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The Communal History of HyderabadEdit Article | Posted: Jul 31, 2008 |Comments: 1 | Views: 1,845 |
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The city of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh has seen many Communal ups and downs right from the Razakar movement onwards. There have been periods where it has been secular later communal and then secular again. Mostly modern Hyderabad has been relatively peaceful but just as with the rest of India fallen prey to communally divisive politics. The history of Hyderabad began with the Qutub Shahi dynasty when Golconda was established and later the capital was shifted to Hyderabad with the building of monuments like the Charminar. In the history of the later princely state the importance of the Telangana region holds the key to the way the city was formed. The most prosperous region at one point of time is now in the midst of an economic (barring Hyderabad and the Rangareddy districts) and social struggle for an autonomous state.
The Qutub Shahi rulers were quite accepting of the Telugu culture of the region and embraced the language and culture by learning it and patronizing the arts and encouraging telugu literature. The rulers would converse, read and write in Telugu. The classical dance form Kuchipudi was also born during this time. The Qutub Shahi’s were benevolent rulers who laid emphasis on inclusive progress and assimilated themselves into the culture. The Muslim kings married into the local people of which the most famous example is that of Bhagmati, which gave rise to the name Bhagyanagar to her subsequent conversion to Hyder Mahal from which the name Hyderabad came to be. The dynasty was also very wealthy as a result of the diamond mining (this was where the Kohinoor was excavated) and this prosperity attracted unwarranted attention from the Mughal Empire. The region had an overwhelming majority of Hindus (around 96%) being ruled by Muslim kings which did not present as a problem for nearly 200 years of their rule.
After Aurangazeb’s repeated attacks the dynasty declined and the Mughal inquisition gave rise to the Asaf Jahi dynasty or as they are more popularly known the Nizams of Hyderabad. Under their rule the region of Telangana was the epicentre of the kingdom and Hyderabad was the capital. The Nizam rule saw the rising of the Princely State of Hyderabad and it was some of the most prosperous time for the kingdom. The Hindu population of the state was around 93% but there was not a lot of animosity among the people and the Nizam had signed a treaty with the British Establishment after supporting their annexation of Mysore. So neighbouring Secunderabad and other regions were administered by the British Imperialist forces and the presence of the British Army was a constant. Though the majority population was Hindu it was no secret that the Nizams favoured the Muslims.
Urdu was imposed on the people and Universities (Osmania University) and Schools (Aaliya) established were to enforce Urdu among the Hindus. The administration was also completely dominated by Muslims. This also did not incite any unrest among the people as one of the pillars of the Nizams Sarkar was the support from the Deshmukhs and Jagirdars who were the earlier captured kings from other provinces of India with royal status. All was well till the Nizam demanded dominion status and decided not to join India or Pakistan beginning in 1946. The Hindus (Andhra Mahasaba), Communists and pro-Indian union Muslims started the join India movement, this had the Nizam worried and thus began the Razakar movement with the Majlis-e-Ittehadhul Musalmeen (MIM, separatist dominion group) which included some dalits. This laid the ground for nearly two years of a virtual siege on the Hindus of the state. This led to the police action and the action of the Indian Government to annexe the state and they succeeded on the 18th of September 1948 with the Nizam becoming the ‘Raj Pramukh’
For a city born out of such communal strife and immense religious tension for the years after the struggle the region remained relatively non-communal. There were problems with the violent farmer struggles which grew stronger to the now very evident Naxal problem the contribution of the communists to a peace amongst religions were crucial but laying a virtual siege to official machinery was not (things were non communal even during the Telangana Agitation). Even the rise of Salahuddin Owaisi of the MIM (distanced from the separatist cause) was not the cause of much communal strife. The Babri Masjid demolition changed that and saw the MIM fighting for the rights of Muslims in the city (which made the Owaisis very powerful). This is where the communal harmony in Hyderabad went south. The BJP was making its presence felt like it did in the national arena from 1984 onwards that gave the MIM a slight scare when Badam Bal Reddy almost won (it is alleged that there was massive rigging done to make the MIM win, as a BJP victory would mean a virtual war in the Old City area as it is now known).
The seeds of hatred though had already been laid; Hyderabad after formation of the Andhra Pradesh state saw the worst Hindu-Muslim riots and everything after that became a communal issue. Charminar was basically turned into a MIM bastion and many Hindu traders decided to move out fearing their life. Friday prayer at the Mecca Masjid became the ideal place to start a riot after prayers and anything would set off a stone pelting spree. Then again during the Telugu Desam Party (that was until the alignment with the BJP) and Congress rule in the state there was a lull but very sensitive. During this time many Hindu customs which were earlier welcomed met with opposition and many Muslim practices were deliberately opposed. Both sides wanted to gain political mileage from the communal conflict. Every festival and celebration had to be policed heavily.
Till 1998 Hyderabad had not fully taken off to the current IT city metro status but the division of the Old and New City areas had begun just prior the 90’s. The Babri demolition gave rise to fundamental elements to take advantage of the situation which led to hyper extension of mosques and anti-Hindu tirades at sermons (the most often said thing was to abstain from buying anything from Hindus during Ramzan, now extended to not buy anything from Hindus at any given time). The reactionary response to that was Ganesh Visarjan yatras deliberately causing problems when passing through the Old City or the local Bonalu festival being heavily guarded as the rituals lead to many uncomfortable situations. The MIM was a party to many of these problems but vote-bank politics meant ignorance at best. Islamic fundamentalist elements had permeated locally with an influx of migrants from various parts of the country (plus international influences and migration back and forth).
Sleeper cells of Islamic fundamentalist groups, rise of the RSS now ruled the previously communist (including Maoist Naxal) Telangana. As a result these unchecked happenings eventually led to the Hyderabad Bombings (in Mecca Masjid, Lumbini Park and Gokul Chaat) and the attack of MIM legislators on Taslima Nasreen. The MIM though had shown signs of this when they violently stamped out (there was a shootout where most members were killed, but as always not many clues were found) the opposition from the Majlis-Bachao-Tehreek (MBT) after the death of their leader Amanullah Khan, who had led a successful opposition movement to the MIM. The MIM recently demanded a Muslim state with Warangal as its capital for Telangana, the Communist Party of India had gained significant ground recently as people of the Old City saw through the MIM but the nuclear deal and a passionate speech by Asaduddin Owaisi in support virtually eliminated that near change in thought process. Again Hyderabad is on high alert and the Hindu-Muslim he said-she said will go on but the rising forces of terror will go mostly unchecked in the process. There are enough problems with the Naxal groups now the state has to tackle a combination of problems.
Razakars (Hyderabad)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search Not to be confused with Razakars (Pakistan).
Razakars were a private Muslim militia organized by Qasim Razvi to support the rule of Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII and resist the integration of Hyderabad State in India.
The people of Telangana under the leadership of Swami Ramanand Tirtha formed the Andhra Hindu Mahasabha which sought integration of state with rest of India. This was a non-violent struggle initially but later due to pressure from the razakars, they along with the communists
became violent. This led to the killing and brutal murder of lots of landlords and jagirdars in the telangana region. The were driven out and their lands redistributed among the population.
Eventually, the Indian army routed the Razakars and the group was disbanded after hyderabad state joined the Union of India.
Qasim Razvi, the military chief of Hyderabad state, moved to Pakistan where he resided until his death.
[edit] External links
National Integration and Modern Judicial Procedure in India: The Dar-Us-Salam Case - Theodore P. Wright, Jr.
Asian Survey, Vol. 6, No. 12 (Dec., 1966), pp. 675–682
RAZAKAR MOVEMENT The Nizam was very anxious to become independent and it had been Nizam's ambition to secure Dominion Status for his State. He tried to achieve this ambitious desire with the help of Khasim Razvi of the Ittehadul Muslimeen and its rag tag militia, the Razakars.
