Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday called upon people to observe Partition Horrors Remembrance Day as a “Day of Resolve” to safeguard the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country, while recalling the suffering and displacement caused by the Partition of 1947.
Addressing a programme organised at the Convention Centre in Lok Seva Bhawan on the eve of Independence Day, Majhi said the Partition was not merely a division of territory but one of the largest episodes of forced migration in human history.
He recalled that an estimated 1.5 crore people were displaced during the Partition, while communal violence claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. He also referred to the abduction, sexual violence and torture suffered by thousands of women during the period.
The Chief Minister said the stories of “blood trains” and “ghost trains” that reached from Pakistan carrying victims of communal violence continue to haunt generations of families affected by the Partition.
Majhi attributed the Partition to the British policy of “divide and rule” as well as the political circumstances and competing interests of the leadership of that period. He said the decisions taken by the Muslim League and the Congress played a major role in the division of the country.
He said the history and human cost of Partition should be brought before younger generations so that they understand its consequences and draw lessons from the past. Referring to the inclusion of Partition-related accounts in NCERT textbooks, he said awareness of history was essential to prevent its lessons from being forgotten.
The Chief Minister also cited the lives of several people who migrated during Partition and later achieved prominence through their determination and hard work, including former deputy prime minister L K Advani, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and athlete Milkha Singh.
He said the observance of Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021, seeks to remind people of the consequences of hatred, violence and division.
Majhi urged people to celebrate Independence Day with pride while remaining committed to protecting the country’s sovereignty, security, unity and integrity and ensuring that the tragedies of Partition are never repeated.
Ekamra MLA Babu Singh said Partition Horrors Remembrance Day was an occasion to remember the countless innocent people who lost their lives or suffered during the violence and displacement. He stressed that Indians should draw lessons from history and place national unity and integrity above divisions.
The programme was attended by Secretary of the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department Bijay Ketan Upadhyay, Odisha Sahitya Akademi Secretary Chandrasekhar Hota, Organiser magazine Editor Prafulla Ketkar, National Co-convenor of Durga Bahini Pragya Mahala, President of Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Samiti Bikram Keshari Mahapatra, besides media representatives and intellectuals.
