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{{Short description|Referendum in British India}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox referendum
| name = Sylhet referendum
| flag_image = British Raj Red Ensign.svg
| title = Should Sylhet join the province of [[East Bengal]] in [[Dominion of Pakistan|Pakistan]]?
| location = [[Sylhet Division|District of Sylhet]], [[Assam Province]], [[British Raj|British India]]
| outcome= [[Karimganj district|Karimganj subdivision]] remains in the [[Dominion of India|India]], the rest of Sylhet District joins the [[Dominion of Pakistan|Pakistan]].
| date = {{start date|1947|07|06|df=yes}}
| no =
| yes =
| total =
| electorate =
| map =Sylhet 1947.png
|mapcaption=Map of Sylhet District showing subdivisions and majority voting. Green represents area in favor of joining East Bengal (Pakistan) and Orange represents area in favor of remaining part of Assam and joining India.
|next_year=1947|next_referendum=1947 North-West Frontier Province referendum}}
{{History of Bengal}}
{{History of Bangladesh}}
The '''1947 Sylhet referendum''' was held in the [[Undivided Sylhet district|Sylhet district]] of the [[Assam Province]] of [[British Raj|British India]] to decide whether the district would remain in [[undivided Assam]] and therefore within the post-independence [[Dominion of India]], or leave Assam for [[East Bengal]] and consequently join the newly created [[Dominion of Pakistan]]. The referendum's turnout was in favour of joining the Pakistani union; however, the district's [[Karimganj district|Karimganj subdivision]] remained within the [[Assam|Indian state of Assam]].<ref name="qaty">{{cite Banglapedia |author=Chowdhury, Dewan Nurul Anwar Husain |article=Sylhet Referendum, 1947}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Greater Sylhet Region.jpg|thumb|left|250x500px|[[Undivided Sylhet district]] under British rule.]]
Prior to the [[East India Company|British arrival]] in the region in late eighteenth century, the ''Sylhet Sarkar'' was a part of the [[Bengal Subah]] of the [[Mughal Empire]]. Initially, the [[Company rule in India|Company Raj]] incorporated Sylhet into its [[Bengal Presidency]]; however, 109 years later on 16 February 1874, Sylhet was made a part of the [[non-regulation province|non-regulation]] [[Colonial Assam|Chief Commissioner's Province of Assam (North-East Frontier)]] in order to facilitate Assam's commercial development. This transfer was implemented despite a memorandum of protests being submitted to the Viceroy, [[Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook|Lord Northbrook]], on 10 August from the district's [[Sylhetis|Sylheti]]-majority population which consisted of both [[Hindus]] and [[Muslims]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Fazal |first=Tanweer |year=2013 |title=Minority Nationalisms in South Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6bGMAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA53 |publisher=Routledge |pages=53–54 |isbn=978-1-317-96647-0}}</ref> These protests subsided when Northbrook visited Sylhet to reassure the people that education and justice would be administered from the city of [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] in Bengal,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hossain |first=Ashfaque |year=2013 |title=The Making and Unmaking of Assam-Bengal Borders and the Sylhet Referendum |journal=Modern Asian Studies |volume=47 |number=1 |page=262 |jstor=23359785 |doi=10.1017/S0026749X1200056X |s2cid=145546471 |quote=It was also decided that education and justice would be administered from Calcutta University and the Calcutta High Court respectively.}}</ref> as well as when the Hindu [[Zamindar|''zamindars'']] of Sylhet realized the opportunity of employment in Assam's tea estates and a market for their produce.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hossain |first=Ashfaque |year=2013 |title=The Making and Unmaking of Assam-Bengal Borders and the Sylhet Referendum |journal=Modern Asian Studies |volume=47 |number=1 |page=262 |jstor=23359785 |doi=10.1017/S0026749X1200056X |s2cid=145546471 |quote=They could also see that the benefits conferred by the tea industry on the province would also prove profitable for them. For example, those who were literate were able to obtain numerous clerical and medical appointments in tea estates, and the demand for rice to feed the tea labourers noticeably augmented its price in Sylhet and Assam enabling the Zaminders (mostly Hindu) to dispose of their produce at a better price than would have been possible had they been obliged to export it to Bengal.}}</ref>

