Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

The fateful day of November 1, 1966, dawned and proved to be a red-letter day in the history of Punjab, which was already a remnant of the Partition of India in 1947.

On November 1, 1966, Haryana was carved out of Punjab and hundreds of Punjabi-speaking villages were transferred to Haryana. Besides, Punjab districts of Shimla and Kangra were merged with Himachal Pradesh on topographical grounds. Simultaneously, the capital was sanctioned away from Punjab and the whole of Chandigarh region with its 22 surrounding villages were promulgated into a separate unit called the Union Territory of Chandigarh under the Central Rule.

Thus, in a factual way, Punjab province was trifurcated overnight and the new order came into force with effect from November 1, 1966.

Events that followed

Punjab people were naturally very much aggrieved at the exclusion of Chandigarh from the state. Justice Gurdev Singh Dutt, one of the three members sof the Punjab Boundary Commission, had put in a strong dissenting note logically advocating that Chandigarh ought to go to Punjab. An intensive perusal of that note attached to the Boundary Commission's verdict is a must-read even now.

A perusal demonstration, the like of which was never witnessed before, was organised by the late Sant Fateh Singh who was even bent upon immolating himself to get Chandigarh restored to Punjab until the then Speaker Hukam Singh brought then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's solemn word that Chandigarh would be given over to Punjab. Again, Punjab people cannot forget the supreme sacrifice made by Sardar Pheruman by fasting unto death for conscience sake that Chandigarh should have been retained in Punjab.

Unkept promises