Tag Archives: Razakar

The Roar and Rant of Razvi and his Razakars

A Publication by: Pragna Bharathi

  • Dr T.H.Chowdary

Sixty years ago on the 17th of September the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad ordered his army to stop fighting, and surrender to Indian forces. He expressed his decision to accede to the Indian Union, just like more than five hundred Princes, Nawabs and Rajus and Mahrajas had done earlier. The Nizam’s desire to be an independent sovereign, an Islamic king was finished.

Kasim Razvi, who was the Chief of the Ittehadul-ul-Muslameen (The Majlis-ithehadul-Muslameen, MIM of Owaisis is the successor to the Ittehad) raised a non-state, two lakh strong armed “volunteer force of Razakars, was asserting that sovereignty over Hyderabad state (Telengana and Marathwada and Hyderabad Karnataka) was not in the Nizam but with the Muslims of the state (9% of the population). Kasim Razvi’s Razakars (armed with swords, pistols, rifles and grenades and other explosives) were looting and setting fire to Hindus homes, raping and abducting women, to frighten Hindus into submission to the Islamic state-to-be of Hyderabad. Haijans forcibly converted to Islam and pressed into Razakars were specially tasked to be vengefully (against caste Hindus) ferocious and murderous Communists under the umbrella of Andhra Maha Sabha waged armed struggles in Nalgonda, Warangal (including Khammam) and Karimnagar districts, against the feudal lords as well as Razakars and almost established their rule in the “liberated” countryside. In the hope that they could liberate the whole of Telengana and establish a communist state, they supported non-accession to and Independence of the Nizam from the Indian union. The ban on the Communist party was therefore lifted on May 4, 1948 by the Nizam. Communists and Razaakars, each for different reasons, became “allies” in opposition to the Indian Union. The communistswaged war against the Indian forces from Sept 17, 1948 till Sept 1950, when under Stalin’s advice their remnants gave up arms and forged the People’s Democratic Front and participated in the General Elections in 1952.

Kasim Razvi and his Razakars held the Nizam in their grip and subverted the Nizam’s government for their purpose of defying India, striking alliance with Pakistan and hoping to arouse Muslim residents of India against the government in Delhi, if it dared to invade and integrate the Hyderabad state with the Indian Union. Given below are extracts from the incendiary, raving speeches of Razvi who held the Nizam and Muslims alike, in fear.

On 19 June 1947, Razvi laid down in a public speech that “to object to the Nizam’s firman of 11-06-1947 “declaring Nizam’s intention to be independent) is against loyalty. IT is the natural right of Hyderabad to declare independence and paramountcy rests with the Muslims” (9% of population; Hindus 91%)!

On 27 July 1947 Ittehad celebrated Independence Day in Hyderabad City. Razvi declared that Hyderabad was free and independent and threatened direct action (like that Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s Muslim League launched on 16 Aug 1946 to divide India and create Pakistan) against the Nizam’s government if it ever acceded to the Indian Union.

In November 1947, Kasim Razvi met with Sardar Patel in Delhi. The meeting was contrived by one Sri Joshi, a Gujarati businessman of Jalna, and a minister in Nizam’s cabinet. Here is what transpired.

“Well asked the Sardar, ‘what do you want?’

Razvi had the look of a fanatic, his rolling eyes emitting fire as if he were possessed. He glared angrily for a moment. Joshi was nervous, but Sardar’s eyes were unflinching.

Razvi broke the silence by saying, “I want a change of heart from you”.

When he so wished, Sardar could make silence very uncomfortable. At Length he remarked, ‘A change of heart is only necessary for one whose heart is full of poison.’

‘Why don’t you let Hyderabad remain independent?’ asked Razvi.

‘I have gone beyond all possible limits. I have conceded to Hyderabad what I did not concede to any other State,’ returned Sardar.

‘But I want you to understand the difficulties of Hyderabad, ‘pursued Razvi.

‘I don’t see any difficulty unless you have come to some understanding. With Pakistan, was Sardar’s reply.

