The call for Direct Action by the Muslim League on 16 August 1946 marked a decisive and tragic turning point in the political situation of India during the final phase of the national movement. It fundamentally altered the atmosphere in which constitutional negotiations, communal relations, and the transfer of power were taking place. The period following this call was characterized by widespread communal violence, deepening political polarization, the breakdown of trust among major political actors, and the increasing inevitability of Partition. The Muslim League’s decision to launch Direct Action was rooted in its dissatisfaction with the Cabinet Mission Plan and the Congress’s interpretation of it. Although the Cabinet Mission had proposed a united India with a loose federal structure and groupings of provinces, the League feared that Congress dominance at the centre would eventually undermine Muslim political safeguards. Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s declaration of Direct Action was intended as a mass political demonstration to assert the League’s demand for Pakistan and to show that no constitutional arrangement could succeed without its consent. However, instead of remaining a controlled political protest, Direct Action rapidly degenerated into large-scale communal violence. The immediate aftermath of Direct Action Day was most dramatically visible in Calcutta, where unprecedented riots broke out between Hindus and Muslims. Over several days, thousands were killed and many more injured, while property on a massive scale was destroyed. The Calcutta killings shocked the entire country and revealed the fragile state of communal harmony. The failure of the colonial administration to prevent or quickly contain the violence further undermined confidence in British authority. The riots demonstrated that the British state was no longer capable of maintaining order in a deeply divided society, reinforcing the urgency of a political settlement. The violence in Calcutta soon spread to other regions, creating a cycle of retaliatory communal clashes. In Noakhali in Bengal, Hindus became victims of brutal attacks, while in Bihar, large-scale violence was unleashed against Muslims. Punjab, already a communally sensitive province, moved steadily toward chaos as tensions escalated between Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims. This