The Impact on the State and Society of the delay in Implementation of the Zamindari Abolition Act, 1950

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59815/bhs.vol2707

DR. S. M. REZAUL KARIM

Professor, Department of History, University of Dhaka

Abstract: The Zamindari Abolition Act of 1950 was momentous and at the same time revolutionary in the history of land reform legislation in Bengal. The importance of this Act was far-reaching in establishing ownership and proprietorship on land by the peasantry in the post-colonial period. Peasants dreamed that this Act would free them from long-term exploitation and deprivation. It was hoped that it would end the exploitation and oppression of the landless peasants.  However, reality was not as expected. On the one hand, the formulation of the Act dragged on for a long time, while on the other hand, even after the formulation of the Act, it took too long to implement. As a result, the peasants were deprived of the benefits of the Zamindari Abolition Act. This article will review the consequences of the delay in implementation of the Zamindari Abolition Act, 1950. Based on a qualitative methodology, data gathered from archival documents and other sources was used to write this article. The historical research approach has been used to analyze sources. The article concludes that impact of the delay in implementing this Act was mostly negative on the state and society. Exploitation-free society dreamed by the people of East Bengal could not be established.

Key Words: Zamindari Abolition Act, Congress Party, East Pakistan Provincial Government, State Acquisition Department, Charitable Institutions, Landless Peasants.