The partition of India in 1947 was marked by brutal violence and mass migration, with Punjab at its epicentre. The Rawalpindi division experienced an early and brutal eruption of violence in the month of March. The “Rawalpindi massacre,” with killings, arson, looting, and violence-induced migration as prevalent forms of violence against Sikhs and Hindus, constitutes a crucial yet unexplored chapter in partition studies, as it significantly shaped the subsequent political and communal landscape of the Punjab. By examining the socio-political organisation of the Rawalpindi division, including the role of rural-military elites as British allies in providing military manpower and maintaining local authority, this research demonstrates how the dissolution of the link between the state and these rural-military elites contributed to the unprecedented escalation of violence.