‘If you do not see our difficulties, we will not yield,’ cried Razvi working himself up to a state of excitement. We shall fight and die to te last man for Hyderabad.

‘How can I stop you from committing suicide if you want to? Sardar Blandly replied.

‘You do not know the Muslims of Hyderabad; repeated Razvi. We shall sacrifice everything for our independence.”

‘If it comes to sacrifice, India has shown what it can do, but Hyderabad

Has yet to show what it can’, came the cool reply.

Razvi now began a hysterical tirade on the shedding of blood for the Deen and the Millat. Sardar listened in stolid silence to what Razvi had to say and, when he paused for breath, said, I would advise you to see the sun before it is too late. Do not plunge into darkness while the light is still visible…

“Weapons Week” was celebrated in March 1948 at Dar-us-salam, the official s HQ of the Ittehad (it is now with MIN, its successor). On the last day 31st March 1948 razvi took the salute at the march past of the Razakars and spoke:

“If India is free today, remember it was due to the sword and arms of Muslims. (The victory of India over Pakistan in Kargil in 1999 was claimed by a Muslim leader of Samajwadi party of UP to be due to Mus- lim soldiers in the Indian Army- Razvi relives in the words of this “secular” ally of Mulayam Singh)

After the rally at the end of the “Weapons Weak was over, Razvi rated: Hyderabad is an Islamic State. The Indian Union is trying to wipe out this Muslim rule from the Deccan. Remember that there are four-and-a- half crores of Muslims in the Dominion, looking to us to raise the banner of this Islamic State…

Ittehad expects every Muslim to do his duty. I am glad that Muslim women are also coming forward to help the Razakars. I appeal to my Muslim sisters to support whole-heartedly this movement, and, if possible to train themselves in the art of self-defence. The time is not far off when we have to throw our entire weight to maintain the integrity of this Islamic State. We have been ruling the Deccan for the last 800 years and we shall rule it whether the Indian Union likes it or not.

Power has come to the hands of the Indian Union after one thousand years They are not capable of ruling. That is the reason why they lost it to the Muslims. Now, when that power has come to them, they think they can browbeat us and terrorise us by bullying and blustering…

When once the Indian Union makes any aggression on us, remember the 41/2 crores of Muslims will raise the banner of revolt. We will give back in the same coin and speak to them in the same language that they will understand…

I know every one of you is imbued with the spirit of jehad. Remember Karbala. A Muslim is a warrior. He is a first-class fighting man. Indeed, Indian History is full of glorious episodes of the heroism of the Muslims. If India is free to-day, remember it was due to the sword and arms of the Muslims. A Muslim is a born fighter and a protector of the weak.. His one central ambition is to fight for a right and just case. He will be guided by the great tenets of Qoran. Now, my Muslim brothers, onward march. Never put back your sword into the sheath till your object is achieved. Stop not till you reach your goal (cries of Delhi Chalo). Hound out the enemy. Do not spare him. Mind not your troubles. We believe in God. We have no other friends except Allah, who has created this Islamic State and who shall never let us down. Qoran is in one hand and the sword is in the other, let us march forward; cut our enemies to pieces; establish our Islamic supremacy…

I know the helplessness of our Muslim brothers in the Indian Union. Let us by our example of unsurpassed heroism, courage and vision, extend the much-needed succourt them.. They will be our ‘Fifth Columnists’ in the union. Now the Union is thinking of a ‘Fifth Column’ among us. We shall turn the tables and they will understand the character of the Mussalman.. A Hindu who is a kafir, a worshipper of stone and monkey (laughter), who drinks cow’s urine and eats cow dung in the name of religion (renewed laughter), and who is a barbarian, in every sense of the word, wants to rule us! What an ambition and what a day-dream!…

My heart is bleeding. The Hindus want to repeat the same holocaust that they had staged at Delhi. Their methods of coercing Hyderabad to be a mere vassal is the typical example of the ‘Bania’ rule. The only answer to them is the naked sword. I may e here to-day, and perhaps not tomorrow. But I can assure you, my brethren, if you want to see Kasim Razvi in the midst of our life and death struggle, look for him not in the palatial buildings of Banjara, or in pleasant tea parties, but in the midst of the battle-fields (cries of Allah Ho Akbar and Siddisque Deccan Zindabad). You will see me slaying or being slain with sword in my hand and he Qoran in my body….

