The NCERT has released a special module for schools to mark “Partition Horrors Remembrance Day,” holding Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Congress, and then Viceroy Lord Mountbatten responsible for the division of India in 1947.
The module says Partition was the result of “wrong ideas” and highlights how it created long-lasting challenges, including the Kashmir issue, which it describes as a problem that did not exist before Partition but has since shaped India’s foreign policy. It also notes that some countries continue to aid Pakistan and pressure India over Kashmir.
Referring to the 1940 Lahore resolution, the text states: “The party of Indian Muslims, the Muslim League, held a conference in Lahore in 1940. Its leader, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, said that Hindus and Muslims belong to two different religious philosophies, social customs, and literatures.”
In a section titled culprits of Partition, the module names three responsible parties — Jinnah “who demanded it,” the Congress “which accepted it,” and Mountbatten “who implemented it.” It accuses Mountbatten of a “major blunder” by advancing the transfer of power from June 1948 to August 1947, leaving little time for preparations. “Such haste was a great act of carelessness,” the module says, pointing to the chaos that left millions in Punjab unsure whether they were in India or Pakistan even two days after Independence.
While criticising Jinnah, the module also cites his own later regret. Quoting him, it says: “I never thought it would happen. I never expected to see Pakistan in my lifetime.”
It also recalls Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s statement that Partition was like “bitter medicine” to avoid civil war, and Mahatma Gandhi’s refusal to support Partition but also his unwillingness to resist the Congress decision through violence. Jawaharlal Nehru, meanwhile, called it “bad” but “unavoidable.”
The NCERT has prepared two versions of the module — one for Classes 6–8 and another for Classes 9–12. These are not part of regular textbooks but are meant for projects, posters, discussions, and debates in schools.
Both modules begin with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2021 message, in which he said: “Partition’s pains can never be forgotten. Millions of our sisters and brothers were displaced, and many lost their lives due to mindless hate and violence. In memory of the struggles and sacrifices of our people, 14th August will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.”
The secondary-stage module links Partition to the idea of a separate Muslim identity rooted in “political Islam,” claiming it rejected “permanent equality with non-Muslims.” It says this belief drove the Pakistan movement, with Jinnah as its “able lawyer-leader.”
