Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

History

Chapter

Modern India: Understanding Partition

Question:

What is the difference between the holocaust experienced in India at the time of partition and the holocaust in Nazi Germany?

Options:

In India, it was carried out by state agencies rather than by self-styled representatives of religious communities.

In India, it was carried out by self-styled representatives of religious communities rather than by state agencies.

People of all religions were killed in India from Sikhs to Parsis, Hindus to Muslims etc., but in Germany, only the Jews were killed.

Both 1 and 3

Correct Answer:

In India, it was carried out by self-styled representatives of religious communities rather than by state agencies.

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option 2 - In India, it was carried out by self-styled representatives of religious communities rather than by state agencies.

The term “holocaust” in a sense captures the gravity of what happened in the subcontinent in 1947, something that the mild term “partition” hides. It also helps to focus on why Partition, like the Holocaust in Germany, is remembered and referred to in our contemporary concerns so much. Yet, the differences between the two events should not be overlooked. In 1947-48, the subcontinent did not witness any state-driven extermination as was the case with Nazi Germany where various modern techniques of control and organisation had been used. The “ethnic cleansing” that characterised the partition of India was carried out by self-styled representatives of religious communities rather than by state agencies.