This important film exposes the continued persecution of Hindus in Bengal and Bangladesh, highlighting the horrors of religious persecution.
Some of the topics of the film are:
Partition:
Britain’s colonial rule of India started in 1757. In 1947, British-occupied India gained independence and the largely religion-based division of the nation occurred. The division ultimately resulted in the formation of the Republic of India (predominantly Hindu, officially secular), the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (predominantly Muslim, officially Muslim), and the People's Republic of Bangladesh (predominantly Muslim, officially Muslim). Bengal was divided into West Bengal (predominantly Hindu, part of India) and East Bengal (predominantly Muslim, later renamed East Pakistan). Pakistan then consisted of West Pakistan (present-day Pakistan — including Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh). In 1971, East Pakistan seceded from Pakistan to form Bangladesh. The above events triggered widespread violence, diseases, displacement, mass migrations, and refugee crises as people moved across the newly created borders. The partition of India, and the lead-up to it, had serious religious, social, and political consequences that persist even today.
Direct Action Day (Calcutta Killings):
The All-India Muslim League, led by Mohammad Ali Jinnah (who became Pakistan’s founder and first Governor General), organized Direct Action Day to be held on August 16, 1946 in Kolkata (Calcutta) with the demand of creating a separate nation of Pakistan. That day is marked by state-supported, targeted violence against Hindus and resulted in thousands of Hindus being killed in the span of a few days.
Noakhali:
This is a district in current-day Bangladesh and the site of the Noakhali Riots. Between October 1946 and December 1946, a campaign of ethnic cleansing took place. After the carnage of Direct Action Day, Hindus reacted. The Noakhali Riots followed those retaliatory actions, and a series of violent attacks against Hindus in the region ensued. Hindu neighborhoods were razed, men were hacked to death, women were raped, forceful conversions swept the area, and Hindu religious sites were desecrated. The brutality was planned and started on the Hindu holy day of Kojagari Lakshmi Puja. These violent attacks are important examples of the terror that occurred with the Partition of India.
The Bengal Files brings attention to a little-discussed genocide. It also spotlights the remarkable resilience of our community in the face of numerous attempts at suppression.