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they expanded considerably during the leadership of [[Qasim Razvi]] around the time of Indian independence. They were deployed in the cause of maintaining Muslim rule in Hyderabad and resisting integration into India.{{cn|date=December 2021}} Described as "enthusiastic" and "undisciplined", they targeted Hindus as well as Muslims whose loyalty was in question. They also fought communists who were launching a revolution in the state.{{sfnp|Sherman, The integration of the princely state of Hyderabad|2007|pp=6–7}}{{better source|date=December 2021}}
they expanded considerably during the leadership of [[Qasim Razvi]] around the time of Indian independence. They were deployed in the cause of maintaining Muslim rule in Hyderabad and resisting integration into India.{{cn|date=December 2021}} Described as "enthusiastic" and "undisciplined", they targeted Hindus as well as Muslims whose loyalty was in question. They also fought communists who were launching a revolution in the state.{{sfnp|Sherman, The integration of the princely state of Hyderabad|2007|pp=6–7}}{{better source|date=December 2021}}


During the period November 1947–August 1948, when Hyderabad was under a [[Standstill agreement (India)|Standstill Agreement]] with India, the Indian government made repeated demands to the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]] to disband the Razakars, which were all turned down. In the eventual [[Operation Polo|armed invasion]] launched by India, dubbed 'police action', the Razakars formed the main resistance to the Indian Army.<ref>{{harvp|Kamat, Border incidents, internal disorder|2007|p=220}}: "A little over 800 people died on both sides during the operation, with the Razakars suffering the majority of the casualties."
During the period November 1947–August 1948, when Hyderabad was under a [[Standstill agreement (India)|Standstill Agreement]] with India, the Indian government made repeated demands to the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]] to disband the Razakars, which were all turned down. In the eventual [[Operation Polo|armed invasion]] launched by India, dubbed 'police action', the Razakars formed the main resistance to the Indian Army.<ref>{{harvp|Kamat, Border incidents, internal disorder|2007|p=220}}: "A little over 800 people died on both sides during the operation, with the Razakars suffering the majority of the casualties."</ref>

</ref>
The Nizam surrendered and agreed to disband the Razakars.{{sfnp|Kamat, Border incidents, internal disorder|2007|p=220}} Qasim Razvi was initially jailed and then allowed to move to Pakistan where he was granted asylum.<ref name="clan">{{cite web |title=Hate speech not new for Owaisi clan |website=The Times of India |date=10 January 2013 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Hate-speech-not-new-for-Owaisi-clan/articleshow/17963124.cms}}</ref>
The Nizam surrendered and agreed to disband the Razakars.{{sfnp|Kamat, Border incidents, internal disorder|2007|p=220}} Qasim Razvi was initially jailed and then allowed to move to Pakistan where he was granted asylum.<ref name="clan">{{cite web |title=Hate speech not new for Owaisi clan |website=The Times of India |date=10 January 2013 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Hate-speech-not-new-for-Owaisi-clan/articleshow/17963124.cms}}</ref>


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The Razakar militia brutally put down the armed revolts by Communist sympathizers and the peasantry and even eliminated Muslim activists such as journalist Shoebullah Khan who advocated merger with India.<ref>Rao, P.R., ''History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh: From the Earliest Times to 1991'', New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 2012. p. 284</ref><ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/Remembering-a-legend/article15287211.ece Remembering a legend], The Hindu, 22 August 2008; Aniket Alam, [http://www.thehindu.com/2003/01/06/stories/2003010604090400.htm A one-man crusade, it was and still is]{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, ''The Hindu'', 6 January 2003.</ref> 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.{{sfn|Kate, Marathwada under the Nizams|1987|p=84}}{{better source needed|date=February 2021}} The [[Hyderabad State Congress]] was banned and its leaders forced to flee to [[Vijaywada|Bezawada]] or [[Bombay]].{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}
The Razakar militia brutally put down the armed revolts by Communist sympathizers and the peasantry and even eliminated Muslim activists such as journalist Shoebullah Khan who advocated merger with India.<ref>Rao, P.R., ''History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh: From the Earliest Times to 1991'', New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 2012. p. 284</ref><ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/Remembering-a-legend/article15287211.ece Remembering a legend], The Hindu, 22 August 2008; Aniket Alam, [http://www.thehindu.com/2003/01/06/stories/2003010604090400.htm A one-man crusade, it was and still is]{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, ''The Hindu'', 6 January 2003.</ref> 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.{{sfn|Kate, Marathwada under the Nizams|1987|p=84}}{{better source needed|date=February 2021}} The [[Hyderabad State Congress]] was banned and its leaders forced to flee to [[Vijaywada|Bezawada]] or [[Bombay]].{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

