Cooch Behar was a princely state under the British Government from 1773 and got integrated with Indian Union on 28th August 1949. Cooch Behar was made into a Chief Commissioner’s province on 12th September 1949 and this state of affairs continued till 31st December 1949. The then Maharaja of Cooch Behar Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan gave the following farewell message to the people of Cooch Behar.
“On this solemn occasion which marks the end of a long and happy association, my mother and I send you our very best wishes, my beloved people. Wherever we may be, we shall never forget you, your loyalty, and your devotion, we hope you will always maintain the peace, goodwill, and harmony which has been our common heritage.
We shall always watch with keen interest your moral and material welfare and always
pray for your happiness and prosperity.
May God Almighty bless you all”
During this period there was a lot of debate and discussion about the merger of Cooch Behar either with West Bengal or Assam. The people who wanted a merger with Assam pointed out that the speaking language, customs, manners, and mode of life of the people of Cooch Behar were the same as that of the people of Assam. On the other hand, people favouring a merger with West Bengal pointed out that Bengali has been the official language of Cooch Behar for centuries and hence the people of Cooch Behar were not opposed to a merger with West Bengal. Finally, the wishes of the people of Cooch Behar were taken into account and Cooch Behar became a district of West Bengal on 1st January 1950.
Maharaja Nripendra Narayana
Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan
Source: Manjeet Yadav, IAS 2020 (West Bengal)