On the eve of Independence Day, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today joined the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day programme at the Convention Centre of Lok Seva Bhawan and described the 1947 Partition as one of the darkest and most painful chapters in human history.
Addressing the gathering as the chief guest, the Chief Minister said the day should not remain merely an occasion of mourning. “This is not only a remembrance day. It must become a day of resolve — a pledge to protect the unity and integrity of our nation,” he declared.
Majhi placed the scale of the tragedy in stark perspective. Nearly 1.5 crore people were uprooted from their homes in what he called the largest forced migration in the history of human civilisation. Between five lakh and twenty lakh innocent lives were lost in communal violence, while more than fifty thousand women suffered abduction, rape, and unspeakable atrocities. He recalled the infamous “blood trains” and “ghost trains” that arrived from Pakistan carrying only corpses — images that continue to haunt the descendants of survivors even today.
The Chief Minister squarely blamed the British policy of “Divide and Rule” along with the narrow personal ambitions and power hunger of the political leadership of that era. He stated that the decisions of the Muslim League and the Congress were the root cause of the Partition. He also pointed to the continuing plight of Hindus in Pakistan, where their numbers have become negligible, and the rising atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh.
Those who treat the Partition lightly or advocate friendship with nations that harbour hostility towards India, he said, are driven by self-interest and are anti-national in spirit.
Highlighting recent educational reforms, Majhi noted that the horrors of Partition have now found a place in NCERT textbooks so that the younger generation learns the unvarnished truth and is not misled. He contrasted the success stories of refugees who came to India — leaders like L.K. Advani, the late Manmohan Singh, and the legendary athlete Milkha Singh — with the continued marginalisation of those who migrated to Pakistan, where they are still labelled “Mohajirs.”
Recalling that the observance of Partition Horrors Remembrance Day was initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021, the Chief Minister said the day serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of hatred and division. He appealed to citizens to celebrate Independence Day tomorrow with joy, while remaining ever vigilant to safeguard India’s sovereignty, security, unity, and integrity so that such a dark chapter is never repeated.
MLA Babu Singh of Ekamra also spoke on the occasion, emphasising that the day is not ordinary. “We must never forget this history, for forgetting history means forgetting its lessons. Our greatest identity is that we are Indians, and the sacrifice of countless innocent people remains a foundation for a new and prosperous India.”
The programme was attended by senior officials including Dr. Bijay Ketan Upadhyay, Secretary of the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, Dr. Chandrasekhar Hota of the Odisha Sahitya Akademi, Pratul Ketkar, editor of Organiser, Prajna Mahala of Durga Bahini, Bikram Keshari Mahapatra of Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Samiti, along with several media representatives and intellectuals.
As the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day 2026, the voices from Bhubaneswar today served as a poignant reminder: freedom was hard-won, and its preservation demands constant resolve against the forces of division.