==Types of Razakars==
Quoting an article of [[Khusro_Faramurz_Rustamji|K F Rustomjee]], the former DGP of Maharashtra and BSF, Captain Panduranga Reddy said that the policemen from Akola district in then Central Province were sent in to Hyderabad state in the garb of Razakars to create turmoil and blame the Nizam government. Rustomjee was SP of Akola at the time. Captain Reddy called the Communists as traitors, who encouraged violence to spread their agenda.<ref name="types">{{cite news |last=Siddique |title=Attempt to portray Nizam as 'intolerant oppressor' decried |url=https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/attempt-to-portray-nizam-as-intolerant-oppressor-decried-1.1385949 |work=gulfnews.com |language=en}}</ref>
* General:
# Muslim razakars
# Hindu razakars - Personnel recruited by Hindu Deshmukhs and Zamindars to gain favour of the Nizam.<ref name="types"/>{{sfn|Kate, Marathwada under the Nizams|1987|p=77}}

* Other type Razakars: These Razakars were Members of the Arya Samaj, [[Hindu Mahasabha]], Communists, and even the [[Hyderabad State Congress]] was working in close coordination with an organisation called "Poona Patri Sarkar" operating from Satara under the leadership of "Achyut Patwardhan". This organisation caused a lot of damage and destruction in Hyderabad and was feared by its local populace.
# Communist razakars - Communists who posed as Razakars and carried out loot<ref name="types"/>{{sfn|Kate, Marathwada under the Nizams|1987|p=77}}
# Congress razakars <ref>{{cite book |last1=RAO |first1=VELDURTI MANIK |title=Freedom Movement in Hyderabad |date=14 February 2017 |publisher=Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting |isbn=978-81-230-2650-3 |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Freedom_Movement_in_Hyderabad/6HE9DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=congress+razakars&printsec=frontcover |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Nizam's generous side and love for books - Page 16 |url=https://such.forumotion.com/t5819p750-nizam-s-generous-side-and-love-for-books |website=such.forumotion.com |language=en}}</ref> They are the one's who had looted the Umri bank.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sundarayya |first1=P. |title=Telangana People's Armed Struggle, 1946-51. Part Three: Pitted against the Indian Army |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3516496 |journal=Social Scientist |pages=23–46 |doi=10.2307/3516496 |date=1973|volume=1 |issue=9 |jstor=3516496 }}</ref>The congress razakars even outbid the Nizam supporting Razakars in atrocities on the common man.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sundarayya |first1=Puccalapalli |last2=Chattopadhyaya |first2=Harindranath |title=Telangana People's Struggle and Its Lessons |date=1972 |publisher=Foundation Books |isbn=978-81-7596-316-0 |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Telangana_People_s_Struggle_and_Its_Less/TPjIh1G0TmcC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Congress+razakars%22&pg=PA148&printsec=frontcover |language=en}}</ref>


==Annexation after Operation Polo==
==Annexation after Operation Polo==
{{Main|Indian annexation of Hyderabad}}
{{Main|Indian annexation of Hyderabad}}
Finally, [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]], the Indian Minister for Home Affairs, decided to undertake "police action" in Hyderabad State to force the King 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 Qasim Rizvi were arrested.
Finally, [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]], the Indian Minister for Home Affairs, decided to undertake "police action" in Hyderabad State to force the King 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 Qasim Rizvi were arrested.{{cn}}


On 22 September 1948, the Nizam withdrew his complaint from the UN Security Council.The merger of Hyderabad into the Indian Union was announced.
On 22 September 1948, the Nizam withdrew his complaint from the UN Security Council.The merger of Hyderabad into the Indian Union was announced.

Revision as of 05:41, 29 December 2021

Not to be confused with Razakars (Pakistan).

Razakars
Formation1938
FounderBahadur Yar Jung
Dissolved1948
TypeParamilitary volunteer force
PurposeSupport of the Nizam, Sir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, resisting the integration of Hyderabad State into India
HeadquartersHyderabad
Region served
Hyderabad State
LeaderBahadur Yar Jung
Qasim Razvi
AffiliationsMajlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen

The Razakars formed the paramilitary volunteer force of the Muslim nationalist Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) party in the Hyderabad State under the British Raj. Formed in 1938 by the MIM leader Bahadur Yar Jung,[1] they expanded considerably during the leadership of Qasim Razvi around the time of Indian independence. They were deployed in the cause of maintaining Muslim rule in Hyderabad and resisting integration into India.[citation needed] Described as "enthusiastic" and "undisciplined", they targeted Hindus as well as Muslims whose loyalty was in question. They also fought communists who were launching a revolution in the state.[2][better source needed]

During the period November 1947–August 1948, when Hyderabad was under a Standstill Agreement with India, the Indian government made repeated demands to the Nizam of Hyderabad to disband the Razakars, which were all turned down. In the eventual armed invasion launched by India, dubbed 'police action', the Razakars formed the main resistance to the Indian Army.[3]

The Nizam surrendered and agreed to disband the Razakars.[4] Qasim Razvi was initially jailed and then allowed to move to Pakistan where he was granted asylum.[5]

History

Qasim Razvi, the leader of Razakars
Razakars during Operation Polo

The Hyderabad State was a kingdom that was ruled by the Nizam. When India became independent in 1947, like all the other Princely states, the Hyderabad State was also given the choice of either joining India or Pakistan. The Nizam wanted neither; he wanted to remain independent. The Nizam finally entered into a standstill agreement with India on 29 November 1947 to maintain the status quo.[6]

