Map of Sylhet District showing subdivisions and majority voting. Green represents area in favor of joining East Bengal (Pakistan) and Orange represents area in favor of remaining part of Assam and joining India.
Prior to the British arrival in the region in 1765, the Sylhet Sarkar was a part of the Bengal Subah of the Mughal Empire. Initially, the Company Raj incorporated Sylhet into its Bengal Presidency; however, 109 years later on 16 February 1874, Sylhet was made a part of the non-regulationChief Commissioner's Province of Assam (North-East Frontier) in order to facilitate Assam's commercial development. This transfer was implemented despite a memorandum of protests being submitted to the Viceroy, Lord Northbrook, on 10 August from the district's Bengali-majority population which consisted of both Hindus and Muslims.[2] These protests subsided when Northbrook visited Sylhet to reassure the people that education and justice would be administered from the city of Calcutta in Bengal,[3] as well as when the Hindu zamindars of Sylhet realized the opportunity of employment in Assam's tea estates and a market for their produce.[4]
After the first partition of Bengal in 1905, Sylhet was briefly reincorporated with Eastern Bengal and Assam, as a part of the new province's Surma Valley and Hill Districts division. However, this reorganization was short-lived as Sylhet once again became separated from Bengal in 1912, when Assam Province was reconstituted into a Chief Commissioner's Province.[5] By the 1920s, organisations such as the Sylhet Peoples' Association and Sylhet–Bengal Reunion League mobilized public opinion, demanding Sylhet's reincorporation into Bengal.[6] However, the leaders of the Reunion League, including Muhammad Bakht Mauzumdar and Syed Abdul Majid, who were also involved in Assam's tea trade, later opposed the transfer of Sylhet and Cachar to Bengal in September 1928 during the Surma Valley Muslim Conference; supported by Abdul Majid's Anjuman-e-Islamia and Muslim Students Association.[7]
The partition of India was to happen along religious lines in August 1947. Muslim-majority areas would be combined to form the new Pakistan while non-Muslim and Hindu-majority areas would remain in India.[8]Sylhet was a Muslim-majority Bengali-speaking district in Assam, which was a Hindu-majority Assamese-speaking province. The Government of Assam believed that removing Sylhet would make the state more homogeneous and strongly unified as a result. Assam's Chief Minister, Gopinath Bordoloi, stated in 1946 that his wish was to "hand over Sylhet to East Bengal".[9] The British Raj declared on 3 July 1947 that a referendum would be held on 6 July 1947 to decide the future of Sylhet. H. C. Stock was appointed as the commissioner of the referendum.[1]
Result
The majority of the population voted in favour of joining Pakistan. This was implemented via Article 3 of the Indian Independence Act of 18 July 1947. The Radcliffe Line published on 17 August 1947 gave some areas of Sylhet — mainly Karimganj — to India, while the rest of Sylhet joined East Bengal, even though Karimganj had a Muslim-majority population which had opted for Pakistan, unlike some other areas in Sylhet like Moulvibazar.[10] The putative cause of this was the plea of a group led by Abdul Matlib Mazumdar.[citation needed]
^Tanweer Fazal (2013). Minority Nationalisms in South Asia. Routledge. pp. 53–54. ISBN978-1-317-96647-0.
^Hossain, Ashfaque (2013). "The Making and Unmaking of Assam-Bengal Borders and the Sylhet Referendum". Modern Asian Studies. 47 (1): 262. doi:10.1017/S0026749X1200056X. JSTOR 23359785. S2CID 145546471. It was also decided that education and justice would be administered from Calcutta University and the Calcutta High Court respectively.
^Hossain, Ashfaque (2013). "The Making and Unmaking of Assam-Bengal Borders and the Sylhet Referendum". Modern Asian Studies. 47 (1): 262. doi:10.1017/S0026749X1200056X. JSTOR 23359785. S2CID 145546471. They could also see that the benefits conferred by the tea industry on the province would also prove profitable for them. For example, those who were literate were able to obtain numerous clerical and medical appointments in tea estates, and the demand for rice to feed the tea labourers noticeably augmented its price in Sylhet and Assam enabling the Zaminders (mostly Hindu) to dispose of their produce at a better price than would have been possible had they been obliged to export it to Bengal.
^Tanweer Fazal (2013). Minority Nationalisms in South Asia. Routledge. pp. 54–55. ISBN978-1-317-96647-0.
^Bhuyan, Arun Chandra (2000). Nationalist Upsurge in Assam. Government of Assam.
