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In this interview with Neil Gander, Naffese Chohan recalls her cousin fleeing from the violence in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in early 1947. She describes how he arrived at their home in the Punjab (around 1,000 miles from Calcutta) in the middle of the night with no clothes or shoes on, and warned of further violence to come. She also describes the moment when the violence in Punjab meant that she and her family had to leave their home and belongings behind in order to escape to safety.

In August 1946 riots and violence broke out between the Hindu and Muslim communities in India. This had been preceded by years of growing tension between Indian religious groups, but the immediate spark was the Muslim League’s call for a day of ‘Direct Action’ in their struggle for a separate Muslim state. The events of August 1946 became known as the Great Calcutta Killings, and it is estimated that there were between 5,000 and 10,000 dead and 15,000 injured across both communities. These initial riots were mostly localised in Calcutta, but they sparked a cycle of communal violence in several other regions, including the Punjab. The violence also led to the displacement of many people across India.

NAFFESE CHOHAN:

My cousin who was in Calcutta. One night he came, that was 1947, beginning. In the middle of the night, and he come in no shoes, no clothes, from Calcutta. And my mother said “how happen? How you come in like that?” he said “don’t ask ma”. We all call ma. And the sons all died and killing each other and bleeding everywhere. So we left everything and moved our home. And this my brother, cousin, he had a good education, he been in English school, he speak very good English. And he said one day, its coming, it will happen to us. So the people don’t believe him. Then they gradually started coming in the Punjab. About mid-April, May, killing each other, you know, we are kids, we’re frightened. We couldn’t get even sugar and salt. We had a few buffalo, few servants, they each of them don’t come in the house, frightened, Hindu and Muslim each of them. Then suddenly, we have to leave home, to come Pakistan. And we lost all my grandparents.