Direct Action Day
August 16, 1946
Related events (1 degree away • 2 degrees away)
1931
1934
1937
1940
1943
1946
1949
1952
1955
1958
1961
1964
1967
1970
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.
Location
- Calcutta 22.5675, 88.37
Commanders
Other 1
Entities involved
India
- India — Hindu community in Calcutta
Pakistan
- Pakistan — Muslim League supporters
British Raj
- British Raj — the colonial administration in Bengal
Also participating
Archibald Wavell
British Raj