I repeat to you the couplet of the immortal poet Iqbal: ‘What’s it in life, life is only the means to the end, the eternal end; to lay it down in the cause of Islam’. Now I bid you god-speed; protect your Islamic State; protect your blood brothers in the Indian Union and your Islamic rule”

On April 8, 1948 in another violent speech Kasim Razvi raved: “ Hyderabad will shortly recover the Ceded districts and the day is not far off when the waves of the Bay of Bengal will be washing the feet of our sovereign, who will not be called the Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar, but also of the Northern Sarkars.” No wonder the MIM is now extending its activities to these areas.

In his speech to his crowds, on May 3, 1948 he spoke:

What kind of freedom have you (India)? You (India) presume to deliver sermons on freedom to the world. But just look at yourself, look at your condition and see what kind of freedom you have achieved. There is Pakistan in your neighbourhood; take a lesson from it. It can teach you constitution and law. The main purpose behind law is peace and prosperity. Everywhere in Indi a you find anarchy. (It is) a country where there is nopeace and security and where loot and murder are of daily occurrence. (On the oteh r hand) there is no oppression and anarchy in your State.”

(-take a lesson from Pakistan! (Sunnis killing Shias and vice versa; both killing Ahmedias and Christians; and forcibly converting Hindus- should India learn to do so?)

Muslims have always created a new geography for themselves. Very soon the boundaries of Hyderabad will expand for beyond Delhi, and the Asafia Flag will fly over Delhi. Yes, I am seeing the Nizam (Asafe- Sabia) marching towards Delhi.

On June 10, 1948 he said:

Following the example of Muslims of early days they should not remain content with the small piece of Pakistan…. We are re-writing the map of India by bringing together a union of Jumna and Musi (the river which flows through by Hyderabad). We are the grandsons of Mahmood Ghaznavi and the sons of Babar (were they Indians or foreigners). When determined, we shall fly the Asaf Jahi flag on the Red Fort. 

They (the Muslims) would not be content with one Pakistan in the Deccan,” They would knit India and the world into Pakistan. Did not their forebears do the same thing 1,300 years ago?’ he concluded. 

In another speech on June 12, raved: 

It is because, as they themselves say, when Lord Mountbatten leaves India, massacres will start again. My Hindu brethren, the Muslims have ruled over you (Hindus) for 900 years; therefore, I have sympathy with you. If I had wished, I could have exterminated you. (A Muslim leader of Hyderabad declared recently that if the Indian Army did not intervene for 15 mnts, his men could wipe out all Hindus…is this not inspired by Razvi)

Razvi had distributed arms to his followers and given orders for indiscriminate massacre when the Indian army entered Hyderabad. Fortunately the “heroic” Islamic warriors dared not to kill any.

Peace in the hearts… 

Speaking from the balcony of the Fateh Maidan on 27 Feb 1949, Sardar Patel said: 

“there is now peace in the State on the surface but as long as there is not peace in the hearts of the people there can be no progress. During the recent past you have had to undergo a lot of difficulties…but thank god, those difficulties have now been removed and the people saved”. 

(Can we say that there is peace in the hearts of people who cherish the Razakars and almost repeat their words?)

 “…freedom has been achieved but the ordinary citizen should not say there had been greater security in slavery than under freedom…”

(Yes, with kabjedars and jihadis; and infiltrator hosts abounding in Hyderabad)

Not all Moslem intellectuals were Razakarists. Shoebullah Khan was an intrepid, nationalist, journalist and editor of Imroze who was boldly and persistently urging the Nizam to accede to the Indian Union. On 22 August 1948 he was shot dead and his hands cut off, as ordered by Kasim Razvi. The Ittehads were liquidating their enemies, just as ISIS And Pakistan’s jihadis and their likes in India are doing now. India Must not allow Razakarism to rise again.

