The city and its port were bombed several times by the Japanese between 1942 and 1944, during World War II.[48][49] Coinciding with the war, millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943 due to a combination of military, administrative, and natural factors.[50] Demands for the creation of a Muslim state led in 1946 to an episode of communal violence that killed over 4,000.[51][52][53] The partition of India led to further clashes and a demographic shift—many Muslims left for East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh), while hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled into the city.[54]