The Hindus of the Hyderabad State accounted for 93 per cent of its population. They launched the "Join India" movement with the cooperation of a few patriotic Muslims for the integration of the State with the rest of the country. The State Congress leaders, led by Swami Ramanand Tirtha, whole-heartedly supported the movement. The Nizam banned the State Congress. Its leaders are forced to conduct their activities from places like Vijayawada and Bombay. The Communists on their part organized village defense squads to protect people from the attacks of the Nizam Police and Razakars. The negotiations between the Nizam's Dominions and the Indian Union proved abortive. The Nizam Government did not agree to the accession to the Indian Union. The activities of the Razakars within the Dominions were posing a serious threat to peace and harmony. The Communist party instigated the peasants to use guerrilla tactics and around 3000 villages (about 41000 sq. kilometres) came under peasant-rule in Nalgonda alone. The mostly Muslim landlords were either beheaded or brutally murdered, driven out and the land was redistributed. The rebellion was led by the Communist Party of India under the banner of Andhra Mahasabha. The growing violence by the Razakars and the Andhra Mahasabha seriously jeopardized law and order. The Government of India tried to persuade the Nizam to sign the Instrument of accession with India. After tortuous negotiations, the Nizam finally entered into a "Stand Still Agreement" on November 29, 1947, with India for one year to maintain status quo. This agreement provided the Nizam to gain time to procure military hardware from different parts of the world and smuggle them into Hyderabad. In the meanwhile the Nizam sent a delegation to the United Nations organization to refer the Hyderabad case to the Security Council.
With the growing violence by the Andhra Mahasabha and the Razakars along with the Nizam's attempts to get himself independent, the Government of India decided to curb these tendencies by launching a `Police Action' against the Nizam. The Indian Army, led by Major-General
J.N.Chaudhuri entered the State from five directions and the military action was a brilliant success. On 18 September 1948, Nizam's forces surrendered to the Indian army and Mir Laik Ali, the Prime Minister of the Nizam, and Khasim Razvi were arrested. On September 23, the Nizam withdrew his complaint in the Security Council. The merger of Hyderabad Dominions into the Indian Union was announced. Major-General J.N.Chaudhuri took over as Military Governor of Hyderabad and stayed in that position till the end of 1949. In January 1950, M.K.Vellodi, a Senior Civil Servant was made the Chief Minister of the State and the Nizam was designated "Raj Pramukh". After the 1952 General Elections, the first popular ministry headed by B.Rama Krishna Rao took charge of the State.
Jihad in Andhra Pradesh Have we forgotten the lessons of history so soon?
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Has Telangana forgotten the Jihadi Razakar atrocities?
Heroic Hindu resistance to Islamic terror in Hyderabad (1310 - 1948) - A compilation
Muslim Razakars pose with captured Hindu civilians before killing them in cold blood (Telangana, 1948)
(Picture Source: Wagner, Heather Lehr. People at odds. U.S.A: Chelsea House Publishers,
2002.)
Brief History:
Approximately seven centuries of slavery under the Muslim autocracy and 50 years of
democracy have influenced the culture of the Hyderabad City and the State. In the North India,
the Muslim rule started with the defeat of the last Hindu and Buddhist empires in Afghanistan in
early 7th century, while Vijayanagar (1336-1678) was the last Hindu empire to fall in the South. It
took approximately 7 centuries for Islamic marauders to reach the south from the north-west.
Telangana, the core of Hyderabad State, came under Muslim rule briefly when Alauddin Khilji
from Delhi defeated the emperor Prataparudra of Kakatiya Dynasty that ruled from Warangal as
Capitol, on March 19, 1310. The huge booty carried to Delhi by one thousand camels included
the famous Kohinoor Diamaond. (Yes, this is the same Allauddin who plundered Chittorgarh for
material and carnal booty, including queen Padmini. After a heroic resistance against his brutal
Muslim onslaught for about eight months, valiant Rajputs were defeated and on the 26th of
August 1303, under the leadership of Rani Padmini, the Rajput women plunged themselves into
the fire to escape rape and slavery .)
Warangal was taken back from Delhi sultanate in 1336 by Vijayanagar dynasty, which fell to
Muslims later in 1678 and became part of Golconda state under Mughals. Nizam gifted away
coastal Andhra to French in 1752. East India Company acquired Andhra from the French in
1766, which became part of Madras province of the British Empire. However, Hyderabad
(Golconda) remained part of various Muslim dynasties for 7 centuries uninterrupted: Delhi
sultanate (1310-1336), independent Bahmani sultanate - a major Muslim dynasty that ruled
central and south India (1345-1512), Turkman Qutub Shahi dynasty of Golconda kingdom
(1512-1687), Mughal Dynasty of Delhi (1687- 1724) and Nizam dynasty of Hyderabad (1724-
1948).
Liberation:
There was an increase in political and cultural awareness among peoples of Hindu religions of
Hyderabad State at the end of 19 th century. As part of Nizam's grand design to counter the
growing cultural and political awareness among Hindus (~90% of the total population at the
time) in the state, the Telugu names of districts, for example, Elagandala, Palamuru, Induru, and
Metuku were changed to Karim Nagar, Mahaboob Nagar, Nizamabad, and Medak respectively,
and towns like Manukota and Bhuvanagir were renamed as Mahaboobnagar and Bhongir
respectively in 1905. Village names ending in padu were changed to pahad. At the same time a
proclamation was issued making Hyderabad State an Islamic state.
In 1911, Mir Osman Ali Khan succeeded to the dynasty. During his rule Islamization of
Hyderabad State was intensified. With the encouragement of the Nizam government a blatant
communal organization Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen was formed. This organization along with
"Anjuman Tabli Gulistan" inaugurated Tablig movement to convert Hindus to Islam. In August
1919, Osmania University was founded to impart higher education in Urdu medium to Muslims
and Urdu speaking Hindus in Telangana. This was the first ever University in the last millennium
in the Telugu land! The second university established was Andhra University in Andhra region of
Madras province under the British raj in 1925.
Of course, the Nizam dynasty’s intentions were to annihilate the Hindu languages and cultures.
Hindu students had to face many hardships and restrictions at the University. The Hindu
cultures and religions were openly ridiculed, e.g., during Milad-un-Nabi celebrations of 1937,
Prof. Maulvi Nazarul Hassan Gilani openly admonished the Muslims for their failure to convert
Hindus to Islam by saying, " I am pained to see the inertness amongst Muslims, when there
exist still 22 million of ‘Dung Worshippers’ in this country (Hyderabad State)."
Similarly, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, father of Islamic State of Pakistan (Islamic Pure State),
addressed the students of Osmania University as "my Muslim students," ignoring Hindus among
the students.
Kasim Razvi, the president of Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen in erstwhile Hyderabad State, believed
that he was destined to plant Asafia flag on the Red Fort in Delhi and make the waves of the
Bay of Bengal wash the feet of Nizam. He was successful in intoxicating thousands of Muslims
of Hyderabad State to enroll as razakars and take pledge to maintain the Muslim supremacy in
Deccan and Hyderabad State. When the British left the Indian Continent in 1947, the Nizam
wished to remain independent, while Hindus wanted to join the democratic Indian Union. A
series of riots and mayhem, known as Razakar movement were instigated by the Nizam and
Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen party against popular demand "Join India" to join the Indian Union
and overthrow the Muslim autocracy.
Finally, the Hyderabad State joined the Indian Union with the help of the Union army in 1948, in
an action popularly known as the police action. However, communal riots between Muslims and
Hindus continued due to communal ‘divide and rule policy’ and minority-vote-bank politics of
Congress party until saffron clad Nandamuri Taraka Ramarao (NTR) became Chief Minister.
Towards Freedom: Final days of the Nizam Raj
- Panduranga Rao Kulkarni
On 15 August, 1947, well ahead by ten months British left India after partitioning it into India and
Pakistan . The numerous princely states were given option to either accede to India or to
Pakistan . Poor Hindus of Deccan ! They dreamt that Independence meant freedom to them
also. But it was not to be on 15th August, 1947 as rest of India was shouting 'Bharat Mata ki
Jai', in the Nizam's state of Hyderabad , slogans of ''Azad Hyderabad Paindabad' rent the air.
The Hyderabadi Hindu was doomed! There was a large scale of migration of Hindus across the
border of Hyderabad into the neighbouring Indian provinces.
The terror unleashed by the Razakars was coupled with the migration [exodus] of Hindus. There
was also immigration of thousands of Muslim families from other parts of the country. They were
eagerly welcomed by the Volunteers of Ittehadul - Musalmin, and also the state's machinery.
Within two months of declaring Azad Hyderabad, the state's Muslim population rose by one
lakh. Immediate attempts were made to absorb these immigrants into jobs in various
departments like irrigation, railway, electricity, public works etc. The state's Child Welfare
Association under Nizam's princess daughter-in-law, released funds for immediately providing
blankets to these immigrants as the winter was fast approaching. The new Government of India
was very much concerned with this development. Yet it acted with forbearance because the
Nizam's plea to give an extension of two months to sign the instrument of accession was
granted.