Hyderabad state had been steadily becoming more theocratic since the beginning of the 20th century. In 1926, Mahmud Nawaz Khan, a retired Hyderabad official, founded the Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (also known as MIM). The MIM became a powerful organization, with the principal focus to marginalize the political aspirations of moderate Muslims.[7]

MIM "had its storm troopers in the Razakars who were headed by Kasim Razvi, a Muslim educated at Aligarh University who claimed Hyderabad was a Muslim state and that Muslim supremacy was based upon the right of conquest".[8][unreliable source?] The Razakars demanded special powers from the Nizam, which they started to misuse and the Nizam had to abide by their dictates. The Nizam sent a delegation to the United Nations to refer the Hyderabad State case to the UN Security Council.

The Razakar militia brutally put down the armed revolts by Communist sympathizers and the peasantry and even eliminated Muslim activists such as journalist Shoebullah Khan who advocated merger with India.[9][10] 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.[11][better source needed] The Hyderabad State Congress was banned and its leaders forced to flee to Bezawada or Bombay.[citation needed]

Types of Razakars

Quoting an article of K F Rustomjee, the former DGP of Maharashtra and BSF, Captain Panduranga Reddy said that the policemen from Akola district in then Central Province were sent in to Hyderabad state in the garb of Razakars to create turmoil and blame the Nizam government. Rustomjee was SP of Akola at the time. Captain Reddy called the Communists as traitors, who encouraged violence to spread their agenda.[12]

  • General:
  1. Muslim razakars
  2. Hindu razakars - Personnel recruited by Hindu Deshmukhs and Zamindars to gain favour of the Nizam.[12][13]
  • Other type Razakars: These Razakars were Members of the Arya Samaj, Hindu Mahasabha, Communists, and even the Hyderabad State Congress was working in close coordination with an organisation called "Poona Patri Sarkar" operating from Satara under the leadership of "Achyut Patwardhan". This organisation caused a lot of damage and destruction in Hyderabad and was feared by its local populace.
  1. Communist razakars - Communists who posed as Razakars and carried out loot[12][13]
  2. Congress razakars [14][15] They are the one's who had looted the Umri bank.[16]The congress razakars even outbid the Nizam supporting Razakars in atrocities on the common man.[17]

Annexation after Operation Polo

Main article: Indian annexation of Hyderabad

Finally, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Indian Minister for Home Affairs, decided to undertake "police action" in Hyderabad State to force the King 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 Qasim Rizvi were arrested.[citation needed]

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.[18]

Disbandment

The Razakars were disbanded after the merger of Hyderabad with India and the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen was banned—though it was rechartered under the Congress government as All India MIM (AIMIM) in 1957.[19] Qasim Rizvi was jailed and served in Indian prisons for almost a decade. He was released only on an undertaking that he would migrate to Pakistan within forty-eight hours of his release.[5] He was granted asylum in Pakistan.

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Benichou, From Autocracy to Integration (2000), p. 99.
  2. ^ Sherman, The integration of the princely state of Hyderabad (2007), pp. 6–7.
  3. ^ Kamat, Border incidents, internal disorder (2007), p. 220: "A little over 800 people died on both sides during the operation, with the Razakars suffering the majority of the casualties."
  4. ^ Kamat, Border incidents, internal disorder (2007), p. 220.
  5. ^ a b "Hate speech not new for Owaisi clan". The Times of India. 10 January 2013.
  6. ^ Srinath, Raghavan (2010). War and peace in modern India. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 75. ISBN 9780230242159. OCLC 664322508.
  7. ^ Kate, Marathwada under the Nizams 1987, p. 73.
  8. ^ Moraes, Frank, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mumbai: Jaico. 2007, p.390
  9. ^ Rao, P.R., History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh: From the Earliest Times to 1991, New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 2012. p. 284
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Kate, Marathwada under the Nizams 1987, p. 84.
  12. ^ a b c Siddique. "Attempt to portray Nizam as 'intolerant oppressor' decried". gulfnews.com.
  13. ^ a b Kate, Marathwada under the Nizams 1987, p. 77.
  14. ^ RAO, VELDURTI MANIK (14 February 2017). Freedom Movement in Hyderabad. Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. ISBN 978-81-230-2650-3.
  15. ^ "Nizam's generous side and love for books - Page 16". such.forumotion.com.
  16. ^ Sundarayya, P. (1973). "Telangana People's Armed Struggle, 1946-51. Part Three: Pitted against the Indian Army". Social Scientist. 1 (9): 23–46. doi:10.2307/3516496. JSTOR 3516496.
  17. ^ Sundarayya, Puccalapalli; Chattopadhyaya, Harindranath (1972). Telangana People's Struggle and Its Lessons. Foundation Books. ISBN 978-81-7596-316-0.
  18. ^ Thomson, Mike (24 September 2013). "India's hidden massacre". BBC. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  19. ^ "Are modern Razakars as Owaisis trying to get the same goal today politically? Part I". Trunicle. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2021.

Bibliography

Further reading

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