'Beyond the Headlines': Stories from the 1947 India-Pakistan Partition

Fifteen million people left the land they had called home for generations - never to return

On August 15, 1947, British Viceroy Lord Louis Mountbatten formally announced India's independence from British colonial rule. The Indian subcontinent was partitioned into two countries – India and Pakistan.

The borders were drawn hastily along religious lines. Muslim-majority provinces became part of Pakistan, Hindu and Sikh majority areas remained in India. The borders cut through villages, rivers and homes, leading to one of the largest migrations in history. Unexpected and unprecedented violence followed, claiming more than a million lives. Fifteen million people left the land they had called home for generations - never to return.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, join host Nilanjana Gupta as we hear the stories of those who lived through the trauma of seeing their land cleft asunder.

Updated: August 18, 2022, 8:08 AM