Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday attended the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day programme as chief guest at the Convention Centre in Lok Seva Bhawan, on the eve of Independence Day.
Addressing the gathering, the CM said the day should not be seen only as a remembrance of a painful past. He urged citizens to treat it as a “Sankalp Diwas,” or day of resolve, to safeguard the nation’s unity and integrity.
Majhi described the 1947 partition as the largest human displacement in history, not merely a redrawing of borders. He said nearly 1.5 crore people were uprooted from their homes, while communal violence during the period claimed between 5 lakh and 20 lakh lives. More than 50,000 women, he added, were subjected to abduction and torture.
He referred to the “blood trains” and “ghost trains” that arrived from Pakistan carrying only corpses, noting that the trauma still affects the descendants of survivors.
Majhi held British colonial policy responsible for the partition, along with what he called the narrow political interests of leaders at the time. He said decisions taken by the Muslim League and the Congress were the root cause of the division.
The CM also referred to the present-day condition of minorities in neighbouring countries, saying the Hindu population in Pakistan had fallen sharply while atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh were rising. He criticised those who downplay this history or seek friendly ties with hostile nations, calling such an approach anti-national.
He noted that the partition’s history has now been included in NCERT textbooks so that younger generations are not misled about the facts. Majhi cited leaders such as L.K. Advani, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and athlete Milkha Singh as refugees who rose to prominence through hard work, in contrast to Muslim migrants in Pakistan who are still referred to as “Mohajirs.”
The CM linked the observance, first started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021, to a broader call for vigilance against hatred and division. He urged people to celebrate Independence Day while remaining committed to the country’s sovereignty, security and unity.
Ekamra MLA Babu Singh, also present at the event, said the partition should never be forgotten, as doing so would mean losing the lessons it carries. He said the shared identity of being “Indian” outweighs all other divisions, and called for unity over discord going forward.