In the meanwhile the 'Razakar' force of Ittehadul Musalmin swelled to three lakhs members and
there were clashes between them and the Swayamsevaks of 'Janata Fouz' formed in the rural
side by the Hindus mostly in the border areas. Even after the lapse of two months, the Nizam
dodged signing the accession instrument on one pretext or the other. In the meanwhile he sent
his men all over the world seeking military and moral assistance for the independent Hyderabad
State .
There were rumours that Nizam would accede to Pakistan and Pakistan would readily accept it.
To pre-empt such an eventuality, the Indian Government offered a standstill agreement to
Hyderabad without accession, which seemingly was its climbdown. To Nizam and Ittahed the
offer looked as an indicator of growing weakness of Indian Government, which was staggering
with shock of post-position riots and bloodshed. For several weeks there was bargaining in New
Delhi over the contents of the standstill agreement, after which ultimately it was signed.
According to the agreement, K.M. Munshi would be stationed in Hyderabad as agent-general of
India , and Zain Yarzung would be in New Delhi as the agent general of Hyderabad .
This period was used by the hooligans of Ittehedul Musalmin to systematically terrorise
the Hindus by arson and looting of their shops, houses, and standing crops, robbing the
gold and silver from their women-folk and also their abduction and rape.
In an incident in Errapalem village of Warangal district, under the lead of sub-Inspector
Chand Khan, thirty five policemen with eighty Razakars of Ittehadul Musalmin looted
each and every household including the huts. They dragged the women folk along the
streets to the centre place of the village. They had forcible copulation first with twelve of
them and there after shot them dead, despite the pleadings of their kith and kin. The
other group of women had the same fate. Total number of women thus killed on that day
in the village was seventy. In fact, it had become the order of the day for the lecherous
Nizam’s police and the barbaric vagabonds of Ittehedul - Musalmin known as Razakars.
The predominantly Hindu population of the state was not to be allowed to pause and recap
incessant terrorizing. At that time Mir Layak Ali was appointed as the new Prime Minister of
Hyderabad at the insistence of Itthehead. He was a Civil Engineer turned Businessman and
Industrialist and totally new to political office. His inexperience and the overbearing influence of
Ittehadul Musalmin upon him, quickened the pace of events. Nizam was totally besieged by the
Ittehad, and power and initiative shifted from Kingkoti completely. Qasim Razvi was the sole
performer now. For the battle hardened leaders like Patel, Nehru, Rajaji and Munshi sitting with
novices of street urchin mentality and to talk about the affairs of a state larger than many of the
European countries was a new but exasperating experience. Yet in the interest of the innocent
public of Hyderabad State they underwent this harrowing experience for months together
The nation was recovering from the trauma of Gandhiji's death. News on the other hand of
Hyderabad steadily building up the potential of its Army and other ancillary forces was regularly
reaching Delhi . A British Arms dealer named Sydney Cotton was transporting arms from
abroad. Stocks of petrol and sulphur were built up. And several factories owned by the Muslims
were said to have started producing rifles and Bren guns. Power alcohol was being produced at
the rate of 3,500 gallons per day. The provincial governments around Hyderabad were getting
nervous and sending frantic requests to Patel to take action against Hyderabad 's bellicosity.
On 23rd March, 1948 the Home Secretary V.P. Menon sent a formal letter pointing out various
violations by Hyderabad of the stand still Agreement and asked Prime Minister Layaq Ali to take
steps to rectify the situation or be prepared for consequences. This ultimatum is said to have
rattled him making him to blurt, ''What was led to this sudden change?'”.In fact Layaq Ali was
facing embarrassments everywhere due to irresponsible and arbitrary acts and utterings of
Qasim Razvi and Razakars of Itthedul Muslamin.
Few weeks earlier to that on 1st February 1948, one hundred armed personnel raided the
branch of State Bank of Hyderabad in a small town Umri, killed at least seven persons and
decamped with more than 22 lakhs rupees in hard cash. Later enquiry revealed that the raiders
were Razakars of Ittehadul Musalmin who were supposed to protect the Bank from the
imaginary attack of the Indian Armed Forces. This itself proves the extent of lawlessness
created by the Razakars of Ittehadul Muslamin during that time.
Prior to that, the government and armed forces of India , took steps to block all the supply
routes to Hyderabad . Its effects started to be felt. There was shortage of petrol, diesel,
kerosene, sugar, cigarettes, food-grains, medicines and innumerable other things. The
Hyderabad government now manned entirely by the Ittehad people was not inspiring much
confidence among the business community resulting in hoarding and block marketing.
Indian government asked its army to be prepared to march to Hyderabad at a shortest notice if
necessary.
Accordingly Major-Gen. Hiralal Atal, G.O.C. 1, Armoured Division submitted his plan to the
southern Command on 16th April, 1948. In it he envisaged an advance of 30 miles per day and
assessed to cover the distance from Sholapur to Hyderabad within a fortnight, in an East-West
assaultEnd of July, 1948, I Armoured Division of Indian Army had built up enough rations for
sixty days for an army 22,000 strong. Meanwhile Maj. Gen. J.N. Choudary had succeeded Maj.
Gen. Hiralal Atal, as G.O.C. 1 Armoured Division. And Mountbatten the last link of Nizam with
Government of India had gone back to his England
On 7th September, Home Secretary V.P. Menon formally wrote to the Prime Minister of
Hyderabad requesting him to allow Indian troops to be restationed in Secunderabad in such
strength as might be necessary for the prompt and effective restoration of Law and Order.
Layaq Ali did not reply. Six days later, by the first of 13th September 1948, columns of Indian
army entered Hyderabad state from various directions, on their journey to Secunderabad as per
the forewarning of Home Secretary. Operation Polo, had begun. TIME Magazine's John Lubar
described it as a 'Happy war'.
As the Indian troops marched on in the territory of Hyderabad , except at Naldurg, Tuljapu,
Bidar, Zahirabad in the Western sector and at Kodad in the Eastern sector, there was no
residence offered by the much publicised Hyderabad army. The Razakars of Ittehabul-Musalmin
were driven mostly by their religious fanaticism. Then religious zeal is no substitute for the
regular military training, which a soldier receives in his military camps. On 15th September,
Qasim Razvi's home town Latur along with Osmanabad, Aurangabad and Jalna fell to Indian
troops. In the after noon of fifth day, 17 September, Hyderabad 's resistance ended, when the
Nizam ordered his troops to ceasefire. On 18th September, 1948, the news of Nizam's decision
to surrender caused jubilation all over India and also among the people of Hyderabad
Qasim Razvi, and many other leaders of Ittehadul Musalmin were caught and tried. But
by the time their trial concluded, the Congress Party came to power in Hyderabad .
Sardar Patel was no more. In consonance with the Muslim appeasement policy of the
Congress, these traitors were allowed the escape with lesser punishments. Later they
went to Pakistan with great zeal and hope. What happened to them there is not known to
many.
The remnants of the Ittehadul Musalmin changed the name of the Islamic Communal
outfit to Majlis-e-Ittehad and later converted it into a political party called Majlis-e-
Ittehadul -Musalmin which still garners enough votes from the Muslim ghettoes of the old
city of Hyderabad to send a couple of members of the State Assembly and lone member
to the nation's Parliament. But the irony is that the Ittehad's posterity is neither repentant
nor abashed of the monstrosity of their predecessors. And the Hindu residents of the Old
City are not yet sure whether the Police will be permitted to act swiftly to rescue them from
Muslim attacks, as was done fifty years ago. Then that is being defined as secularism.
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My grandfather, Ravinder Singi Reddy was born on January 25, 1933 in the village, Mandadi, which is located in the district, Mahaboobnagar, in the [present-day] state of Andhra Pradesh. Thatha, which means grandfather in
Telugu, was only fourteen when India got its independence on August 15, 1947. Since his family was
farmers in a rural village in South India, they were not directly impacted by the events leading up to the
independence. However, they were impacted more by the Razakar Movement.
The [present-day] state of Andhra Pradesh [was once known] as the state of Hyderabad which was ruled by the Nizam, which means Muslim prince, Asaf Jah. The next seven Nizams, descendents from the Asaf Jah Dynasty,
were the predominant rulers of Hyderabad from 1724 until 1948.
