"Must not forget pain inflicted by Partition, terrible violence was witnessed": President Murmu addresses nation on Independence Day eve

New Delhi [India], August 14 : President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday extended her heartiest greetings to the nation on the eve of the 79th Independence Day.
"It is a matter of pride for all of us that Independence Day and Republic Day are celebrated by every Indian with great enthusiasm. These are days that especially remind us of our being proud Indians," President Murmu said in the beginning of her address.
She remembered the horrors of 1947 partition and said that countrymen should never forget the pain inflicted due to it, adding that terrible violence was witnessed in the course of events and that the nation pays tributes to the victims of the follies of history.
Addressing the nation on the eve of the 79th Independence Day, President Murmu paid tributes to the victims of the partition on the occasion of Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas (Partition Horrors Remembrance Day).
"As we look back on the past, we must not forget the pain inflicted by the Partition of the country. Today we observed Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas. Terrible violence was witnessed, and millions were forced to relocate due to Partition. Today, we pay tributes to the victims of the follies of history," President Murmu said.
On August 14, India observes 'Partition Horrors Remembrance Day' to pay tribute to those who lost their lives and were displaced during the country's partition in 1947.
At the exit of the British from India in August 1947, India was partitioned into two independent nation-states: India and Pakistan. The partition of India had devastated millions of lives across the Indian subcontinent. There were riots, unrest, violence, animosity, rapes, massacres, looting, starvation, and one of the largest forced mass migrations in human history that the world has ever witnessed. Millions of people suffered immense loss and endured horrific days and nights.
The provinces of Punjab and Bengal have faced the consequences of the catastrophic riots that claimed thousands of lives and left an indelible mark in the psyche of millions of people. The repercussion and trauma as a result of partition are felt and experienced to date.
The President further emphasised that the people of India successfully transitioned to achieving the country's democratic status, despite the challenges the nation faced following Independence.
"After regaining our freedom, we also became a democracy with universal adult franchise. In other words, we the people of India put the power to shape our destiny in the hands of each of us, without any restrictions of gender, religion and other factors that had barred many people from voting in other democracies. In spite of many challenges, the people of India made a successful transition to democracy. The transition was a natural reflection of our ancient democratic ethos," President Murmu said.
"India had the oldest republics in the world. It is rightly acknowledged as the mother of democracy. When we adopted the Constitution, it provided the edifice of democracy. We built democratic institutions that strengthened the practice of democracy. We prize our Constitution and our democracy above everything else," she said
"The fifteenth of August is a date etched in our collective memory. During the long years of colonial rule, generations of Indians dreamt of the day of independence. Men and women, old and young, from all parts of the country, yearned to throw away the yoke of foreign rule. Their struggle was marked by robust optimism, which has continued to propel our progress since Independence too. As we salute the tricolour tomorrow, we will also be paying homage to the memory of all freedom fighters whose sacrifices won India Independence on the 15th of August, 78 years ago," President Murmu said.
The Nation will celebrate the 79th Independence Day on August 15, 2025, with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the celebrations from the iconic Red Fort in the national capital. The Prime Minister will hoist the National Flag and address the nation from the ramparts of the iconic monument. As the nation is making giant strides towards realising the Government's vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, the theme of this year's celebrations is Naya Bharat.
The celebrations will serve as a platform to commemorate the continuing rise of a prosperous, secure and bold Naya Bharat and provide renewed power to surge further ahead on the path to progress.