Direct action day: Among these

Among these, Direct Action Day, observed on 16 August 1946, stands as a grim reminder of how political ambitions, religious divisions, and colonial strategies converged to unleash unprecedented communal bloodshed. In 1946, Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared 16 August as ‘Direct Action Day’ and called for Muslims all over the country to ‘suspend all businesses’. What is the Direct Action Day? The Muslim League Council proclaimed 16 th August 1946 as ‘Direct Action Day’ in order to accentuate their demand for a separate Muslim homeland after the British left the Indian subcontinent. Their main aim was to attain a different country with a Muslim majority. The Muslim League, led by Mohammed Ali Jinnah, called for a day of mass protests on August 16, 1946, to demand the creation of Pakistan, a separate Muslim homeland. The protests on Direct Action Day spiraled into widespread communal riots between Hindus and Muslims, especially in Calcutta (Kolkata), and resulted in thousands of deaths.