In 1911, Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan began his reign and his goal was to have Hyderabad as an
independent state, separate from India and the Indian Union just as Pakistan had separated
from India. The Razakar Movement began in 1946, when the Nizam countered the cultural and
political awareness that was rising among the Hindus around that time (Vepachedu). The
Hindus who started the “Join Indian” movement wanted the state of Hyderabad to join the rest of
India in the Union. Since the Hindu population of the state was about 90%, the Nizam felt more
threatened and began to intensify the Islamization that he had begun. This Islamization entailed
Hindus being forced to convert or leave the state. The Nizam wanted to completely remove
Hindu culture and language from his state. He built universities where students, mostly Muslims
were taught the Muslims ways and Urdu, a language spoken predominantly by Muslims
(Vepachedu).
To further his cause, the Nizam employed storm troopers, the Razakars, and his own army to
eliminate the Hindus. My grandfather was a teenager at that time and remembered the terror
that the movement created in the minds and hearts of the Hindu people.
Violence erupted between the two peoples as Muslims began regular offense against the
Hindus daily (Moslem attacks). Many peoples’ property was taken away, many were removed
from their positions is various jobs, and many were beaten or killed. Thatha says he can
remember his brother-in-law, a doctor, who was killed on his way to making a making a house
call to see a patient.
My great grandfather passed away when my grandfather was only 11 years old. My
grandfather’s eldest brother, Devanayak Reddy, became head of the family of 14 brothers and
sisters. To escape the horrible conditions Devanayak decided to relocate the family to state of
Karnool. (Karnool, a neighboring state under the Indian Union, did not experience the
conditions that those in the Hyderabad state were going through.)
My grandfather’s family was the head of the village in Mandadi because they owned most of
the land. They were well respected and liked. This land brought enough profits that despite the
size of their family, they lived in comfort and luxury in comparison to the rest of the village.
Thatha recalls the hardships he and his family faced after reaching Karnool. They had to leave
all their belongings and most of their money back home because there were checks at different
places where people were searched. Thatha [Grandfather] said that they put money in their
shoes, and wherever else they thought they could conceal it. Whatever money he and his
family did bring was somehow smuggled in their clothing.
After reaching Karnool, his family was very low on money and food because they didn’t have
the income from farming from Mandadi. Therefore, they lived on little food which was quite a
change from their former lifestyle. They adjusted, though, because they had to spend about two
years there.
On September 10, 1948, the Indian government sent their army to take away the state from
Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan and join it with the Indian Union, finally ending the Nizam rule.
Thatha’s older brothers returned to the farm but the younger children and he remained in
Karnool because Karnool had much better education. The schools in Mandadi were only
sufficient for servants and a much lower level education. After finishing high school, the rest of
the family slowly drifted back home where things were prosperous once again.
During the two-year-period of the Razakar movement, many families suffered injustice in the
hands of Muslims who wanted their own state and desperately used any means to rid of
Hindus. But many families, like my grandfather’s, were able to regain what they had lost.
<!--[if !ppt]--> <!--[endif]-->
For scholarly references, see: http://nhs.needham.k12.ma.us/cur/wwII/05/baker05/baker-nsp-
p5-05/India_Independence.html
“Moslem Attacks Charged”. New York Times (1857-Current file); Aug 20, 1948. pg. 4.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers. MetroWest Regional Library. January 18, 2005.
This NYT article talked about an incident when a group of Muslims surrounded a Hindu
Market place and massacred 200 Hindu civilians. This is only more evidence that goes to
show how far Muslims took they desire for their own country in Hyderabad.
Telangana was part of the then Hyderabad state, a princely state refusing to join the India
Union. The Nizam had given free rein to a group called the Razakars. Their leader Kasim Razvi
vowed that "if India invaded nothing but the bones and ashes of 10.5 million Hindus would be
found". Hindus were openly killed in Marathwada (also part of the princely Hyderabad).
This was the gentleman with whom the Communists allied. It was said in Warangal and
Nalgonda that "the Razakars rule by day and the Communists at night."
http://www.hvk.org/articles/1098/0077.html
The bad part is communists ( the so-called poor man's supporters ) aligned with Razakars. After
that people and even the establishment hated the communists so much that no body dared to
talk about communists. Belive it or not communists were killed by women folks of Telangana.
Razakars of those days emerged into Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) of today.
http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewtopic.php?
t=371&sid=191671946421363f6122c86adc739d4f
==============================================================
The anti-Nizam movement in the Kannada- and Marathi-speaking parts of Hyderabad state is
less well documented. It was the Arya Samaj under Swami Ramanand Tirth which came into the
leadership of the anti-Nizam movement - most of the followers of the Arya Samaj joined the
Congress by 1946-47. The leadership of the Arya Samaj gave a communal colouring to the
struggle. In his doctoral thesis, titled "Integration of Hyderabad Karnataka (1946-56)", on the
anti-Nizam and pro-merger movement in the Hyderabad Karnatak region, B.C.
Mahabaleswarappa, a reader in Gulbarga University, has traced the growth of the Arya Samaj
in this region. "The message of the Arya Samaj - India for Indians. Except Hindus, all are
foreigners on the soil of Hindustan - gave needed courage to the Hindus to oust the alien rule of
Nizam and face the atrocities of the Razakars." (page 60)
The autocracy of the Nizam undoubtedly had a pro-Muslim, anti-Hindu aspect to it. The Nizam's
administration was largely Muslim, Urdu was imposed on his subjects, and the Razakars'
actions were targeted against Hindus. The Arya Samaj, which took up cudgels for the 'Hindu
masses' against 'Muslim oppressors', took over the leadership of the anti-Nizam movement
partly owing to the late arrival of the Congress; until 1940 the Indian National Congress did not
take up the people's struggle in the princely state.
Majlis plan to glorify the anti-national Razakar movement in Telangana
HYDERABAD - An attempt seems to be afoot to glorify and extend support to the notorious anti-
national Razakar movement that left a trail of blood in Telangana in the early years of
independence.
The Majlis Bachao Tehreek, under the leadership of legislator Mohammad Amanullah Khan, is
organising a massive public meeting here to pay homage to the friend of Deccan, Qasim Razvi.
The party is observing Friday as "Yaum-e-Siddiq-e-Deccan' (the day of Siddiq-e-Deccan), as
Razvi is known among the old city Muslims. Mr Khan will preside over the meeting.
The anti-national Razvi was given a number of honorifics in advertisements issued by the
organising committee in various Urdu newspapers on thursday.
This is the first time an outlawed person like Razvi is being honoured like this. The Majlis
Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), of which the Tehreek is an offshoot, had never organized public
meetings in honour of Qasim.
Razvi had led the infamous Razakar movement in 1947-48 against the Indian Army and let
loose a reign of terror in Telengana, killing innocent men and women. The movement aimed at
merger of the then Hyderabad State with Pakistan.
The Razakar movement he started in 1944 became a strong paramilitary force which crushed
anyone who raised a voice in favour of the then Hyderabad state merging with Indian Union.
Though the MIM discarded the leadership of Qasim Razvi, who since led it, ever since the party
was revived in 1957, the newly formed Tehreek holds him in high esteem and his portraits adorn
the walls of its office at Mogalpura in the city.
According to Tehreek sources, the public meeting has been planned to revive the old glory and
honour of the community under the leadership of Qasim Razvi.
The newspaper advertisements carrying photographs of Mr Khan and Razvi appealed to the
people to participate in large numbers and pay homage to the warrior of Islam (Mujahid-e-
millat). One advertisement featured Mr Khan with Mr Bahadur Yar Jung, the MIM founder and
Jihadi zealo
Late Qaaid-e-Millat Nawab Bahadur Yar Jung
http://www.hindunet.org/alt_hindu/1995_Jan/msg00104.html
It is a fact that all ex-serviceman from the Nizam's state forces were treated on par with ex-servicemen from the Indian army. They are all allowed to draw ration and avail of medical facilities in the Indian
army like other ex-servicemen. It is really sad that these [killers] have been allowed stay in Indian soil. I know of one MIM activist in Houston who got a Green card in Houston (USA) pleading political asylum
from Indian persecution in Hyderabad, India. For this state of affairs I hold each and every Indian responsible who voted for the Congress in the last fifty years.
