Deccan state, whose geographical map has changed over the years, was spread over a vast area of 86,000 square miles until 17 September 1948 when Indian forces deposed the Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan ending his rule. The international status of the state of Hyderabad in terms of prosperity and glory is significantly well known. Lord Mountbatten mentions in his biography that after the Second World War, when England was economically weak, Osman Ali Khan’s generous donations helped to a substantial extent.
The state of Hyderabad also paid for the cost of Makkah’s water and Madinah’s electricity. The magnificent Madinah Building and other buildings, which are still standing today, were constructed for the benefit of pilgrims travelling to Madinah and Makkah and their rent was delivered to Haramain. In order to house the pilgrims, the Nizam also constructed what is known as Rabat buildings close to Haramain Sharifain.
Hyderabad was known as a symbol of peace and harmony, an example of Hindu-Muslim unity, and an example of knowledge and literature, in which scholars, intellectuals, thinkers, and historians from all over the world were paid four months in advance.
Establishment of Hyderabad State
When Nadir Shah’s forces were ordered to exterminate the last man in Delhi, a white-haired elder, Qamaruddin Ali Khan placed his turban at Nader Shah’s feet and begged for mercy on humanity. Nadir Shah, respecting the elder, ordered his troops to return. Qamaruddin Khan who was also known as Nizam ul Mulk later founded the Asif Jahi dynasty in the Deccan as the Viceroy and Mughal Governor of the Deccan. When he died in 1748 the State of Deccan extended to Pali and from Konkan to Madras.
Then came the era of colonisation. Due to British-French intrigues, the battle for the throne continued with coups and assassinations among the latter’s heirs. The state’s dissolution did not leave a trace until 1948, and Hyderabad state’s borders kept getting smaller over time.
A thorough examination of history reveals some harsh facts that are also instructive for the present. For two centuries, Britain continued to provide Nizam loyalty promises. On the other hand, millions of dollars and acres of land were fraudulently taken through conspiracies, blackmail, and malfeasance. Nizam put a golden band around his neck to symbolise his immense fortune. But on September 17, 1948, it snapped like a thread, leaving him alone and without someone to dry his cries of hopelessness.
Annexation to India
The eventual incorporation of the State of Hyderabad into India after the British left in 1947 was a logical and natural affair for which there were numerous grounds. Hyderabad was located in the centre of India’s map and was encircled by the country’s democratic, sovereign borders. If Nizam and others were given the chance to maintain their independence, it would be impossible to achieve the status of a country.
Second, given that Hyderabad was a state with a population of 16.4 million people, it was implausible that the Muslim Community, to which Nizam belonged, could have dominated the majority community for a protracted period of time given that its number was just 3 million (18%).
Third, it was untenable to continue to live in a society where kings reigned because independent movements all over the world had sown the seeds of democracy in people’s hearts and thoughts.
Finally, ports or airports are necessary for a state’s international connectivity and survival, and the State of Hyderabad had no ports.
The Role of Muslim Leadership in Hyderabad
These factors made the annexation of Hyderabad to India inevitable, but it would have been a tremendous historical accomplishment if it had been carried out peacefully by raising public awareness. But unfortunately, Hyderabad’s fall is not only a tragedy in Muslim History but also a stigma in the history of India itself, the cause of which was on one hand the Indian leadership which treated Hyderabad through prejudice and hatred.
The Muslim leadership, on the other hand, took a sentimental stance and occasionally made the error of responding to bigotry and hatred with more bigotry and hatred. The Nizam’s government is a wall of sand that will inevitably collapse,” Maulana Abul Ala Maududi stated in a letter to Qasim Rizvi nine months prior to Hyderabad’s fall. “All kinds of conflict should be stopped and a peaceful compromise should be reached with India at any cost,” he wrote. However, instead of heeding him, Qasim Rizvi tore down the letter. Even When Maulana Azad asked Nizam to immediately accede, the Razakar taunted him by childishly saying we will not surrender and instead take over the Indian subcontinent.
It is a piece of critical evidence in determining the direction of the thinking of the Hyderabadi Muslim leadership at that time. Although the Muslim community had discovered Nawab Bahaduryar Jang to be a sound individual who understood the finer points of practical politics, nature had other plans for him, and he was supposedly poisoned to death. The former President Ali Khan claims in his book The Tragedy of Hyderabad that “if anyone was glad on the murder of Nawab Bahaduryar Jang, it was the Nizam.” The final ray of hope for Muslim leadership was extinguished with the passing of Quaid-e-Millat Nawab Bahadur Yar Jang. As the lamp went out, the country’s boat kept slipping under the waves.
This unexpected development brought Qasim Rizvi to light, who guided the Razakars down the path of destruction. The Nizam blamed him for all the mishaps when he resigned, but the mentality of Osman Ali Khan’s circle can be estimated from the fact that when the news of the killing of thousands of Muslims in Osmanabad, reached the Nizam it was in these words, “The punishment of Allah has descended on the government of the killers of Hussain”.