^"History - British History in depth: The Hidden Story of Partition and its Legacies". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
^Daniyal, Shoaib. "With Brexit a reality, a look back at six Indian referendums (and one that never happened)". Scroll.in. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
^Qureshi, Murad (14 August 2017). "Sylhet's own Brexit – Partition referendum of 1947". Murad Qureshi. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
^"Recovering Sylhet". Himal Southasian. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
^"Assam Election Results - What does it mean for Bangladesh?". The Daily Star. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
^Ali, AMM Shawkat (15 August 2004). "Bangabandhu's death anniversary special: As I look back".
^LaPorte, R (1972). "Pakistan in 1971: The Disintegration of a Nation". Asian Survey. 12 (2): 97–108. doi:10.2307/2643071. JSTOR 2643071.
^Fazal, Tanweer (18 October 2013). Minority Nationalisms in South Asia. Routledge. p. 56. ISBN978-1-317-96647-0.
^"Sylhet Referendum, 1947 - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
January 28, 2023
1947, sylhet, referendum, held, sylhet, district, assam, province, british, india, decide, whether, district, would, remain, undivided, assam, therefore, within, post, independence, dominion, india, leave, assam, east, bengal, consequently, join, newly, create. The 1947 Sylhet referendum was held in the Sylhet District of the Assam Province of British India to decide whether the district would remain in Undivided Assam and therefore within the post independence Dominion of India or leave Assam for East Bengal and consequently join the newly created Dominion of Pakistan The referendum s turnout was in favour of joining the Pakistani union however the district s Karimganj subdivision remained within the Indian state of Assam 1 Sylhet referendum6 July 1947 1947 07 06 Should Sylhet join the province of East Bengal in Pakistan OutcomeKarimganj subdivision remains in the India the rest of Sylhet District joins the Pakistan ResultsChoice Votes Yes 239 619 56 56 No 184 041 43 44 Valid votes 423 660 77 48 Invalid or blank votes 123 155 22 52 Total votes 546 815 100 00 Map of Sylhet District showing subdivisions and majority voting Green represents area in favor of joining East Bengal Pakistan and Orange represents area in favor of remaining part of Assam and joining India Contents 1 History 2 Background 3 Result 4 See also 5 ReferencesHistory EditPrior to the British arrival in the region in 1765 the Sylhet Sarkar was a part of the Bengal Subah of the Mughal Empire Initially the Company Raj incorporated Sylhet into its Bengal Presidency however 109 years later on 16 February 1874 Sylhet was made a part of the non regulation Chief Commissioner s Province of Assam North East Frontier in order to facilitate Assam s commercial development This transfer was implemented despite a memorandum of protests being submitted to the Viceroy Lord Northbrook on 10 August from the district s Bengali majority population which consisted of both Hindus and Muslims 2 These protests subsided when Northbrook visited Sylhet to reassure the people that education and justice would be administered from the city of Calcutta in Bengal 3 as well as when the Hindu zamindars of Sylhet realized the opportunity of employment in Assam s tea estates and a market for their produce 4 After the first partition of Bengal in 1905 Sylhet was briefly reincorporated with Eastern Bengal and Assam as a part of the new province s Surma Valley and Hill Districts division However this reorganization was short lived as Sylhet once again became separated from Bengal in 1912 when Assam Province was reconstituted into a Chief Commissioner s Province 5 By the 1920s organisations such as the Sylhet Peoples Association and Sylhet Bengal Reunion League mobilized public opinion demanding Sylhet s reincorporation into Bengal 6 However the leaders of the Reunion League including Muhammad Bakht Mauzumdar and Syed Abdul Majid who were also involved in Assam s tea trade later opposed the transfer of Sylhet and Cachar to Bengal in September 1928 during the Surma Valley Muslim Conference supported by Abdul Majid s Anjuman e Islamia and Muslim Students Association 7 Background Edit Sylhet Division in present day Bangladesh The partition of India was to happen along religious lines in August 1947 Muslim majority areas would be combined to form the new Pakistan while non Muslim and Hindu majority areas would remain in India 8 Sylhet was a Muslim majority Bengali speaking district in Assam which was a Hindu majority Assamese speaking province The Government of Assam believed that removing Sylhet would make the state more homogeneous and