The Communal History of HyderabadEdit Article | Posted: Jul 31, 2008 |Comments: 1 | Views: 1,845 |
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The city of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh has seen many Communal ups and downs right from the Razakar movement onwards. There have been periods where it has been secular later communal and then secular again. Mostly modern Hyderabad has been relatively peaceful but just as with the rest of India fallen prey to communally divisive politics. The history of Hyderabad began with the Qutub Shahi
dynasty when Golconda was established and later the capital was shifted to Hyderabad with the building of monuments like the Charminar. In the history of the later princely state the importance of the Telangana region holds the key to the way the city was formed. The most prosperous region at one point of time is now in the midst of an economic (barring Hyderabad and the Rangareddy districts) and social struggle for an autonomous state.
The Qutub Shahi rulers were quite accepting of the Telugu culture of the region and embraced the language and culture by learning it and patronizing the arts and encouraging telugu literature. The rulers would converse, read and write in Telugu. The classical dance form Kuchipudi was also born during this time. The Qutub Shahi’s were benevolent rulers who laid emphasis on inclusive progress and assimilated themselves into the culture. The Muslim kings married into the local people of which the most famous example is that of Bhagmati, which gave rise to the name Bhagyanagar to her subsequent conversion to Hyder Mahal from which the name Hyderabad came to be. The dynasty was also very wealthy as a result of the diamond mining (this was where the Kohinoor was excavated) and this prosperity attracted unwarranted attention from the Mughal Empire. The region had an overwhelming majority of Hindus (around 96%) being ruled by Muslim kings which did not present as a problem for nearly 200 years of their rule.
After Aurangazeb’s repeated attacks the dynasty declined and the Mughal inquisition gave rise to the Asaf Jahi dynasty or as they are more popularly known the Nizams of Hyderabad. Under their rule the region of Telangana was the epicentre of the kingdom and Hyderabad was the capital. The Nizam rule saw the rising of the Princely State of Hyderabad and it was some of the most prosperous time for the kingdom. The Hindu population of the state was around 93% but there was not a lot of animosity among the people and the Nizam had signed a treaty with the British Establishment after supporting their annexation of Mysore. So neighbouring Secunderabad and other regions were administered by the British Imperialist forces and the presence of the British Army was a constant. Though the majority population was Hindu it was no secret that the Nizams favoured the Muslims.
Urdu was imposed on the people and Universities (Osmania University) and Schools (Aaliya) established were to enforce Urdu among the Hindus. The administration was also completely dominated by Muslims. This also did not incite any unrest among the people as one of the pillars of the Nizams Sarkar was the support from the Deshmukhs and Jagirdars who were the earlier captured kings from other provinces of India with royal status. All was well till the Nizam demanded dominion status and decided not to join India or Pakistan beginning in 1946. The Hindus (Andhra Mahasaba), Communists and pro-Indian union Muslims started the join India movement, this had the Nizam worried and thus began the Razakar movement with the Majlis-e-Ittehadhul Musalmeen (MIM, separatist dominion group) which included some dalits. This laid the ground for nearly two years of a virtual siege on the Hindus of the
state. This led to the police action and the action of the Indian Government to annexe the state and they succeeded on the 18th of September 1948 with the Nizam becoming the ‘Raj Pramukh’
For a city born out of such communal strife and immense religious tension for the years after the struggle the region remained relatively non-communal. There were problems with the violent farmer struggles which grew stronger to the now very evident Naxal problem the contribution of the communists to a peace amongst religions were crucial but laying a virtual siege to official machinery was not (things were non communal even during the Telangana Agitation). Even the rise of Salahuddin Owaisi of the MIM (distanced from the separatist cause) was not the cause of much communal strife. The Babri Masjid demolition changed that and saw the MIM fighting for the rights of Muslims in the city (which made the Owaisis very powerful). This is where the communal harmony in Hyderabad went south. The BJP was making its presence felt like it did in the national arena from 1984 onwards that gave the MIM a slight scare when Badam Bal Reddy almost won (it is alleged that there was massive rigging done to make the MIM win, as a BJP victory would mean a virtual war in the Old City area as it is now known).
The seeds of hatred though had already been laid; Hyderabad after formation of the Andhra Pradesh state saw the worst Hindu-Muslim riots and everything after that became a communal issue. Charminar was basically turned into a MIM bastion and many Hindu traders decided to move out fearing their life. Friday prayer at the Mecca Masjid became the ideal place to start a riot after prayers and anything would set off a stone pelting spree. Then again during the Telugu Desam Party (that was until the alignment with the BJP) and Congress rule in the state there was a lull but very sensitive. During this time many Hindu customs which were earlier welcomed met with opposition and many Muslim practices were deliberately opposed. Both sides wanted to gain political mileage from the communal conflict. Every festival and celebration had to be policed heavily.
Till 1998 Hyderabad had not fully taken off to the current IT city metro status but the division of the Old and New City areas had begun just prior the 90’s. The Babri demolition gave rise to fundamental elements to take advantage of the situation which led to hyper extension of mosques and anti-Hindu tirades at sermons (the most often said thing was to abstain from buying anything from Hindus during Ramzan, now extended to not buy anything from Hindus at any given time). The reactionary response to that was Ganesh Visarjan yatras deliberately causing problems when passing through the Old City or the local Bonalu festival being heavily guarded as the rituals lead to many uncomfortable situations. The MIM was a party to many of these problems but vote-bank politics meant ignorance at best. Islamic fundamentalist elements had permeated locally with an influx of migrants from various parts of the country (plus international influences and migration back and forth).
Sleeper cells of Islamic fundamentalist groups, rise of the RSS now ruled the previously communist (including Maoist Naxal) Telangana. As a result these unchecked happenings eventually led to the Hyderabad Bombings (in Mecca Masjid, Lumbini Park and Gokul Chaat) and the attack of MIM legislators on Taslima Nasreen. The MIM though had shown signs of this when they violently stamped out (there was a shootout where most members were killed, but as always not many clues were found) the opposition from the Majlis-Bachao-Tehreek (MBT) after the death of their leader Amanullah Khan, who had led a successful opposition movement to the MIM. The MIM recently demanded a Muslim state with Warangal as its capital for Telangana, the Communist Party of India had gained significant ground recently as people of the Old City saw through the MIM but the nuclear deal and a passionate speech by Asaduddin Owaisi in support virtually eliminated that near change in thought process. Again Hyderabad is on high alert and the Hindu-Muslim he said-she said will go on but the rising forces of terror will go mostly unchecked in the process. There are enough problems with the Naxal groups now the state has to tackle a combination of problems.
Razakars (Hyderabad)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search Not to be confused with Razakars (Pakistan).
Razakars were a private Muslim militia organized by Qasim Razvi to support the rule of Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII and resist the integration of Hyderabad State in India.
The people of Telangana under the leadership of Swami Ramanand Tirtha formed the Andhra Hindu Mahasabha which sought integration of state with rest of India. This was a non-violent struggle initially but later due to pressure from the razakars, they along with the communists became violent. This led to the killing and brutal murder of lots of landlords and jagirdars in the telangana region. The were driven out and their lands redistributed among the population.
Eventually, the Indian army routed the Razakars and the group was disbanded after hyderabad state joined the Union of India.
Qasim Razvi, the military chief of Hyderabad state, moved to Pakistan where he resided until his death.
[edit] External links
National Integration and Modern Judicial Procedure in India: The Dar-Us-Salam Case - Theodore P. Wright, Jr.
Asian Survey, Vol. 6, No. 12 (Dec., 1966), pp. 675–682
RAZAKAR MOVEMENT The Nizam was very anxious to become independent and it had been Nizam's ambition to secure Dominion Status for his State. He tried to achieve this ambitious desire with the help of Khasim Razvi of the Ittehadul Muslimeen and its rag tag militia, the Razakars.