The Confrontation of Razakars, Communist and Extremist Hindu
Arya Samaj, Hindu Maha Sabha, and other organisations produced fabricated or exaggerated accounts of atrocities committed against Hindus outside of Hyderabad while the Congress was still outlawed in the state in order to stir up unrest on a national and international level. Although the public did not embrace these plots, Nizam’s silence allowed communalism to develop, which slowly but surely led to rioting. The Latur Riot was important in the history of Hyderabad and the first major victory for sectarian forces.
In 1939, the communist movement was born in the Telangana region, whose leaders included leaders and poets like Makhdoom Mohiuddin. This group first appeared to represent a midway ground between extremists of the Mahasabha Congress and the Razakars. However, it soon became a tool of anti-Nizam sectarian groups and instead turned the peaceful path of Hyderabad’s independence and accession to India against the Muslims. It became a front of sectarian forces.
The two sides had taken the path of confrontation. The Razakars were armed with antiquated weapons like muskets, clubs, and swords, while the sectarian cadres consisted of trained ex-soldiers with modern weapons. While the Razakars’ decentralised organisation meant that they would take hours and even days to arrive, Hindu radicals and communists would always attack with exact targets and massacre Muslims and Zamindars. The sectarian forces carried out their mission causing the bloodshed and then fled.
Nizam and Indian Leadership’s Political Manoeuvring
Both the leadership in Hyderabad and India had good intentions. Nizam asked for concessions in order to join the Indian union because of its peculiar condition. The foresight of Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhai Patel enabled them to foresee the negative effects of gaining a state through concessions.
Both sides continued their efforts. The Nizam wanted to meet the viceroy, Lord Mountbatten in Hyderabad till the last moment. A study of Mir Laeeq Ali’s meetings with Jawaharlal Nehru in Delhi in May 1948 and the earlier correspondence and Nizam’s agreement with General Chaudhary reveal that the Hyderabad government wanted a dignified settlement of the issue because militarily, it was already helpless and of no match. On the other hand, there was a complete economic blockade on Hyderabad by the Government of India. It became necessary to obtain a visa to India. In these circumstances, it was very clear that Hyderabad couldn’t demand and win independence.
Qasim’s Razakars, The Useful Emotional Idiots
It is still common practice today to force the weak to fight each other in order to eliminate them so that the oppressors are not held accountable for their actions. Propaganda Terms like Fundamentalism, Arms Embargo, TADA, EITA, etc turn the oppressed into the oppressor by swaying national and international opinion in the oppressor’s favour, as was the case in Hyderabad.
In order to combat communism and extremist organisations like the Hindu Mahasabha and Arya Samaj, among others, Razakars, a voluntary organisation founded on religious identity, was founded. However, this was only an excuse for them to become useful tools in the hands of the Indian government’s political machinations. This group was made up of autonomous young people with little to no ties to the government. Hyderabad as a whole was represented as a Razakar State under its pretence. The flamboyance of its leaders at every turn created material for sentiment for the adherents and intimidation for the opponents.
The speeches of Razakar leaders at that time just served to stoke the flames in the already dire situation. On April 6, 1948, scandalous news was published in the Hindustan Times that Qasim Rizvi had decided to hoist the flag at the Red Fort. Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen denied that such a speech actually occurred. However, the arrow was fired, did its purpose, and Jawaharlal Nehru was able to justify the police action.
On April 24, he said in his speech at the All India Congress meeting that Hyderabad is a sore on India’s chest. He gave an ultimatum that Hyderabad should be prepared for either annexation or war.
Kashmir and Hyderabad Equation
India’s tough attitude can be understood after carefully studying the situation in Kashmir at that time. Within a year of independence, war broke out with Pakistan in 1948. It also had the same support from Pakistan in reaching a compromise by giving concessions to Hyderabad. There are reasons for Hyderabad’s harsh treatment.
From 1947 to 1948, the action on Hyderabad was stopped for one year using the Standstill Agreement. This was mainly due to the fact that Indian troops were fighting in Kashmir. The cases of both Hyderabad and Kashmir were included in the agenda of the United Nations.
During this time, the Nizam helped the new state of Pakistan with millions of rupees after playing an active role in its establishment. But in any case, just like the British, it was the fate of the Nizam that the one on whom he threw his wealth failed to save him.
Nizam’s Mistakes that Cost him Dearly
During this time, the consequences of the mistakes that the Nizam continued to commit were incalculable. He paid a high price for his errors, which included the selection of General Idroos, the choice of Mirza Ismail as prime minister, and the entry of non-Hyderabadi zealots like Nawab Ali Yawar Jang and Zainyar Jang.
