Events in the year 1947 in India. It was a very eventful year as it became independent from the British crown, resulting in the split of India and Pakistan. Many people died during

partition Partition may refer to: Computing Hardware * Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive * Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job Software * Partition (database), the division of a ...

and India became a

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

Incumbents

Emperor of India Emperor or Empress of India was a title used by British monarchs from 1 May 1876 (with the Royal Titles Act 1876) to 22 June 1948, that was used to signify their rule over British India, as its imperial head of state. Royal Proclamation of 22 ...

–

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

until 15 August * King of India –

from 15 August * Viceroy of India – The Viscount Wavell * Viceroy of India – The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma (21 February – 15 August) * Governor-General of the Union of India – The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma (from 16 August) * Prime Minister of India –

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

took office on 15 August

Events

* National income - 85,101 million * 1 March - Partition of India is finalised by Lord Mountbatten. Boundary Commission under Sir Radcliffe was setup to partition Punjab & Bengal. * 15 March –

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s and Muslims clash in

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

. * 15 March - Lord Mountbatten attempts his first effort to stop the Partition of Bengal & conduct the partition of Muslim majority Kashmir. * 16 March - Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir disapproves of Lord Mountbatten's proposal. * 25 March - Lord Mountbatten attempts his second effort to stop the Partition of Bengal & conduct the partition of Muslim-majority Kashmir. * 26 March - Jawaharlal Nehru disapproves of Lord Mountbatten's proposal but Muhammad Ali Jinnah accepts the proposal of Lord Mountbatten. * 2 April - Lord Mountbatten attempts his third effort to stop the Partition of Bengal & conduct the partition of Muslim-majority Kashmir. Gandhi starts his fast to keep India united. * 5 April - Talks on stopping the Partition of Bengal & conducting the partition of Muslim-majority Kashmir fails as Jawaharlal Nehru & Maharaja Hari Singh disapprove of Lord Mountbatten's proposal. Proposal stands 2-1 in favour of the Partition of Bengal. * 15 April - On the Bengali new year's day, Lord Mountbatten attempts his last ditch effort to stop the Partition of Bengal & conduct the partition of Muslim-majority Kashmir. Sir Radcliffe lends support to Lord Mountbatten as the proposal stands tied 2-2. * 1 May - Shyama Prasad Mukherjee writes to Lord Mountbatten & Sir Radcliffe demanding a plebiscite to decide on the Partition of Bengal. Proposal stands 3-2 in favour of the Partition of Bengal. Lord Mountbatten comments "The Partition of Kashmir would have saved India-Pakistan conflicts. But it's hopeless as the India-Pakistan conflict will never end on Kashmir" * 17 May – Tripura & Coochbehar are officially ceded to India after 200 years of independent rule. * 18 May - Gandhi gives approval to the Partition of India after massive riots break out in Punjab & Bengal *23 May - The Partition of Bengal was finalized. West Bengal was slated to have Jessore, Khulna, Barisal, & Dinajpur Districts along with other Western districts of Undivided Bengal. A Total of area was given to West Bengal. * 31 May - First Illegal Plebiscite to decide on the Partition of Bengal happens. Kolkata, Sunderbans, Murshidabad, Malda, Jessore, Khulna, Barisal, Kushtia, Pabna, Rajshahi, & Rangpur divisions of Bengal vote. * 1 June - Second Illegal Plebiscite to decide on the Partition of Bengal happens. Dhaka, Mymensingh, Sylhet, & Chattogram (Chittagong) vote in favour of joining East Pakistan. * 5 June - Shyama Prasad Mukherjee loses Plebiscite. He comes in 3rd position after winner Hussein Suhrawardy & runner-up Syed Muzaffar Ahmed. Kolkata, Sunderbans, Murshidabad, Malda, Jessore, Khulna, Barisal, Kushtia, Pabna, Rajshahi, & Rangpur divisions marked selected to join East Pakistan. * 6 June - Gopalnath Mukherjee, Gopalnath Bhattacharya, & Chandi Upadhyay raid the second head office of Muslim League in Kolkata with 20,000 people to save Kolkata, Sunderbans, Jessore, Khulna, & Barisal from going into East Pakistan. All Muslim League leaders abandon second head office in Kolkata & flee to Dhaka. * 6 June - Malda & Murshidabad, which were given to East Pakistan, were swapped with Jessore, Khulna, & Barisal. Kolkata was saved & Sunderbans was divided between India & East Pakistan. West Bengal looses due to Illegal Plebiscite. * 7 August – The