The Hindus of the Hyderabad State accounted for 93 per cent of its population. They launched the "Join India" movement with the cooperation of a few patriotic Muslims for the integration of the State with the rest of the country. The State Congress leaders, led by Swami Ramanand Tirtha, whole-heartedly supported the movement. The Nizam banned the State Congress. Its leaders are forced to conduct their activities from places like Vijayawada and Bombay. The Communists on their part organized village defense squads to protect people from the attacks of the Nizam Police and Razakars. The negotiations between the Nizam's Dominions and the Indian Union proved abortive. The Nizam Government did not agree to the accession to the Indian Union. The activities of the Razakars within the Dominions were posing a serious threat to peace and harmony. The Communist party instigated the peasants to use guerrilla tactics and around 3000 villages (about 41000 sq. kilometres) came under peasant-rule in Nalgonda alone. The mostly Muslim landlords were either beheaded or brutally murdered, driven out and the land was redistributed. The rebellion was led by the Communist Party of India under the banner of Andhra Mahasabha. The growing violence by the Razakars and the Andhra Mahasabha seriously jeopardized law and order. The Government of India tried to persuade the Nizam to sign the Instrument of accession with India. After tortuous negotiations, the Nizam finally entered into a "Stand Still Agreement" on November 29, 1947, with India for one year to maintain status quo. This agreement provided the Nizam to gain time to procure military hardware from different parts of the world and smuggle them into Hyderabad. In the meanwhile the Nizam sent a delegation to the United Nations organization to refer the Hyderabad case to the Security Council.
With the growing violence by the Andhra Mahasabha and the Razakars along with the Nizam's attempts to get himself independent, the Government of India decided to curb these tendencies by launching a `Police Action' against the Nizam. The Indian Army, led by Major-General J.N.Chaudhuri entered the State from five directions and the military action was a brilliant success. On 18 September 1948, Nizam's forces surrendered to the Indian army and Mir Laik Ali, the Prime Minister of the Nizam, and Khasim Razvi were arrested. On September 23, the Nizam withdrew his complaint in the Security Council. The merger of Hyderabad Dominions into the Indian Union was announced. Major-General J.N.Chaudhuri took over as Military Governor of Hyderabad and stayed in that position till the end of 1949. In January 1950, M.K.Vellodi, a Senior Civil Servant was made the Chief Minister of the State and the Nizam was designated "Raj Pramukh". After the 1952 General Elections, the first popular ministry headed by B.Rama Krishna Rao took charge of the State.
Jihad in Andhra Pradesh Have we forgotten the lessons of history so soon?
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Hindus stand up to Islamic Terror
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Has Telangana forgotten the Jihadi Razakar atrocities?
Heroic Hindu resistance to Islamic terror in Hyderabad (1310 - 1948) - A compilation
Muslim Razakars pose with captured Hindu civilians before killing them in cold blood (Telangana, 1948)
(Picture Source: Wagner, Heather Lehr. People at odds. U.S.A: Chelsea House Publishers,
2002.)
Brief History:
Approximately seven centuries of slavery under the Muslim autocracy and 50 years of
democracy have influenced the culture of the Hyderabad City and the State. In the North India,
the Muslim rule started with the defeat of the last Hindu and Buddhist empires in Afghanistan in
early 7th century, while Vijayanagar (1336-1678) was the last Hindu empire to fall in the South. It
took approximately 7 centuries for Islamic marauders to reach the south from the north-west.
Telangana, the core of Hyderabad State, came under Muslim rule briefly when Alauddin Khilji
from Delhi defeated the emperor Prataparudra of Kakatiya Dynasty that ruled from Warangal as
Capitol, on March 19, 1310. The huge booty carried to Delhi by one thousand camels included
the famous Kohinoor Diamaond. (Yes, this is the same Allauddin who plundered Chittorgarh for
material and carnal booty, including queen Padmini. After a heroic resistance against his brutal
Muslim onslaught for about eight months, valiant Rajputs were defeated and on the 26th of
August 1303, under the leadership of Rani Padmini, the Rajput women plunged themselves into
the fire to escape rape and slavery .)
Warangal was taken back from Delhi sultanate in 1336 by Vijayanagar dynasty, which fell to
Muslims later in 1678 and became part of Golconda state under Mughals. Nizam gifted away
coastal Andhra to French in 1752. East India Company acquired Andhra from the French in
1766, which became part of Madras province of the British Empire. However, Hyderabad
(Golconda) remained part of various Muslim dynasties for 7 centuries uninterrupted: Delhi
sultanate (1310-1336), independent Bahmani sultanate - a major Muslim dynasty that ruled
central and south India (1345-1512), Turkman Qutub Shahi dynasty of Golconda kingdom
(1512-1687), Mughal Dynasty of Delhi (1687- 1724) and Nizam dynasty of Hyderabad (1724-
1948).
Liberation:
There was an increase in political and cultural awareness among peoples of Hindu religions of
Hyderabad State at the end of 19 th century. As part of Nizam's grand design to counter the
growing cultural and political awareness among Hindus (~90% of the total population at the
time) in the state, the Telugu names of districts, for example, Elagandala, Palamuru, Induru, and
Metuku were changed to Karim Nagar, Mahaboob Nagar, Nizamabad, and Medak respectively,
and towns like Manukota and Bhuvanagir were renamed as Mahaboobnagar and Bhongir
respectively in 1905. Village names ending in padu were changed to pahad. At the same time a
proclamation was issued making Hyderabad State an Islamic state.
In 1911, Mir Osman Ali Khan succeeded to the dynasty. During his rule Islamization of
Hyderabad State was intensified. With the encouragement of the Nizam government a blatant
communal organization Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen was formed. This organization along with
"Anjuman Tabli Gulistan" inaugurated Tablig movement to convert Hindus to Islam. In August
1919, Osmania University was founded to impart higher education in Urdu medium to Muslims
and Urdu speaking Hindus in Telangana. This was the first ever University in the last millennium
in the Telugu land! The second university established was Andhra University in Andhra region of
Madras province under the British raj in 1925.
Of course, the Nizam dynasty’s intentions were to annihilate the Hindu languages and cultures.
Hindu students had to face many hardships and restrictions at the University. The Hindu
cultures and religions were openly ridiculed, e.g., during Milad-un-Nabi celebrations of 1937,
Prof. Maulvi Nazarul Hassan Gilani openly admonished the Muslims for their failure to convert
Hindus to Islam by saying, " I am pained to see the inertness amongst Muslims, when there
exist still 22 million of ‘Dung Worshippers’ in this country (Hyderabad State)."
Similarly, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, father of Islamic State of Pakistan (Islamic Pure State),
addressed the students of Osmania University as "my Muslim students," ignoring Hindus among
the students.
Kasim Razvi, the president of Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen in erstwhile Hyderabad State, believed
that he was destined to plant Asafia flag on the Red Fort in Delhi and make the waves of the
Bay of Bengal wash the feet of Nizam. He was successful in intoxicating thousands of Muslims
of Hyderabad State to enroll as razakars and take pledge to maintain the Muslim supremacy in
Deccan and Hyderabad State. When the British left the Indian Continent in 1947, the Nizam
wished to remain independent, while Hindus wanted to join the democratic Indian Union. A
series of riots and mayhem, known as Razakar movement were instigated by the Nizam and
Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen party against popular demand "Join India" to join the Indian Union
and overthrow the Muslim autocracy.
Finally, the Hyderabad State joined the Indian Union with the help of the Union army in 1948, in
an action popularly known as the police action. However, communal riots between Muslims and
Hindus continued due to communal ‘divide and rule policy’ and minority-vote-bank politics of
Congress party until saffron clad Nandamuri Taraka Ramarao (NTR) became Chief Minister.
Towards Freedom: Final days of the Nizam Raj
- Panduranga Rao Kulkarni
On 15 August, 1947, well ahead by ten months British left India after partitioning it into India and
Pakistan . The numerous princely states were given option to either accede to India or to
Pakistan . Poor Hindus of Deccan ! They dreamt that Independence meant freedom to them
also. But it was not to be on 15th August, 1947 as rest of India was shouting 'Bharat Mata ki
Jai', in the Nizam's state of Hyderabad , slogans of ''Azad Hyderabad Paindabad' rent the air.
The Hyderabadi Hindu was doomed! There was a large scale of migration of Hindus across the
border of Hyderabad into the neighbouring Indian provinces.
The terror unleashed by the Razakars was coupled with the migration [exodus] of Hindus. There
was also immigration of thousands of Muslim families from other parts of the country. They were
eagerly welcomed by the Volunteers of Ittehadul - Musalmin, and also the state's machinery.
