The Radcliffe Line: Five Weeks to Divide a Subcontinent

Cyril Radcliffe had only five weeks to draw borders for a subcontinent he had never visited.

The partition process relied on outdated maps and census data instead of physical field visits.

Radcliffe served as the sole tie-breaker between deadlocked Indian National Congress and Muslim League judges.

British officials delayed the map announcement until two days after independence to shift responsibility for fallout.

The new borders severed vital irrigation canals from their headworks and split village footpaths into international crossings.

Ten to fifteen million people were displaced because the boundary ignored local infrastructure and social networks.