Question

The Radcliffe Committee was appointed to –
A) solve the problem of minorities in India
B) give effect to the Independence Bill
C) delimit the boundaries between India and Pakistan
D) Enquire into the riots in East Bengal

Answer 1

Hint: Radcliffe line was named after Sir Cyril Radcliffe, the chairman of the Border Commissions. He was an English lawyer with no prior knowledge or experience with cartography.

Complete answer:
Prior to independence, it was agreed to divide India into two parts, one for Hindus and the other for Muslims. Pakistan was given the provinces of Sindh and Baluchistan, both of which have a large Muslim population (over $70\% $ and $90\% $, respectively).

The provinces of Punjab and Bengal, on the other hand, had only a slight majority of Muslims. Muslims made up $55.7$ percent of Punjab's population and $54.4$ percent of Bengal's. Even though Muhammad Ali Jinnah wanted these provinces to become part of Pakistan in their entirety, the Congress Party refused due to Hindu and Sikh sentiments.

The Radcliffe Line, which divided India and Pakistan, was unveiled on August $17$, $1947$. The Radcliffe line runs from the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat to the international border in Jammu in Jammu & Kashmir, separating India and Pakistan. India was divided into three sections by Radcliffe: West Pakistan, East Pakistan, and India.

In June $1947$, Sir Cyril Radcliffe was appointed Chairman of the two Border Commissions (one for Bengal and the other for Punjab). Each commission had five members: Sir Cyril, the Muslim League's two nominees, and the Congress Party's two nominees. Sir Cyril was given until August $15th$ to complete the demarcation, but the final result was not released until August $17th$. In the eyes of the British, Sir Cyril was a neutral figure who could not be biased against either India or Pakistan because he had no prior knowledge of the country or its circumstances. One of the reasons for his promotion was because of this.

Thus the correct answer i option ‘C’.

Note: Radcliffe arrived in India in July $8$, $1947$, with a five-week deadline to operate on the borderline. The task of dividing the two countries was difficult since the division was based on religious majority, and a reasonable decision had to be taken while drawing a border between the two countries.