Day of widespread communal rioting between Muslims and Hindus in the city of Calcutta
The Muslim League's Direct Action Day sparked communal riots killing over 4,000 in Calcutta and set in motion the chain of violence leading to the Partition of India.
Key Facts
- Date
- 16 August 1946
- Deaths
- More than 4,000 people
- Homeless
- 100,000 residents people
- Duration of initial violence
- 72 hours
- Organising body
- All-India Muslim League
- Also known as
- Great Calcutta Killings; 1946 Calcutta Riots
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Muslim League withdrew its acceptance of the Cabinet Mission plan after Nehru's July 1946 speech implied Congress would not be bound by the grouping provisions. Jinnah declared this a betrayal and announced a general strike for 16 August 1946, called Direct Action Day, to press the demand for a separate Muslim homeland in India's northwest and eastern provinces.
On 16 August 1946, the Muslim League's hartal in Calcutta rapidly escalated into large-scale communal violence between Muslims and Hindus across the city. Within 72 hours more than 4,000 people were killed and 100,000 were left homeless, in what became known as the Great Calcutta Killings and the start of the Week of the Long Knives.
The Calcutta riots ignited further communal violence in Noakhali, Bihar, the United Provinces, Punjab, and the North Western Frontier Province. The carnage deepened Hindu–Muslim divisions, contributed to the eventual partition of Bengal into West Bengal and East Bengal, and accelerated the broader Partition of India in 1947.