On one hand, the Nizam expressed the government’s distance from the Razakars to the Government of India. On the other hand, on 6 May 1947, he allowed thousands of Razakar youths to parade on his birthday. Through pictures of these events, not only India but the whole world was led to believe that Nizam and Razakars are two sides of the same coin. Although the supposed reality was not like this, the Nizam was more suspicious of the Razakars than the Hindus.
When the standstill agreement could not be honestly implemented, there was finger-pointing, no solution, and no one who could pave the path for compromise. Bahaduryar Jung and Mahatma Gandhi, two figures who were regarded favourably by all, were both dead. Soon the means of transportation were stopped, oil, petrol, and chlorine for drinking water were stopped and cholera broke out in the city. The medical supply was stopped a long time ago. Nizam’s requests for the blockade of Hyderabad to lift were continually ignored.
Incidents of Military Engagement Started
At the Osmanabad checkpoint, fighting between the Indian army and the Hyderabad immigration force resulted in the deaths of many Jawans. Despite the potential of sectarian unrest and Pakistan’s involvement from a direct strike, the plan was completed in February 1948. The passing of Muhammad Ali Jinnah on September 11, 1948, turned out to be a good omen for the commanders and troops. Gandhi had already passed away and now even Jinnad was dead.
The military operation was named “Operation Polo”. The name was chosen to humiliate Nizam’s family. The Asif Jahi princes and Umra were not only fond of polo but also experts and were known to place bets worth thousands of rupees. While, Lord Mountbatten was assuring the Nizam that the Nehru government would protect him well. Indian troops entered from 22 directions and the heaviest attacks were from Sholapur and others from Beirawadi.
The Hyderabadi forces, most of whose commanders were Muslims, continued to retreat while Razakars fought doggedly in the urban centres receiving heavy casualties. For four days, reports of thousands of Muslim deaths continued. Warangal, Bidar, and Aurangabad were bombarded and millions of people were left in the dust or displaced.
The UN Security Council was scheduled to discuss the situation on September 16. However, India avoided the conversation by characterising this as a police action against a few sectarian extremists. Hyderabad Army eventually gave up after four days of fighting.
Countries like the United States and Saudi Arabia declined to advance on the Hyderabad issue in light of the Standstill Agreement.
On September 17, arriving at the radio station Nizam read out a single written announcement that he had resigned. Placing blame on Razakars and Qasim Rizvi on September 23, 1948, he said, “a small group which had organized a quasi-military organization surrounded the homes of my Prime Minister, the Nawab of Chhatari, in whose wisdom I had complete confidence, and of Sir Walter Monkton, my constitutional Adviser, by duress compelled the Nawab and other trusted ministers to resign and forced the Laik Ali Ministry on me. This group headed by Kasim Razvi had no stake in the country or any record of service behind it. By methods reminiscent of Hitlerite Germany it took possession of the State, spread terror and rendered me completely helpless.”
The Massacre
Communists, Arya Samaj and Hindu Maha Sabha workers made the soldiers identify the house and property of Muslims. Women were targeted and raped. Millions of children became orphans on the 17th and 18th of September. This continued for several days. The gruesome details of these massacres have been described even by Congressmen like Sarojini Naidu and Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, whose reports are still lying under a mountain of files with countless reports of riots like Bhagalpur and Bombay. In the name of “Police Action”, there was looting, arson, murder and gang rape on a mass level. The outcry by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and other Congress leaders forced Nehru to form the Sunderlal Committee report to look into the horrific genocide of Muslims. It was said that more than 200 thousand Muslims lost their lives, and it is estimated that 20% of the Muslim male population was wiped out in 3 days.
Sundarlal Committee Report
“Sundarlal Committee” whose reports were not made public until 2013 mentioned that “while Muslim villagers were disarmed by the Army, Hindus were frequently left with their weapons”. The report also added that “at several locations, members of the armed forces brought out Muslim adult males from towns and villages and massacred them in cold blood.” The committee found that several armed and trained men belonging to well-known Hindu communal groups participated in and led the massacre.
The BJP’s Lust for Celebrating Muslim Genocide
The wounds of the 1948 Hyderabad Massacre are still raw for Muslims today. Sadly, the Fascists are trying to celebrate 17 September as “Hyderabad Liberation Day”. The Nizam was a native of India and not an outsider like the Portuguese, against whom words like Liberation and celebration are used. But in their hatred towards Muslims, the BJP wants Indians to celebrate a genocide, the first one in independent India. This shameful behaviour towards Muslims and this inhumane lust to celebrate the genocide and one of the worst episodes of Indian history is deplorable.
17 September, is the day of Hyderabad of genocide, and not the day of “liberation”, the effects of which are being felt today. Does celebrating Hyderabad Liberation Day not undermine the history of a despicable human tragedy?
