The Radcliffe Award:

Outline:

• Background
• Members Of Punjab Boundary Commission
• Member Of Bengal Boundary Commission
• Radcliffe Award
• Unjust Award In Punjab
• Unjust Award In Bengal
• Reaction To The Award

Background:

According to the provision of the 3rd June Plan, two Boundary commissions viz. The Punjab Boundary Commission and the Bengal Boundary Commission were constituted. These commissions were placed under the chairmanship of Sir Cyril Radcliffe, an English Lawyer. Members of the Boundary Commissions were as under:

Members Of The Punjab Boundary Commission:

Chairman: Sir Cyril Radcliffe
i) Mr. Justice Din Mohammad (Pakistan)
ii) Mr. Justice Mohammad Munir (Pakistan)
iii) Mr. Justice Mehar Chand Mahajan (India)
iv) Mr. Justice Tej Singh (India)

Members Of The Bengal Boundary Commission:

Chairman: Sir Cyril Radcliffe
i) Mr. Justice S.A Rehman (Pakistan)
ii) Mr. Justice Abu Saleh Mohammad Akram (Pakistan)
iii) Mr. Justice C.C. Biswas (India)
iv) Mr. Justice B.K Mukherjee (India)

Radcliffe Award:

Chairman of the Boundary Commission Sir Cyril Radcliffe arrived in India on 8th July, 1947 and instructed both the Commissions to demarcate the boundaries of their respective provinces on the basis of the contiguity of the Muslim and non-Muslim areas according to the 1941 census. The commissions started their work and the councils on behalf of the Muslim League, Congress, Sikhs and other parties presented their arguments. The chairman Radcliffe did not participate in public sittings but studied the records of the proceedings. Finally, as it was feared both the commissions failed to evolve agreed award due to a host of conflicting interests. As a result, Radcliffe gave his own awards in Punjab and Bengal.

Unjust Award In Punjab:

Cyril Radcliffe, the chairman of the Boundary Commission, as feared by Jinnah, could not maintain partiality and in order to please Mountbatten and Congress gave its prejudiced award.
In Punjab, the Radcliffe Award snatched a number of Muslim majority areas from Pakistan. These included Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Batala Tehsil (Gurdaspur district), Anjala Tehsil (Amritsar), Jullundur Tehsil (Jullundur district) and Zira and Ferozepur tehsils (Ferozepur district). Out of these, Pathankot tehsil was given to India in order to provide a link between Kashmir and India.

Unjust Award In Bengal:

Similarly, in Bengal province the most important question was related with the future of Calcutta. It was the capital of province. Although, the Muslims made a quarter of the population of Calcutta, large section of its population consisted of scheduled castes that were allied with the Muslim League. In any case, for more than two hundred years Muslims of Bengal had contributed to make Calcutta what it was in 1947 and centre of commerce and industry.
The city of Calcutta was the biggest educational, industrial and commercial centre. The development of Calcutta was based on the toil of Muslim peasantry of Bengal. East Bengal produced most of the raw material which had to be sent to Calcutta because all the factories and mills were in Calcutta.
The Congress leaders were determined to get Calcutta by foul and fair means. Eventually, Calcutta was awarded to India, ignoring the claims of the Muslims.

Reaction To The Radcliffe Award:
The biased Radcliffe award pleased the Hindus because it deprived Pakistan of many Muslim majority areas. On the other hand the Muslims of Punjab and Bengal were shocked to see the award which totally went in favour of India. Jinnah too was greatly disappointed but he accepted the plan with sportsman spirit. During the course of his broadcast speech, he said:

“The division of India now finally and irrevocably effected.
No doubt we feel that the carving out of this great inde-
-pendent Muslim State has suffered injustices. We have
been squeezed in as much as it was possible and the
latest blow we have received was the award of the
Boundary Commission. It was an unjust, incompre-
-hensible and perverse award, but we have agreed to
abide by it, it may be our misfortune but we must bear
up this one more blow with fortitude, courage and hope.”