Why in the News?
- A Kolkata resident has filed a police complaint against filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s forthcoming film Bengal Files, alleging it tarnishes the image of his late grandfather Gopal Mukherjee, a figure linked with the Direct Action Day riots in 1946.
- The movie is set around the Great Calcutta Killing (August 1946), one of the most violent communal clashes before Partition.
About the Great Calcutta Killing (Direct Action Day, 1946)
- Date: Began on 16 August 1946, called by the Muslim League as Direct Action Day to press demand for Pakistan.
- Nature: Worst single episode of Hindu–Muslim violence before Partition.
- Spread: Triggered communal riots later in Noakhali (East Bengal, now Bangladesh), Bihar, Garhmukteshwar, Bombay, Punjab, etc.
- Key Context:
- March 1946: PM Clement Attlee announced transfer of power (date not fixed).
- May 1946: Cabinet Mission Plan for interim government was rejected by both Congress and Muslim League.
- July 29, 1946: Jinnah declared “either a divided India or a destroyed India” and called for Direct Action on Aug 16.
(Source: IE)
![](https://www.gstimes.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MARCH-2024-GS-TIMES-1ADD.jpg")
