Mahatma Gandhi visited Noakhali during a peace mission in 1946 after communal violence in the Bengal region. He began the tour in November 1946 and traveled through affected villages, speaking with residents and encouraging reconciliation.
The violence followed the worsening communal crisis surrounding the end of British rule and the proposed partition of India. Gandhi chose to move on foot between villages when possible, meeting both Hindus and Muslims rather than relying only on large public meetings.
His Noakhali work was part of a wider effort to protect vulnerable communities and reduce retaliatory violence. He later traveled to Bihar and Delhi for similar peace efforts.
Noakhali is now chiefly associated with a district in Bangladesh, although administrative boundaries and names changed after Partition. It should not be confused with Amritsar, where major violence also occurred during the 1947 Partition crisis.