Louis Mountbatten was sworn in as Governor-General of India on 15 August. He retained the position until 21 June 1948. The office of Governor-General was abolished after the enacting of the Constitution of India in January 1950.

The 15 August also saw mass celebrations of India’s independence across India. However, not all Indians were in joyful spirits. Millions of Indians and Pakistanis were adversely affected by the partition. Whole cities, towns, and villages were transformed as once communal fraternity was replaced with violence. Masses of refugees formed caravans that stretched beyond the horizon. The frantic and ill-organised partition left millions destitute. Whilst the British, Indian, and Pakistani leaders marked indepedence with lofty speeches and ceremonial pageantry, the peoples of Pakistan and India were caught up in the tumult of an expidited British departure from the Subcontinent.

See below, footage of refugees from India arriving in Lahore, Pakistan: