15 August - India gains its independence from the United Kingdom. A largely Hindu India and a MuslimPakistan are created by partition of the subcontinent, with Punjab and Bengal divided along religious-demographic boundaries between the two. Hindu - Muslim riots break out along both the western and eastern borders. Mass transfer of refugees takes place from India to Pakistan and vice-versa. The monarch of Kashmir signs instrument of accession with India in the face of heavy attack from Pakistani tribals and troops. Rajendra Prasad is the first President of India and Jawaharlal Nehru becomes Prime Minister of India. Nehru unfurls the Indian tricolor on the ramparts of the Red Fort, symbolically marking the end of British colonial rule.