Within two months of declaring Azad Hyderabad, the state's Muslim population rose by one
lakh. Immediate attempts were made to absorb these immigrants into jobs in various
departments like irrigation, railway, electricity, public works etc. The state's Child Welfare
Association under Nizam's princess daughter-in-law, released funds for immediately providing
blankets to these immigrants as the winter was fast approaching. The new Government of India
was very much concerned with this development. Yet it acted with forbearance because the
Nizam's plea to give an extension of two months to sign the instrument of accession was
granted.
In the meanwhile the 'Razakar' force of Ittehadul Musalmin swelled to three lakhs members and
there were clashes between them and the Swayamsevaks of 'Janata Fouz' formed in the rural
side by the Hindus mostly in the border areas. Even after the lapse of two months, the Nizam
dodged signing the accession instrument on one pretext or the other. In the meanwhile he sent
his men all over the world seeking military and moral assistance for the independent Hyderabad
State .
There were rumours that Nizam would accede to Pakistan and Pakistan would readily accept it.
To pre-empt such an eventuality, the Indian Government offered a standstill agreement to
Hyderabad without accession, which seemingly was its climbdown. To Nizam and Ittahed the
offer looked as an indicator of growing weakness of Indian Government, which was staggering
with shock of post-position riots and bloodshed. For several weeks there was bargaining in New
Delhi over the contents of the standstill agreement, after which ultimately it was signed.
According to the agreement, K.M. Munshi would be stationed in Hyderabad as agent-general of
India , and Zain Yarzung would be in New Delhi as the agent general of Hyderabad .
This period was used by the hooligans of Ittehedul Musalmin to systematically terrorise
the Hindus by arson and looting of their shops, houses, and standing crops, robbing the
gold and silver from their women-folk and also their abduction and rape.
In an incident in Errapalem village of Warangal district, under the lead of sub-Inspector
Chand Khan, thirty five policemen with eighty Razakars of Ittehadul Musalmin looted
each and every household including the huts. They dragged the women folk along the
streets to the centre place of the village. They had forcible copulation first with twelve of
them and there after shot them dead, despite the pleadings of their kith and kin. The
other group of women had the same fate. Total number of women thus killed on that day
in the village was seventy. In fact, it had become the order of the day for the lecherous
Nizam’s police and the barbaric vagabonds of Ittehedul - Musalmin known as Razakars.
The predominantly Hindu population of the state was not to be allowed to pause and recap
incessant terrorizing. At that time Mir Layak Ali was appointed as the new Prime Minister of
Hyderabad at the insistence of Itthehead. He was a Civil Engineer turned Businessman and
Industrialist and totally new to political office. His inexperience and the overbearing influence of
Ittehadul Musalmin upon him, quickened the pace of events. Nizam was totally besieged by the
Ittehad, and power and initiative shifted from Kingkoti completely. Qasim Razvi was the sole
performer now. For the battle hardened leaders like Patel, Nehru, Rajaji and Munshi sitting with
novices of street urchin mentality and to talk about the affairs of a state larger than many of the
European countries was a new but exasperating experience. Yet in the interest of the innocent
public of Hyderabad State they underwent this harrowing experience for months together
The nation was recovering from the trauma of Gandhiji's death. News on the other hand of
Hyderabad steadily building up the potential of its Army and other ancillary forces was regularly
reaching Delhi . A British Arms dealer named Sydney Cotton was transporting arms from
abroad. Stocks of petrol and sulphur were built up. And several factories owned by the Muslims
were said to have started producing rifles and Bren guns. Power alcohol was being produced at
the rate of 3,500 gallons per day. The provincial governments around Hyderabad were getting
nervous and sending frantic requests to Patel to take action against Hyderabad 's bellicosity.
On 23rd March, 1948 the Home Secretary V.P. Menon sent a formal letter pointing out various
violations by Hyderabad of the stand still Agreement and asked Prime Minister Layaq Ali to take
steps to rectify the situation or be prepared for consequences. This ultimatum is said to have
rattled him making him to blurt, ''What was led to this sudden change?'”.In fact Layaq Ali was
facing embarrassments everywhere due to irresponsible and arbitrary acts and utterings of
Qasim Razvi and Razakars of Itthedul Muslamin.
Few weeks earlier to that on 1st February 1948, one hundred armed personnel raided the
branch of State Bank of Hyderabad in a small town Umri, killed at least seven persons and
decamped with more than 22 lakhs rupees in hard cash. Later enquiry revealed that the raiders
were Razakars of Ittehadul Musalmin who were supposed to protect the Bank from the
imaginary attack of the Indian Armed Forces. This itself proves the extent of lawlessness
created by the Razakars of Ittehadul Muslamin during that time.
Prior to that, the government and armed forces of India , took steps to block all the supply
routes to Hyderabad . Its effects started to be felt. There was shortage of petrol, diesel,
kerosene, sugar, cigarettes, food-grains, medicines and innumerable other things. The
Hyderabad government now manned entirely by the Ittehad people was not inspiring much
confidence among the business community resulting in hoarding and block marketing.
Indian government asked its army to be prepared to march to Hyderabad at a shortest notice if
necessary.
Accordingly Major-Gen. Hiralal Atal, G.O.C. 1, Armoured Division submitted his plan to the
southern Command on 16th April, 1948. In it he envisaged an advance of 30 miles per day and
assessed to cover the distance from Sholapur to Hyderabad within a fortnight, in an East-West
assaultEnd of July, 1948, I Armoured Division of Indian Army had built up enough rations for
sixty days for an army 22,000 strong. Meanwhile Maj. Gen. J.N. Choudary had succeeded Maj.
Gen. Hiralal Atal, as G.O.C. 1 Armoured Division. And Mountbatten the last link of Nizam with
Government of India had gone back to his England
On 7th September, Home Secretary V.P. Menon formally wrote to the Prime Minister of
Hyderabad requesting him to allow Indian troops to be restationed in Secunderabad in such
strength as might be necessary for the prompt and effective restoration of Law and Order.
Layaq Ali did not reply. Six days later, by the first of 13th September 1948, columns of Indian
army entered Hyderabad state from various directions, on their journey to Secunderabad as per
the forewarning of Home Secretary. Operation Polo, had begun. TIME Magazine's John Lubar
described it as a 'Happy war'.
As the Indian troops marched on in the territory of Hyderabad , except at Naldurg, Tuljapu,
Bidar, Zahirabad in the Western sector and at Kodad in the Eastern sector, there was no
residence offered by the much publicised Hyderabad army. The Razakars of Ittehabul-Musalmin
were driven mostly by their religious fanaticism. Then religious zeal is no substitute for the
regular military training, which a soldier receives in his military camps. On 15th September,
Qasim Razvi's home town Latur along with Osmanabad, Aurangabad and Jalna fell to Indian
troops. In the after noon of fifth day, 17 September, Hyderabad 's resistance ended, when the
Nizam ordered his troops to ceasefire. On 18th September, 1948, the news of Nizam's decision
to surrender caused jubilation all over India and also among the people of Hyderabad
Qasim Razvi, and many other leaders of Ittehadul Musalmin were caught and tried. But
by the time their trial concluded, the Congress Party came to power in Hyderabad .
Sardar Patel was no more. In consonance with the Muslim appeasement policy of the
Congress, these traitors were allowed the escape with lesser punishments. Later they
went to Pakistan with great zeal and hope. What happened to them there is not known to
many.
The remnants of the Ittehadul Musalmin changed the name of the Islamic Communal
outfit to Majlis-e-Ittehad and later converted it into a political party called Majlis-e-
Ittehadul -Musalmin which still garners enough votes from the Muslim ghettoes of the old
city of Hyderabad to send a couple of members of the State Assembly and lone member
to the nation's Parliament. But the irony is that the Ittehad's posterity is neither repentant
nor abashed of the monstrosity of their predecessors. And the Hindu residents of the Old
City are not yet sure whether the Police will be permitted to act swiftly to rescue them from
Muslim attacks, as was done fifty years ago. Then that is being defined as secularism.
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My grandfather, Ravinder Singi Reddy was born on January 25, 1933 in the village, Mandadi, which is located in the district, Mahaboobnagar, in the [present-day] state of Andhra Pradesh. Thatha, which means grandfather in
Telugu, was only fourteen when India got its independence on August 15, 1947. Since his family was
farmers in a rural village in South India, they were not directly impacted by the events leading up to the
independence. However, they were impacted more by the Razakar Movement.
