Karmakar after hoisting the flag on the club premises on Monday. Picture by Surajit Roy

Malda, Aug. 18: A club here today unfurled the Tricolour to commemorate Malda’s re-entry into India three days after the country attained Independence. The district had been transferred to East Pakistan on August 15, 1947.

Like previous years, Balaka Sangha members observed Independence Day at Babupara here.

Raghunandan Karmakar, 69, unfurled the national flag at 12 noon amid chanting of Bandemataram and Netaji Amar Rahe. Hordes of people, including children, had gathered at the spot. Day-long cultural programmes were also organised.

“We have been observing August 18 as Independence Day from our childhood to keep the history alive,” said Karmakar who stays in the locality. The district administration, however, observes the day on August 15.

Karmakar said a radio broadcast on August 14 midnight in 1947 announced that Malda district had been included in East Pakistan after the Partition.

“The present day youths are not aware of the chain of events of that period. Tension mounted across the district after the radio announcement. The Hindu Mahasabha had brought out a procession, so did the Muslim League. But no untoward incident had occurred,” Karmakar, who was 8-years-old then, recalled.

The then district magistrate of Malda, Kehlon, unfurled the national flag of Pakistan on August 15.

Three days later, it was again announced from Delhi that Malda would remain a part of India. But five of the 15 police stations — Sivganj, Nachol, Bholahaat, Nababganj and Gomattopur — in the district would be added to Pabna district in East Pakistan, the announcement had said. The government said Malda’s inclusion in East Pakistan was “by mistake,” Karmakar claimed.

The district magistrate of Pabna, now in Bangladesh, Mongal Acharya, had arrived in Malda on August 18 to take back the Pakistani flag.

The national flag of India was again hoisted by the then district magistrate of Malda.

Historian Kamal Basak recalled how freedom fighters in Malda led by Sibendu Shekhar Roy had fought back the district for India. Roy and his team had marched to Calcutta the day the national flag of Pakistan was fluttering in Malda.

“The freedom fighters had held long meetings in Calcutta, trying to convince the authorities that the district be returned to India,” Basak said.

The present district magistrate, Chittaranjan Das, said he was not aware of the events.