- Responsibility for communal violence (migration)
- in MTB plan, Bits decided to exit India by 15th Aug instead of 30th June 1948
- led to poor prep by administration and ppl for orderly migration
- eg. Punjab LG Jenkins: Peaceful division will take years, not 72 days
- also CIC Lockhard: Punjab tragedy won’t have happened if partition delayed by 1 yr
- ∴ Brits knew before and confirmed later that the early transfer of power was responsible
- as per IIA 1947, Two Radcliffe commissions were set up for border demarcation in east and west before or after 15th August
- the award was ready before 15th August bet declared on 17th august to prevent british responsibility for violence
- Radcliffe had no experience of India or border demarcation
- also, the commission had no experts and a 6 week deadline
- ∴ on 15 aug, ppl didn’t know if they were on desired side of border, leading to last minute chaos