[[File:AssamProvince1936 Map.png|thumb|left|250px|Surma Valley and Hill Districts under the Assam Province.]]
After the [[Partition of Bengal (1905)|first partition of Bengal]] in 1905, Sylhet was briefly reincorporated with [[Eastern Bengal and Assam]], as a part of the new province's ''Surma Valley and Hill Districts'' division. However, this reorganization was short-lived as Sylhet once again became separated from Bengal in 1912, when [[Assam Province]] was reconstituted into a [[Chief Commissioner's Province]].{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} By the 1920s, organisations such as the ''Sylhet Peoples' Association'' and ''Sylhet–Bengal Reunion League'' mobilized public opinion, demanding Sylhet's reincorporation into Bengal.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fazal |first=Tanweer |year=2013 |title=Minority Nationalisms in South Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6bGMAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA54 |publisher=Routledge |pages=54–55 |isbn=978-1-317-96647-0}}</ref> However, the leaders of the Reunion League, including [[Muhammad Bakht Mauzumdar]] and [[Syed Abdul Majid]], who were also involved in Assam's tea trade, later opposed the transfer of Sylhet and [[Cachar district|Cachar]] to Bengal in September 1928 during the ''Surma Valley Muslim Conference''; supported by Abdul Majid's ''Anjuman-e-Islamia'' and ''Muslim Students Association''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bhuyan |first=Arun Chandra |title=Nationalist Upsurge in Assam |year=2000 |publisher=[[Government of Assam]] |oclc=47256838}}</ref>

