Direct Action Day
August 16, 1946 · Calcutta
The All-India Muslim League's day of 'direct action' for a separate Muslim homeland, 16 August 1946. The general strike degenerated into large-scale communal rioting between Muslims and Hindus in Calcutta (the Great Calcutta Killings, with thousands dead), opening the Week of the Long Knives; the violence convinced many that partition was inevitable.
Key people
Participants
-
British Raj
-
India
-
Pakistan
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All-India Muslim League
Pakistan
Strength and losses
| All | |
|---|---|
| Deaths | 4,000 |