(Source: The Book, “The End of an Era” by K M Munshi, published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan)

The Liberation of Hyderabad State from the Nizam

While the rest of Bharat was celebrating Independence on 15th of August, 1947, Hyderabad state ( current Telangana, parts of Maharashtra & Karnataka ) under the Nizam was witnessing a different scenario: those who tried to celebrate were being caned, fired upon and arrested by Nizam’s Police. Razakaars (private militia of Nizam) were attacking the people and the Indian National Flag was being torn apart. It was amply evident that the rulers of the erstwhile Hyderabad state and their cohorts, were not inclined to celebrate Indian Freedom. The reason is not difficult to fathom: Nizam and his ilk neither considered themselves Bharatiyas nor wanted to be so.

In his book Pilgrimage to Freedom, Dr. KM Munshi, India’s Agent General in Hyderabad before the Police Action in Hyderabad, had written that the Nizam of Hyderabad had set his heart on becoming a third Dominion of the British Commonwealth. When Nizam saw that Clause 7 of the Indian Independence Bill did not permit the grant of Dominion Status to an Indian State, he had lamented against the “way in which my state is being abandoned by its old ally, the British Government, and the ties which have bound me in loyal devotion to the King Emperor are being severed.”

Some of the ‘hallmarks’ of Nizam’s regime were suppression of Bharatiya Culture and followers of Sanatana Dharma, victimization of Indian Nationalists, banning symbols of Indian civilization, forced conversions, promotion of Urdu at the cost of local languages like Telugu, Kannada and Marathi and above all, elimination of vocal voices against the Islamist tyranny through rape and day light assassinations.
 
In addition to the Islamist zealots Razakaars, the Communists were also a menace. In his book The Story of Integration of Indian States, author VP Menon writes the following regarding the Communists in the erstwhile state:
“…people went to the extent of saying that the Razakars ruled by day, while the Communists ruled by night…subsequently the Communists allied themselves with the Razakars who, for a time, had become the virtual masters of Hyderabad…the Razakars and the Communists were truly an ill-assorted pair, for whereas the former wanted to establish a Muslim oligarchy in the State, the latter’s purpose was to exploit the turmoil and confusion so that they could take possession of the State and ultimately spread their tentacles to the rest of India”
 
All efforts of GoI bore no fruit and Hyderabad State continued to dodge efforts aimed to bring it into the Indian Union. Nizam’s government started divesting itself of its Indian securities, banning the Indian currency, halting the export of precious metals and ground nuts, organising illegal gun-running from Pakistan, and inviting new recruits to its army and to its private Militia – the Razakaars.
 
These developments alarmed the then Home Minister Sardar Patel who had famously described an independent Hyderabad as “an ulcer in the heart of India which needed to be removed surgically.”
These events culminated in Sardar Patel instructing and authorizing Indian Army to execute Operation Polo – the code name for a brief 5-day Police Action which liberated Hyderabad from the clutches of Nizam. It commenced on 13th of September 1948 and ended swiftly on 17th of September, 1948 with the surrender of Nizam and the liberation of the erstwhile Hyderabad State. #HyderabadLiberationDay
Anant Seth

Genocidal Bloodbath at Bhairavunapalli ( Bairanpally ) in Telangana

  • By Abhishek R
  • Nizam Private army , Razakar units being trained by Muslim volunteers

  • The episode is of 1948 in erstwhile Hyderabad State , now Telangana

The houses were set on fire, men murdered, women dishonoured, children and the elderly killed in a cowardly manner. The whole village of Lingapur was brought to nought  just because the Villagers failed to pay Razakars the booty they demanded.  When the ghastly news spread to the nearby village of Bhairavunipalli 30-40 men armed with sticks rushed towards Lingapur only to find Jubilant Razakars with carts full of looted wealth and grains on their way back. Enraged at this sight they started to chase the Razarkars who rained bullets on them. Unmindful of this the villagers continued their hot pursuit and in no time the Razakars fled leaving behind the carts full of plunder and the guns they were carrying.

