Razakars (Hyderabad)
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The Razakars were a irregular militia force of the Hyderabad State whose primary objective was to prevent accession of Hyderabad State with India.[1] Formed in 1938 by the MIM leader Bahadur Yar Jung,[2] the organisation expanded considerably during the leadership of Qasim Razvi by the time of India's annexation of the country.[3]The primary objective of the Razakars was to retain the Islamic character of the Hyderabad Princely State and prevent it's accession with the Indian dominion[4]. They were involved in various human right abuses and atrocities including mass killings, rapes and looting of villages, primarily against the Hindu majority which overwhelmingly favored Hyderabad State's accession with India[5]. ndia.[6][7] The Razakars terrorised the Hindu population and its sympathizers, causing many to flee to safety into the jungles, uninhabited mud forts, or neighboring Indian provinces.[8] The Hyderabad State Congress was banned and its leaders forced to flee to Bezawada or Bombay.[citation needed]
 Razakar units being trained | |
| Formation | 1938 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Bahadur Yar Jung |
| Dissolved | 1948 |
| Type | Paramilitary |
| Purpose | Support of the Nizam, Sir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, resisting the integration of Hyderabad State into India |
| Headquarters | Hyderabad |
Region served | Hyderabad State |
| Leader | Bahadur Yar Jung Qasim Razvi |
| Affiliations | Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen |
Annexation after Operation Polo
Finally, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Indian Minister for Home Affairs, decided to undertake "police action" in Hyderabad State to force the Nizam's hand. Operation Polo was launched and the Indian Army, led by Major General J. N. Chaudhuri, entered the state from five directions. The Razakars fought briefly against the overwhelming attack by Indian forces before surrendering on 18 September 1948. Mir Laik Ali, the prime minister of the Nizam, and Kasim Razvi were arrested.
On 22 September 1948, the Nizam withdrew his complaint from the UN Security Council. The merger of Hyderabad into the Indian Union was announced. Major General 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 given the position of "Raj Pramukh" or "Governor".
The Pandit Sunderlal Committee Report estimated that between 27,000 and 40,000 lost their lives in the violence that ensued the operation.[9]
Disbandment
The Razakars were disbanded after the merger of Hyderabad with India and the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen was initially banned—though it was allowed to be rechartered as All India MIM (AIMIM) under new leadership in 1957. Qasim Rizvi was jailed and remained in Indian prisons for almost a decade. After his release, he emigrated to Pakistan.[10]
Popular culture
In 2015, the Indian Marathi-language film Razzakar was released.
Razakar – Silent Genocide of Hyderabad, a 2024 Indian film was released in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.[11]
See also
References
- ^ Ghayur, Syed Inam ur Rahman (17 September 2019). "Truth behind the Razakars". www.deccanchronicle.com. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ Benichou, From Autocracy to Integration (2000), p. 99.
- ^ Joshi, Shashi (31 December 2005). The Last Durbar. Roli Books Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-5194-080-7.
- ^ Sayeed, Vikhar Ahmed (2 November 2023). "Hyderabad's dark history: A tale of two massacres". Frontline. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
- ^ "Hyderabad's Razakars Chapter: Paramilitary Force Killed Hindus, Later Hired by Zamindars to Fight Communists". News18. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
- ^ Rao, P.R., History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh: From the Earliest Times to 1991, New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 2012. p. 284
- ^ Remembering a legend, The Hindu, 22 August 2008; Aniket Alam, A one-man crusade, it was and still is[dead link], The Hindu, 6 January 2003.
- ^ Kate, Marathwada under the Nizams 1987, p. 84.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
clanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Razakar: The Silent Genocide Of Hyderabad Movie: Showtimes, Review, Songs, Trailer, Posters, News & Videos |eTimes". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
Bibliography
- Benichou, Lucien D. (2000) [University of Western Australia, 1985], From Autocracy to Integration: Political Developments in Hyderabad State, 1938-1948, Orient Blackswan, ISBN 978-81-250-1847-6
- Kamat, Manjiri N. (2007), "Border incidents, internal disorder and the Nizam's claim for an independent Hyderabad", in Waltraud Ernst; Biswamoy Pati (eds.), India's Princely States: People, Princes and Colonialism, Routledge, pp. 212–224, ISBN 978-1-134-11988-2
- Kate, P. V. (1987), Marathwada under the Nizams, 1724-1948, Mittal Publications, pp. 73–, ISBN 978-81-7099-017-8
- Sherman, Taylor C. (2007), "The integration of the princely state of Hyderabad and the making of the postcolonial state in India, 1948–56", The Indian Economic and Social History Review, 44 (4): 489–516, doi:10.1177/001946460704400404, S2CID 145000228
Further reading
- Hyder, Mohammed (2012). October Coup, A Memoir of the Struggle for Hyderabad. Roli Books. ISBN 978-8174368508.
- Khalidi, Omar (1988). Hyderabad, after the fall. Wichita, Kansas: Hyderabad Historical Society. ISBN 093081102X.
- Menon, V. P. (1956). The Story of Integration of the Indian States. MacMillan.
- Sherman, Taylor C. (2015), Muslim Belonging in Secular India, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-1-107-09507-6
- Muralidharan, Sukumar (2014). "Alternate Histories: Hyderabad 1948 Compels a Fresh Evaluation of the Theology of India's Independence and Partition". History and Sociology of South Asia. 8 (2): 119–138. doi:10.1177/2230807514524091. S2CID 153722788.
- Noorani, A. G. (2014). The Destruction of Hyderabad. Hurst & Co. ISBN 978-1-84904-439-4.
External links
- "This day, that year: How Hyderabad became a part of the union of India". News Minute. 16 September 2018.
- Razakars - a "rope around the neck" of the Nizam