Bombay Municipal Corporation The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC; IAST: ), also known as the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), is the governing civic body of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra. It is India's richest municipal corporation. The BMC ...

formally takes over the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (BEST). * 15 August –

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

is dissolved and the

Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...

gains its independence from the United Kingdom. A largely

India and a Muslim Pakistan are created by partitions of the subcontinent, with

and

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

divided along religious-demographic boundaries between the two. Hindu – Muslim riots break out along both the western and eastern borders. Mass transfer of refugees takes place from the successor states of India to Pakistan and vice versa. The monarch of Kashmir signs instrument of accession with India in the face of heavy attack from Pakistani tribals, but at the same time he had signed a

Standstill agreement The term standstill agreement refers to various forms of agreement which businesses may enter into in order to delay action which might otherwise take place. A standstill agreement may be used as a form of defence to a hostile takeover, when a t ...

with Pakistan. Mountbatten remains the Governor-general of India as wished by the Indians and

becomes the first Prime Minister of India. Nehru unfurls the Indian tricolor on the ramparts of the

Red Fort The Red Fort or Lal Qila () is a historic fort in Old Delhi, Delhi in India that served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shift ...

, symbolically marking the end of British colonial rule. * August – October – Thousands massacred & 1 million migrations in Punjab.''Everyman's Dictionary of Dates''; 6th ed. J. M. Dent, 1971; p. 263 * 13 September – Prime Minister

Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

suggests the transfer of 10 million Hindus and Muslims between India and Pakistan. * 27 October –

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

breaks out between Indian and Pakistani forces in Kashmir. * 9 November –

Junagadh Junagadh () is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located at the foot of the Girnar hills, southwest of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar (the state capital), it is the seventh largest city in the state. Literally ...

joins the Dominion of India

Law

* 10 August - Boundary Commission under Sir Radcliffe finally partitioned India. of area in Punjab got divided with going to West Pakistan (Only Pakistan since 1971). Remaining joins India as East Punjab. of area in Bengal got divided with going to East Pakistan (Bangladesh since 1971). Remaining joins India as West Bengal. (Later West Bengal lost more area to Bihar, Assam, & Odisha in 1948-53). *Indian Independence Act *Industrial Disputes Act *Gauhati University Act *Roorkee University Act *Rubber (Production and Marketing) Act *Indian Nursing Council Act *Foreign Exchange Regulation Act *Armed Forces (Emergency Duties) Act *United Nations (Security Council) Act *United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act

Births

*8 January – Harish Naval, international literary journal chief editor. *12 February –

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale (; born Jarnail Singh Brar; 2 June 1947– 6 June 1984) was a militant leader of the Sikh organization Damdami Taksal. He was not an advocate of Khalistan. "Bhindranwale was not an outspoken supporter of Khalistan, ...

, Sikh theologian and leader (died 1984). *19 June –

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and We ...

, novelist. *1 July –

Sharad Yadav Sharad Yadav (born 1 July 1947) is a politician from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) party. He has been elected to Lok Sabha seven times and to Rajya Sabha thrice from JD(U). He was the first national president of Janata Dal (United) since its form ...

, politician (died 2023) *5 July –

Lalji Singh Lalji Singh FNA, FASc (5 July 1947 – 10 December 2017) was an Indian scientist who worked in the field of DNA fingerprinting technology in India, where he was popularly known as the "Father of Indian DNA fingerprinting". Singh also worke ...

, molecular biologist. (died 2017). *15 August –

Raakhee Raakhee Gulzar (born Rakhee Majumdar on 15 August 1947 and known as Raakhee) is an Indian actress who has appeared in many Hindi films and Bengali films as well. In four decades of acting, she has won three Filmfare Awards and one National Fil ...

, Bollywood actress. *17 October –

Simi Garewal Simi Garewal (born Simrita Garewal; 17 October 1947) is an Indian actress, director, producer and a talk show host. She is the recipient of two Filmfare awards and an ITA Award. She is known for her work in Hindi films like ''Do Badan'', '' Saa ...

, actress.

Deaths

*13 May – Sukanta Bhattacharya, Bengali poet (born

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of Viet ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1947 In India

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Years of the 20th century in India

Incumbents

Events

Law

Births

Deaths

See also

References