1946 Bihar riots and 1940s; in the 1945 alone, 1,809 riots took place in Uttar Pradesh, and 3,176 riots took place across the country in 1946. On 16 August 1946, the All-India Muslim League proclaimed Direct Action Day in Calcutta, as part of their demand for a separate state for Muslims. Major riots ensued across the city, with 4,000 people being killed. These riots triggered communal violence across the country, including in Bihar. The Noakhali riots that occurred from 10–21 October also provoked violence in Bihar. The trigger for the riots that occurred in June was a dispute concerning a false allegation that
Bihar his ability. After listening to bandishes from Kumar Sahib, Pandit Jasraj was moved to tears and lamented that, alas!, he did not have such ability himself." [free translation of Hindi text]. During the 19th century, when the condition of Bihar worsened under the British misrule, many Biharis had to emigrate as indentured labourers to the West Indies, Fiji, and Mauritius. During this time many sad plays and songs called "birha" became popular, in the Bhojpur region, thus "Bhojpuri Birha". Dramas incorporating this theme continue to be popular in the theatres of Patna. Bihar has a robust Bhojpuri-language film industry. There