However , the British had perpetuated division amongst Bengali communities on the basis of divide and rule . Bengali Hindus were seen as affluent , educated and were accepted in civil services . On the other hand , Bengali Muslims , especially those in East Bengal were highly discriminated . Most East Bengali Muslims were peasants and were persecuted by Hindu zamindars supported by the British Raj . This had led to several religious movements across East Bengal such as the Faraizi movement aimed at resisting the British and the Hindu zamindars class . In 1905 , Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah , the Nawab of Dhaka , proposed the partition of Bengal on communal lines to establish a separate province for the suppressed majority of the region who live in East Bengal and were mostly Muslim . The British accepted the partition and a new province by the name of Eastern Bengal and Assam was created . However the partition was annulled in 1911 due to resistance from the Swadeshi movement in West Bengal that demanded the unification of Bengal . In 1947 , Bengal would again be partitioned on communal lines with East Bengal ( present day Bangladesh ) joining Pakistan and West Bengal being part of India though Hindu majority district of Khulna was awarded to Pakistan and Muslim majority districts of Malda and Murshidabad were awarded to West Bengal . Ethnic cleansing of Hindus forced many Hindus to migrate to India notably on the backdrop of 1950 East Pakistan riots and 1964 East Pakistan riots . After the establishment of Pakistan , Bengalis faced immense discrimination and economic suffering . The Bengali nationalist movement quickly geared momentum with the increasing cultural and linguistic nationalism that were inherently secular . The Bangladesh Liberation War would see Bengalis , irrespective of religion join the fight for their freedom
1964 East Pakistan riots
1964 East Pakistan riots
Secularism in Bangladesh