Partition of India million became homeless. However, many argue that the British were forced to expedite the Partition by events on the ground. Once in office, Mountbatten quickly became aware that if Britain were to avoid involvement in a civil war, which seemed increasingly likely, there was no alternative to partition and a hasty exit from India. Law and order had broken down many times before Partition, with much bloodshed on both sides. A massive civil war was looming by the time Mountbatten became Viceroy. After the Second World War, Britain had limited resources, perhaps insufficient to the task of keeping order. Another
Artistic depictions of the partition of India Urdu writer from Punjab revolve around the end of the Raj, Partition and communalism. His stories include "Thanda Gosht, Khol Do, Toba Tek Singh, Iss Manjdhar Mein, Mozalle, Babu Gopi Nath" etc. Some of his characters became legendary. An online translation of "Toba Tek Singh" is available. "Raavi Paar and Other Stories" (2000) is a collection of stories by Sampooran Singh Gulzar that deal with the partition of India and Pakistan. The book was published by HarperCollins Publishers India . While Vikram Chandra's 2006 novel Sacred Games is not about partition, it does contain a long and graphic chapter describing