Razakars (Hyderabad)
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The Razakars were the paramilitary volunteer force of the Muslim nationalist
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen ( en, All India Council for Unity of Muslims) ( AIMIM) is an Indian political party based primarily in the city of Hyderabad. It is also a significant political party in the Indian States of Telangana ...
(MIM) party in the
Hyderabad State Hyderabad State () was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and t ...
under the
British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
. Formed in 1938 by the MIM leader
Bahadur Yar Jung Nawab Bahadur Yar Jung (also Bahadur Yar Jang; 3 February 1905 – 25 June 1944) was an Indian politician and foremost Muslim leader in the princely state of Hyderabad in British India. He founded All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and the ...
, they expanded considerably during the leadership of
Qasim Razvi Syed Kasim Razvi (also Qasim Razvi; 17 July 1902 – 15 January 1970) was a politician in the princely state of Hyderabad. He was the president of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party from December 1946 until the state's accession to India in ...
around the time of Indian independence. They were deployed in the cause of maintaining Muslim rule in Hyderabad and resisting integration into India. 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. During the period November 1947–August 1948, when Hyderabad was under a
Standstill Agreement The term standstill agreement refers to various forms of agreement which businesses may enter into in order to delay action which might otherwise take place. A standstill agreement may be used as a form of defence to a hostile takeover, when a t ...
with India, the Indian government made repeated demands to the
Nizam of Hyderabad The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...
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. The Nizam surrendered and agreed to disband the Razakars. Qasim Razvi was initially jailed and then allowed to move to Pakistan where he was granted asylum.


History

The
Hyderabad State Hyderabad State () was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and t ...
was a kingdom that was ruled by the
Nizam The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...
. 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 The term standstill agreement refers to various forms of agreement which businesses may enter into in order to delay action which might otherwise take place. A standstill agreement may be used as a form of defence to a hostile takeover, when a t ...
with India on 29 November 1947 to maintain the ''
status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...
''. 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. MIM "had its storm troopers in the Razakars who were headed by
Kasim Razvi Syed Kasim Razvi (also Qasim Razvi; 17 July 1902 – 15 January 1970) was a politician in the princely state of Hyderabad State, Hyderabad. He was the president of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party from December 1946 until the state's Annex ...
, a Muslim educated at
Aligarh University Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a public central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875. Muhammadan Anglo-Orienta ...
who claimed Hyderabad was a Muslim state and that Muslim supremacy was based upon the right of conquest". 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 The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
to refer the Hyderabad State case to the
UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...
. 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.Remembering a legend
The Hindu, 22 August 2008; Aniket Alam

''The Hindu'', 6 January 2003. 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. The
Hyderabad State Congress The Hyderabad State Congress was a political party in the princely state of Hyderabad that sought civil rights, representative democracy and the union of Hyderabad with the Republic of India. It opposed the autocratic rule of the Nizam of Hyde ...
was banned and its leaders forced to flee to Bezawada or
Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
.


Annexation after Operation Polo

Finally,
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar, was an Indian lawyer, influential political leader, barrister and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of I ...
, the Indian Minister for Home Affairs, decided to undertake "police action" in Hyderabad State to force the King Nizam's hand.
Operation Polo Operation Polo was the code name of the Hyderabad "police action" in September 1948, by the then newly independent Dominion of India against Hyderabad State. It was a military operation in which the Indian Armed Forces invaded the Nizam-rule ...
was launched and the
Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
, 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 Mir Laiq Ali (died 24 October 1971) was the last Prime Minister of Hyderabad State under the rule of the Nizams. His official title was "President of the Executive Council of the Nizam of Hyderabad". Career Mir Laik Ali was an engineer an ...
, the
prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
of the Nizam, and Qasim Rizvi 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 Mullath Kadingi Vellodi Order of the Indian Empire, CIE, Indian Civil Service (British India), ICS (1896–1987) was the appointed Chief Minister of Hyderabad State (1948–56), Hyderabad state by the government of India after the fall of the Hyd ...
, 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 Operation Polo was the code name of the Hyderabad "police action" in September 1948, by the then newly independent Dominion of India against Hyderabad State. It was a military operation in which the Indian Armed Forces invaded the Nizam-ruled ...
estimated that between 27,000 and 40,000 lost their lives in the violence that ensued the operation.


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 served in Indian prisons for almost a decade. After his release, he migrated to Pakistan.


See also

*
Muslim National Guard The Muslim League National Guard, also called Muslim National Guard, was a quasi-military organization, associated All-India Muslim League that took part in the Pakistan Movement. It actively took part in the violence that ensued during the Parti ...
* Razakars (East Pakistan) *
Hyderabad State Forces The Hyderabad State Forces were the armed forces of the princely state of Hyderabad State, Hyderabad. People from both India and abroad were recruited into the Forces. Among these groups were Arab nationals like Chaush (India), Chaush and African ...


Further reading


Razakars - a "rope around the neck" of the Nizam


References


Bibliography

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Further reading

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External links

* {{cite news , title=This day, that year: How Hyderabad became a part of the union of India , newspaper=News Minute , date=16 September 2018 , url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/day-year-how-hyderabad-became-part-union-india-88407 Hyderabad State Military history of the princely states of India History of Hyderabad, India Monarchists Government paramilitary forces Paramilitary organisations based in India All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Military wings of nationalist parties Year of establishment missing