Refugees settled in Kolkata, Delhi,Mumbai and towns countrywide

The majority of East Bengali refugees settled in the city of Kolkata (Calcutta) and various other towns and rural areas of West Bengal, but a significant number also moved to the Barak Valley of Assam and the princely state of Tripura which eventually joined India in 1949. Around 0.5 million were also settled in other parts of India, including the East Pakistan Displaced Persons' Colony (EPDP) in Delhi (subsequently renamed Chittaranjan Park), Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. The estimated 0.5 million Bengalis in Delhi and 0.3 million in Mumbai are also largely East Bengali refugees and their descendants. Following the 1947 Partition of India, millions of Bengali refugees—primarily Hindus fleeing East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh)—were housed in temporary transit centers and relief camps across India. A large number of these refugees eventually settled in permanent colonies, many of which were created through the forceful occupation of land. The peasants of East Bengal did not want to leave their comfort zone in the east. The mainly bcause the soil in East Bengal was alluvial, the climate heavily humid and cash crops like jute grew abundantly. Besides, the peasants did not have any connections in West Bengal. However, with the onset of communal violence in East Bengal, the fear of death and violence drove many a Hindu peasant to evacuate their lands and move westwards. Transit and temporary camps Initial refugee processing and temporary housing were set up in cities and along border railway lines. Some key examples include: Cooper's Camp: A major transit camp in Ranaghat, Nadia district, which housed tens of thousands of refugees, many of whom were later sent to other states. Dhubulia Camp: Another large camp located in Nadia district, which suffered from poor sanitation and disease. Sealdah Station: Thousands of refugees squatted at this busy Kolkata railway station, turning it into a makeshift camp before the government moved them to other locations. Border Transit Points: Temporary camps were also established at border points such as Petrapole, Hasnabad, and Bongaon to process new arrivals. Permanent Liability (P.L.) Camps: Designed for refugees with disabilities or other conditions preventing them from working, some of these camps, such as one in Ashoknagar, West Bengal, continued to operate for decades.