The Congress launches a campaign demanding an immediate end to British rule in India; Gandhi and other leaders are arrested.
A wartime famine in British-ruled Bengal kills an estimated two to three million people.
The All-India Muslim League adopts a resolution calling for independent states in Muslim-majority areas, a step towards the creation of Pakistan.
British India is partitioned into the independent dominions of India and Pakistan, accompanied by mass migration and violence.
Gandhi is shot dead in New Delhi by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist.
Ceylon becomes an independent dominion within the Commonwealth, ending British colonial rule.
The constitution drafted under B. R. Ambedkar comes into force, making India a republic; the day is celebrated as Republic Day.