Partition of India

The Partition of India was the historical division of the countries of India and Pakistan. It started with Pakistan's independence from India on 17 August 1947 and resulted in mass displacement and deaths.

The United Kingdom was blamed for the partition. Prem disparaged the British for "carving [his country] up slapdash in six weeks." (TV: Demons of the Punjab)

Cities such as Karachi, which had been part of India in the 1930s, (AUDIO: Storm Warning) became part of Pakistan, (TV: The Waters of Mars) as lines were drawn, and populations relocated.

There was often religious tension between the peoples of both countries as India was mainly Hindu whereas Pakistan was intended to be a nation for Muslims. Hindu and Muslim intermarriages, such as with Prem and Umbreen, were shunned. Prem was killed by his own brother Manish for this, who had previously killed the holy man who was to perform his wedding.

The Thirteenth Doctor, Yasmin Khan, Ryan Sinclair and Graham O'Brien visited India and Pakistan during the partition, as did the last two Thijarians in existence. (TV: Demons of the Punjab)

As conflicts became more and more violent the year of the partition, Kamalnayan Bajaj and his family were forced to flee India. Kam's restaurant in Calcutta was burnt down. As the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble observed first-hand, Calcutta was at the front lines of this faith-based struggle in the wake of the partition. (PROSE: Ghosts of India)

Tensions arising from the new border continued to impact members of both religions, into the 21st century. According to Duchess Eleanor, "there [was] a bloodbath" in the years and decades to follow. (AUDIO: Golden Age)

One source, which is perhaps inaccurate, suggests that the Thijarians witnessed the Partition of India, but notes the date of this event as 14 August. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary)