Participation of Refugees Rehabilitation in India: Post Independent India (1947)

Abstract

Partition was a highly controversial system and is still a source of much tension in the subcontinent. Since independence in 
1947, India received about 8 million political refugees from four neighboring countries, West Pakistan (now Pakistan), East 
Pakistan (now Bangladesh), Tibet and Sri Lanka, between 1970-71, namely Punjabis (4.7 million), Bengalis (2.5 million), 
Tibetans (80 thousand) and Ceylonese Tamils (0.5 million) respectively. It was one of the largest and fastest migrations in 
human history, with an estimated 14.5 million people leaving the country in 4 years (Bhardwaj, Khawaja and Mian, 2008). 
It is estimated that 16.7 million people were forced to leave the country in the four years following Partition.  The arrival of 
14.5 million people during the same period, suggests that 2.2 million people were "missing" or missing at the time of 
partition.