==Background==
[[File:Sylhet in Bangladesh.svg|thumb|left|200px]] [[File:Karimganj and surrounding areas.png|thumb|right|200px|On the left is a map of [[Sylhet Division]] in present-day [[Bangladesh]] and on the right is a map of [[Karimganj district]] in present-day [[Assam]], [[India]]]]
The [[partition of India]] was to happen along religious lines in August 1947. [[Muslims|Muslim]]-majority areas would be combined to form the new [[Dominion of Pakistan|Pakistan]] while non-Muslim and [[Hindus|Hindu]]-majority areas would remain in [[Dominion of India|India]].<ref>{{cite web |title=History - British History in depth: The Hidden Story of Partition and its Legacies |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/partition1947_01.shtml |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=20 November 2016}}</ref> [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet]] was a Muslim-majority [[Sylheti language|Sylheti]]-speaking district in Assam, which was a Hindu-majority [[Assamese language|Assamese]]-speaking province. The [[Government of Assam]] believed that removing Sylhet would make the state more homogeneous and strongly unified as a result. Assam's Chief Minister, [[Gopinath Bordoloi]], stated in 1946 that his wish was to "hand over Sylhet to [[East Bengal]]".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Daniyal |first1=Shoaib |title=With Brexit a reality, a look back at six Indian referendums (and one that never happened) |url=http://scroll.in/article/810564/with-brexit-a-reality-a-look-back-at-six-indian-referendums-and-one-that-never-happened |work=Scroll.in |access-date=20 November 2016}}</ref> The [[British Raj]] declared on 3 July 1947 that a referendum would be held on 6 July 1947 to decide the future of Sylhet. H. C. Stock was appointed as the commissioner of the referendum.<ref name="qaty" /> [[Brigadier (India)|Brigadier]] [[Mohinder Singh Chopra]] was in command of the "SYL Force" (Sylhet Force) made to keep the referendum peaceful, which is why there were no cases of riot or murder during the time.<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 August 2023 |title=Independence Day: The man who set up the joint check post at Attari-Wagah border in 1947 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/independence-day-joint-check-post-attari-wagah-border-mohinder-singh-chopra-8890450/ |access-date=5 May 2024 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Result==
[[File:Sylhet referendum & pre-partition Sylhet district borders.png|thumb|left|250x300px|Map of Sylhet district at the time of the 1947 Sylhet referendum]]
The majority of the population voted in favour of joining [[Dominion of Pakistan|Pakistan]]. This was implemented via Article 3 of the [[Indian Independence Act 1947|Indian Independence Act]] of 18 July 1947. The [[Radcliffe Line]] published on 17 August 1947 gave some areas of Sylhet – mainly [[Karimganj district|Karimganj]] – to [[Dominion of India|India]], while the rest of Sylhet joined [[East Bengal]], even though Karimganj had a Muslim-majority population which had opted for Pakistan, unlike some other areas in Sylhet like [[Moulvibazar District|Moulvibazar]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Qureshi |first=Murad |author-link=Murad Qureshi |date=14 August 2017 |title=Sylhet's own Brexit – Partition referendum of 1947 |url=https://muradqureshi.com/sylhets-own-brexit-partition-referendum-of-1947/ |website=Murad Qureshi |access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref> The putative cause of this was the plea of a group led by [[Abdul Matlib Mazumdar]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}
India received three and a half [[Administrative geography of Bangladesh|thanas]] of Sylhet.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Recovering Sylhet |url=http://himalmag.com/recovering-sylhet/ |magazine=Himal Southasian |date=22 November 2012 |access-date=20 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Assam Election Results – What does it mean for Bangladesh? |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/op-ed/politics/assam-election-results-what-does-it-mean-bangladesh-1227193 |newspaper=The Daily Star |date=21 May 2016 |access-date=20 November 2016}}</ref> Along with Karimganj, [[Zakiganj Upazila|Zakiganj]] was also to be a part of independent India, but this was prevented by a delegation led by [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/08/15/d40815090170.htm |title=Bangabandhu's death anniversary special: As I look back |author=Ali, AMM Shawkat |work=The Daily Star |date=15 August 2004 |access-date=26 May 2021 |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526141434/http://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/08/15/d40815090170.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Thus, most of the Sylhet District joined [[East Pakistan]], which later emerged as the new country of [[Bangladesh]] in 1971 following the [[Bangladesh War of Independence]].<ref name="laporte">{{cite journal |last=LaPorte |first=R |year=1972 |title=Pakistan in 1971: The Disintegration of a Nation |journal=Asian Survey |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=97–108 |doi=10.2307/2643071 |jstor=2643071}}</ref>
The result of the referendum was largely welcomed by the [[Assamese people|local Assamese population]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Fazal |first=Tanweer |title=Minority Nationalisms in South Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6bGMAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 |year=2013 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |page=56 |isbn=978-1-317-96647-0}}</ref>
[[File:Letter on Results of Sylhet Referendum addressing M. A. Jinnah.png|thumb|left|200x300px|Letter on Results of Sylhet Referendum addressing [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah|M. A. Jinnah]]]][[File:Letter on Results of Sylhet Referendum addressing Gopinath Bordoloi.png|thumb|left|200x300px|Letter on Results of Sylhet Referendum addressing [[Gopinath Bordoloi]]]]
{{table alignment}}
{| class="wikitable sortable col2right col7right"
! rowspan="2" |Subdivision
! rowspan="2" |Total Voters
! rowspan=2 | Votes cast
! rowspan="2" |Turnout %
! colspan="4" | Votes<ref name="qaty" />
|-
! [[Assam]]<br>([[Dominion of India|India]])
!%
! [[East Bengal]]<br>([[Dominion of Pakistan|Pakistan]])
!%
|-
|[[Sylhet District|Sylhet North]]
|1,41,131
| style="text-align: right;" | 1,07,252
|76.00
| style="text-align: right;" | 38,871
|36.24
| style="text-align: right;" | 68,381
|63.76
|-
|[[Moulvibazar District|Sylhet South (Moulvibazar)]]
|79,024
| style="text-align: right;" | 65,189
|82.49
| style="text-align: right;" | 33,471
|51.34
| style="text-align: right;" | 31,718
|48.66
|-
|[[Habiganj District|Habiganj]]
|1,35,526
| style="text-align: right;" | 91,495
|67.51
| style="text-align: right;" | 36,952
|40.39
| style="text-align: right;" | 54,543
|59.61
|-
|[[Sunamganj District|Sunamganj]]
|90,891
| style="text-align: right;" | 77,926
|85.74
| style="text-align: right;" | 34,211
|43.90
| style="text-align: right;" |43,715
|56.10
|-
|[[Karimganj district|Karimganj]]
|1,00,243
| style="text-align: right;" | 81,798
|81.60
| style="text-align: right" | 40,536
|49.56
| style="text-align: right;" | 41,262
|50.44
|-
! Total
!style="text-align:right;"|5,46,815
!style="text-align:right;"|4,23,660
!style="text-align:left;"|77.48
!style="text-align:right;"|1,84,041
!43.44
!style="text-align:right;"|2,39,619
!56.56
|}

==See also==
* [[1947 North-West Frontier Province referendum]], a similar referendum held in present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
* [[Partition of India]]
* [[Undivided Sylhet district]]
* [[History of Sylhet]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sylhet Referendum}}
[[Category:1947 in British India]]
[[Category:1947 referendums]]
[[Category:July 1947 in Asia]]
[[Category:1940s in Assam]]
[[Category:Bangladesh and the Commonwealth of Nations]]
[[Category:Partition of India]]
[[Category:Sylhet District]]
[[Category:Referendums in India]]
[[Category:History of Sylhet]]
[[Category:Territorial evolution of Bangladesh]]

1947 Sylhet referendum - Revision history

Vikiutq at 22:18, 9 April 2026