The bronze Mountbatten statue stands on Mountbatten Green, off Horse Guards Road in Whitehall, London. Depicted in his Admiral uniform and displaying his honours, including the Order of the Garter, the statue of Lord Mountbatten after his part played in the acceleration of Partition is certainly controversial.

Lord Albert Victor Nicholas Louis Francis Mountbatten (1900-1979) was the first Earl Mountbatten of Burma, a Naval officer, colonial administrator and relative of the British Royal Family. He was the last viceroy of British India and with full plenipotentiary power, oversaw the dishevelled transfer of power from British hands to an independent India and Pakistan. His involvement in Partition is repeatedly criticised and debated as he is often blamed for the disorganisation of the forced mass migration and carnage that accompanied British departure. 

After Britain’s intense 200+ year exploitation of India, Viceroy Mountbatten was in position of absolute power. On 3rd June 1947, the ‘Mountbatten Plan’ was established and proposed several principles including two separate dominions for Pakistan and India, establishment of a Governor-General in each state and the establishment of their own constitution. In March 1947, Mountbatten arrived in India with an explicit mandate to achieve the transfer of power before June 1948 and Mountbatten soon appointed a very perplexed Sir Cyril Radcliffe to decide on border lines in just five weeks. No one anticipated that the enforced border and crystallization of national identities along religious lines would descend into chaos, rage and genocide.

August 14th and 15th 1947 were the declared appointed dates for the forced and rapid handover, with individuals, families and communities leaving their possessions and property behind to flee to their newly designated borders. From a purely British perspective, Mountbatten’s contribution was a certainly successful imperial exit.