Correct Option (C)
TheRadcliffe Committee, formally known as theBoundary Commissions, was established inJuly 1947under the chairmanship ofSir Cyril Radcliffe. Its primary mandate was todemarcate the boundariesbetween the two newly independent dominions of India and Pakistan, specifically for the provinces ofPunjab and Bengal. The committee was tasked with drawing the partition lines based on contiguous majority areas of Muslims and non-Muslims, while also considering other factors.
Incorrect Options
- Option 1 (solve the problem of minorities in India): While the partition had profound implications for minorities, the Radcliffe Committee's specific role was not to address or solve the broader problem of minorities. Its function was limited to territorial demarcation.
- Option 2 (give effect to the Independence Bill): The Indian Independence Act of 1947 was a legislative act passed by the British Parliament that formally granted independence and provided for the partition. The Radcliffe Committee's role was a consequence of this Act, specifically to implement the territorial division, not to give effect to the entire bill itself.
- Option 4 (enquire into the riots in East Bengal): Riots and communal violence, including those in East Bengal, were tragic consequences of the partition process. However, the Radcliffe Committee was constituted for boundary delimitation, not for investigating these disturbances.