an overall Muslim majority, the Hindus were concentrated in the west and the Muslims in the east.

The communal implications of the partition were spelt out by the Maharaja of Kasimbazar in a Calcutta meeting held on 7 August 1905. There was a massive agitation at the Kali temple in Calcutta on 16 October 1905 when the partition went into effect.

The agitation was led by the professional classes of lawyers, doctors and academics, who comprised the politically active sector. The communal complexion of the anti-partition agitation led Muslims to organize themselves politically, first in the *Simla Deputation of 1905 and the foundation of the "All-India Muslim League in 1906 at Dhaka-the capital of the newly created province of East Bengal. The new province would have a Chief Court at Dhaka.
A Dhaka Medical College and Dhaka University would be founded. The jurisdiction and thus the influence and affluence of the (mainly West Bengali and therefore Hindu) professional classes would be reduced. The agitational politics of the Congress and the Hindu parties led to the annulment of partition by the KingEmperor, George V in his 1911 Delhi Durbar proclamation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Sufia Ahmad, 'Muslim Community of Bengal 1884-1912', Dhaka, 1974; K.K. Aziz, 'Britain and Muslim India', Landon, 1963; P. Hardy, 'The Muslims of British India', Cambridge, 1972; Matiur Rahman, 'From Consultation to Confrontation', London, 1970; z.H. Zaidi, 'The Partition of Bengal and its Annulment 1905-19]]', London University, 1964 {Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis].