Britain's Responsibility
Britain failed in its responsibility to ensure a peaceful transition into independence.
Britain had a responsibility to ensure a smooth partition because many Indians risked their lives in World War 2 fighting for the British, and many Indians also had to buy war bonds or pay higher taxes to support a war effort that some didn't even support.
{World War Two Provides the Indo/British Breaking Point, 2017}
{World War Two Provides the Indo/British Breaking Point, 2017}
Sir Cyril Radcliffe had little over a month to draw the boundaries over valleys, rivers, and hills, all while having to preserve various communities. Sir Cyril Radcliffe had also never been to India in his life. The haste with which the border was drawn shows how little planning Britain put towards the partitioning process. This is further shown by the fact that they chose Radcliffe, who had never been to India, to draw the borders in this short timeframe. Britain did this simply because India was becoming too difficult to maintain, so they had to relinquish control of it.
A journalist describes the partition division process
{indianculture.gov, 1947}
Map drawn for India, Pakistan, and Punjab borders for 1947 partition
{The National Archives 1947}