strongly unified as a result Assam s Chief Minister Gopinath Bordoloi stated in 1946 that his wish was to hand over Sylhet to East Bengal 9 The British Raj declared on 3 July 1947 that a referendum would be held on 6 July 1947 to decide the future of Sylhet H C Stock was appointed as the commissioner of the referendum 1 Result EditThe majority of the population voted in favour of joining Pakistan This was implemented via Article 3 of the Indian Independence Act of 18 July 1947 The Radcliffe Line published on 17 August 1947 gave some areas of Sylhet mainly Karimganj to India while the rest of Sylhet joined East Bengal even though Karimganj had a Muslim majority population which had opted for Pakistan unlike some other areas in Sylhet like Moulvibazar 10 The putative cause of this was the plea of a group led by Abdul Matlib Mazumdar citation needed Sylhet Referendum results India received three and a half thanas of Sylhet 11 12 Along with Karimganj Zakiganj was also to be a part of independent India but this was prevented by a delegation led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman 13 Thus most of the Sylhet District joined East Pakistan which later emerged as the new country of Bangladesh in 1971 following the Bangladesh Liberation War 14 Results of Sylhet Referendum The result of the referendum was largely welcomed by Assamese Hindus 15 Subdivision Total Voters Electorate Voter Turnout Votes 16 Assam India East Bengal Pakistan Sylhet North 1 41 131 1 07 252 76 00 38 871 36 24 68 381 63 76Sylhet South Maulvi Bazar 79 024 65 189 82 49 33 471 51 34 31 718 48 66Habiganj 1 35 526 91 495 67 51 36 952 40 39 54 543 59 61Sunamganj 90 891 77 926 85 74 34 211 43 90 43 715 56 10Karimganj 1 00 243 81 798 81 60 40 536 49 56 41 262 50 44Total 5 46 815 423 660 77 48 1 84 041 43 44 2 39 619 56 56See also Edit1947 North West Frontier Province referendum a similar referendum held in present day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa PakistanReferences Edit a b Chowdhury Dewan Nurul Anwar Husain 2012 Sylhet Referendum 1947 In Islam Sirajul Miah Sajahan Khanam Mahfuza Ahmed Sabbir eds Banglapedia the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh Online ed Dhaka Bangladesh Banglapedia Trust Asiatic Society of Bangladesh ISBN 984 32 0576 6 OCLC 52727562 Retrieved 27 January 2023 Tanweer Fazal 2013 Minority Nationalisms in South Asia Routledge pp 53 54 ISBN 978 1 317 96647 0 Hossain Ashfaque 2013 The Making and Unmaking of Assam Bengal Borders and the Sylhet Referendum Modern Asian Studies 47 1 262 doi 10 1017 S0026749X1200056X JSTOR 23359785 S2CID 145546471 It was also decided that education and justice would be administered from Calcutta University and the Calcutta High Court respectively Hossain Ashfaque 2013 The Making and Unmaking of Assam Bengal Borders and the Sylhet Referendum Modern Asian Studies 47 1 262 doi 10 1017 S0026749X1200056X JSTOR 23359785 S2CID 145546471 They could also see that the benefits conferred by the tea industry on the province would also prove profitable for them For example those who were literate were able to obtain numerous clerical and medical appointments in tea estates and the demand for rice to feed the tea labourers noticeably augmented its price in Sylhet and Assam enabling the Zaminders mostly Hindu to dispose of their produce at a better price than would have been possible had they been obliged to export it to Bengal William Cooke Taylor A Popular History of British India p 505 Tanweer Fazal 2013 Minority Nationalisms in South Asia Routledge pp 54 55 ISBN 978 1 317 96647 0 Bhuyan Arun Chandra 2000 Nationalist Upsurge in Assam Government of Assam History British History in depth The Hidden Story of Partition and its Legacies bbc co uk BBC Retrieved 20 November 2016 Daniyal Shoaib With Brexit a reality a look back at six Indian referendums and one that never happened Scroll in Retrieved 20 November 2016 Qureshi Murad 14 August 2017 Sylhet s own Brexit Partition referendum of 1947 Murad Qureshi Retrieved 1 June 2021 Recovering Sylhet Himal Southasian 22 November 2012 Retrieved 20 November 2016 Assam Election Results What does it mean for Bangladesh The Daily Star 21 May 2016 Retrieved 20 November 2016 Ali AMM Shawkat 15 August 2004 Bangabandhu s death anniversary special As I look back LaPorte R 1972 Pakistan in 1971 The Disintegration of a Nation Asian Survey 12 2 97 108 doi 10 2307 2643071 JSTOR 2643071 Fazal Tanweer 18 October 2013 Minority Nationalisms in South Asia Routledge p 56 ISBN 978 1 317 96647 0 Sylhet Referendum 1947 Banglapedia en banglapedia org Retrieved 26 July 2022 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1947 Sylhet referendum amp oldid 1121643339, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