The [present-day] state of Andhra Pradesh [was once known] as the state of Hyderabad which was ruled by the Nizam, which means Muslim prince, Asaf Jah. The next seven Nizams, descendents from the Asaf Jah Dynasty,
were the predominant rulers of Hyderabad from 1724 until 1948.
In 1911, Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan began his reign and his goal was to have Hyderabad as an
independent state, separate from India and the Indian Union just as Pakistan had separated
from India. The Razakar Movement began in 1946, when the Nizam countered the cultural and
political awareness that was rising among the Hindus around that time (Vepachedu). The
Hindus who started the “Join Indian” movement wanted the state of Hyderabad to join the rest of
India in the Union. Since the Hindu population of the state was about 90%, the Nizam felt more
threatened and began to intensify the Islamization that he had begun. This Islamization entailed
Hindus being forced to convert or leave the state. The Nizam wanted to completely remove
Hindu culture and language from his state. He built universities where students, mostly Muslims
were taught the Muslims ways and Urdu, a language spoken predominantly by Muslims
(Vepachedu).
To further his cause, the Nizam employed storm troopers, the Razakars, and his own army to
eliminate the Hindus. My grandfather was a teenager at that time and remembered the terror
that the movement created in the minds and hearts of the Hindu people.
Violence erupted between the two peoples as Muslims began regular offense against the
Hindus daily (Moslem attacks). Many peoples’ property was taken away, many were removed
from their positions is various jobs, and many were beaten or killed. Thatha says he can
remember his brother-in-law, a doctor, who was killed on his way to making a making a house
call to see a patient.
My great grandfather passed away when my grandfather was only 11 years old. My
grandfather’s eldest brother, Devanayak Reddy, became head of the family of 14 brothers and
sisters. To escape the horrible conditions Devanayak decided to relocate the family to state of
Karnool. (Karnool, a neighboring state under the Indian Union, did not experience the
conditions that those in the Hyderabad state were going through.)
My grandfather’s family was the head of the village in Mandadi because they owned most of
the land. They were well respected and liked. This land brought enough profits that despite the
size of their family, they lived in comfort and luxury in comparison to the rest of the village.
Thatha recalls the hardships he and his family faced after reaching Karnool. They had to leave
all their belongings and most of their money back home because there were checks at different
places where people were searched. Thatha [Grandfather] said that they put money in their
shoes, and wherever else they thought they could conceal it. Whatever money he and his
family did bring was somehow smuggled in their clothing.
After reaching Karnool, his family was very low on money and food because they didn’t have
the income from farming from Mandadi. Therefore, they lived on little food which was quite a
change from their former lifestyle. They adjusted, though, because they had to spend about two
years there.
On September 10, 1948, the Indian government sent their army to take away the state from
Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan and join it with the Indian Union, finally ending the Nizam rule.
Thatha’s older brothers returned to the farm but the younger children and he remained in
Karnool because Karnool had much better education. The schools in Mandadi were only
sufficient for servants and a much lower level education. After finishing high school, the rest of
the family slowly drifted back home where things were prosperous once again.
During the two-year-period of the Razakar movement, many families suffered injustice in the
hands of Muslims who wanted their own state and desperately used any means to rid of
Hindus. But many families, like my grandfather’s, were able to regain what they had lost.
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For scholarly references, see: http://nhs.needham.k12.ma.us/cur/wwII/05/baker05/baker-nsp-
p5-05/India_Independence.html
“Moslem Attacks Charged”. New York Times (1857-Current file); Aug 20, 1948. pg. 4.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers. MetroWest Regional Library. January 18, 2005.
This NYT article talked about an incident when a group of Muslims surrounded a Hindu
Market place and massacred 200 Hindu civilians. This is only more evidence that goes to
show how far Muslims took they desire for their own country in Hyderabad.
Telangana was part of the then Hyderabad state, a princely state refusing to join the India
Union. The Nizam had given free rein to a group called the Razakars. Their leader Kasim Razvi
vowed that "if India invaded nothing but the bones and ashes of 10.5 million Hindus would be
found". Hindus were openly killed in Marathwada (also part of the princely Hyderabad).
This was the gentleman with whom the Communists allied. It was said in Warangal and
Nalgonda that "the Razakars rule by day and the Communists at night."
http://www.hvk.org/articles/1098/0077.html
The bad part is communists ( the so-called poor man's supporters ) aligned with Razakars. After
that people and even the establishment hated the communists so much that no body dared to
talk about communists. Belive it or not communists were killed by women folks of Telangana.
Razakars of those days emerged into Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) of today.
http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewtopic.php?
t=371&sid=191671946421363f6122c86adc739d4f
==============================================================
The anti-Nizam movement in the Kannada- and Marathi-speaking parts of Hyderabad state is
less well documented. It was the Arya Samaj under Swami Ramanand Tirth which came into the
leadership of the anti-Nizam movement - most of the followers of the Arya Samaj joined the
Congress by 1946-47. The leadership of the Arya Samaj gave a communal colouring to the
struggle. In his doctoral thesis, titled "Integration of Hyderabad Karnataka (1946-56)", on the
anti-Nizam and pro-merger movement in the Hyderabad Karnatak region, B.C.
Mahabaleswarappa, a reader in Gulbarga University, has traced the growth of the Arya Samaj
in this region. "The message of the Arya Samaj - India for Indians. Except Hindus, all are
foreigners on the soil of Hindustan - gave needed courage to the Hindus to oust the alien rule of
Nizam and face the atrocities of the Razakars." (page 60)
The autocracy of the Nizam undoubtedly had a pro-Muslim, anti-Hindu aspect to it. The Nizam's
administration was largely Muslim, Urdu was imposed on his subjects, and the Razakars'
actions were targeted against Hindus. The Arya Samaj, which took up cudgels for the 'Hindu
masses' against 'Muslim oppressors', took over the leadership of the anti-Nizam movement
partly owing to the late arrival of the Congress; until 1940 the Indian National Congress did not
take up the people's struggle in the princely state.
Majlis plan to glorify the anti-national Razakar movement in Telangana
HYDERABAD - An attempt seems to be afoot to glorify and extend support to the notorious anti-
national Razakar movement that left a trail of blood in Telangana in the early years of
independence.
The Majlis Bachao Tehreek, under the leadership of legislator Mohammad Amanullah Khan, is
organising a massive public meeting here to pay homage to the friend of Deccan, Qasim Razvi.
The party is observing Friday as "Yaum-e-Siddiq-e-Deccan' (the day of Siddiq-e-Deccan), as
Razvi is known among the old city Muslims. Mr Khan will preside over the meeting.
The anti-national Razvi was given a number of honorifics in advertisements issued by the
organising committee in various Urdu newspapers on thursday.
This is the first time an outlawed person like Razvi is being honoured like this. The Majlis
Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), of which the Tehreek is an offshoot, had never organized public
meetings in honour of Qasim.
Razvi had led the infamous Razakar movement in 1947-48 against the Indian Army and let
loose a reign of terror in Telengana, killing innocent men and women. The movement aimed at
merger of the then Hyderabad State with Pakistan.
The Razakar movement he started in 1944 became a strong paramilitary force which crushed
anyone who raised a voice in favour of the then Hyderabad state merging with Indian Union.
Though the MIM discarded the leadership of Qasim Razvi, who since led it, ever since the party
was revived in 1957, the newly formed Tehreek holds him in high esteem and his portraits adorn
the walls of its office at Mogalpura in the city.
According to Tehreek sources, the public meeting has been planned to revive the old glory and
honour of the community under the leadership of Qasim Razvi.
The newspaper advertisements carrying photographs of Mr Khan and Razvi appealed to the
people to participate in large numbers and pay homage to the warrior of Islam (Mujahid-e-
millat). One advertisement featured Mr Khan with Mr Bahadur Yar Jung, the MIM founder and
Jihadi zealo
Late Qaaid-e-Millat Nawab Bahadur Yar Jung
http://www.hindunet.org/alt_hindu/1995_Jan/msg00104.html
It is a fact that all ex-serviceman from the Nizam's state forces were treated on par with ex-servicemen from the Indian army. They are all allowed to draw ration and avail of medical facilities in the Indian
army like other ex-servicemen. It is really sad that these [killers] have been allowed stay in Indian soil. I know of one MIM activist in Houston who got a Green card in Houston (USA) pleading political asylum
from Indian persecution in Hyderabad, India. For this state of affairs I hold each and every Indian responsible who voted for the Congress in the last fifty years.