Few days after this incident, Razakars in a larger entrouge came to Bhairavunipalli and demanded a levy of 1200/- along with the carts of plunder, the village elders bluntly refused to budge to the demands. The Razakars filed a complaint with the Police Amin of the area against the disloyalty of the villagers against the State. Observing the tide of events, it was unanimously decided that a well planned defence was needed to safeguard the village to avoid the repeat of Lingapur. Accordingly a Watch was posted at the manor of the Tower of Bhairavunipalli and men carrying muzzle-loaders were constantly guarding the tower. Any danger to the village meant the sounding of kettledrum and all the Villagers would drop the work at hand and take up  positions to fight with whatever they had – Stick, sickle, axe or even a stone.

Villagers from eight nearby villages were assigned the job of arranging 50-100 men, one village daily armed with sticks and stones to go around the village and upkeep their morale. Accordingly weapons and explosives were always kept ready in case of any crisis. Wireless service was carried out by Simple unassuming shepherds and  a Brahmin Vishwanath Bhatt Joshi racing on his bicycle.

This defence of the villagers and their stiff resistance to any signs of advancing Razarkars even around the hamlets made the Village of Bhairavunipalli an excrescence for the Establishment. Eqbal Hasham, Deputy Collector of Bhongir grew impatient with each passing day at the  hostility and self respect of the villagers. Therefore this gentleman with an ‘armed’ battalion set out to establish ‘peace’ in the village. No sooner did he even reach the borders of the village, the kettledrum was sounded, villagers took assigned positions and a hail of bullets were showered upon Eqbal Hasham and his battalion of Razakars . The face-off continued for about 8 hours where only 4 villagers were martyred but more than 15 Razakars fell dead. Enraged at this defeat the gentleman Eqbal Hasham promised revenge and vowed to return to teach them a fitting lesson.

In those days Jangaon was the Taluk headquarters.  A Cantonment of Nizami soldiers was always housed there. Officers of the rank of DIG, DSP from the police force, one Major and two capitans from the Army were personally engaged in preparation and planning for an attack that was unprecedented both in terms of scale and preparation. Artillery, gun powder and material was being loaded onto the trucks on war footing and late by night the jeeps started their march towards the Warangal-Siddipet road. The convoy included 500 soldiers from the Nizami army, police force and the Razakars along with 200 civilian officers.

It was an evening as usual in the village of Bhairavunipalli. People returning home after a long day of work in the fields, herdsman  driving back their animals were a common sight. No one had any inkling towards the impeding catastrophe.

It was still quite early in the Morning around 4-4:30  when Vishwanath Bhatt Joshi woke up to attend the call of nature. In the early morning darkness much to his shock he was seized by the soldiers of Nizami army. By that time the forces had surrounded the village of Bhairavunipalli in half a mile radius .There was a talk of shooting him but M.N Reddy who was also one of the Civilian officer argued that he was a Brahmin – a man of Non violence and hence deserved to be let off. The soldiers grew suspicious if Reddy was using Joshi to alert the villagers, they strictly warned him and let go. Little did they know that he was the wirelesss service between the villages surrounding Bhairavunipalli. Almost at the same time a young carpenter Venkata Narasayya was apprehended but a well built man that he was, he pushed them and ran hard alerting the villagers about the impending attack.

Standing on the Gallows as the great Revolutionary Ram Prasad Bismil said..

  I have neither the earlier ambitions
Nor a crowd of desires in me
The only desire left in Bismil’s heart
Is one to Die!

In no time the Kettle drum was sounded, war cries reverberated throughout the village, villagers ran to take positions, the womenfolk safeguarded the children and the elderly , the Small canon in the village started booming and it was War on!

The valiant attitude of the villagers at the time of the dastardly attack early in the morning, the phsycological  and mental toughness that they showed is bound to make our hair stand on its end.

The villagers with their traditional weapons couldn’t hold the ground for too long courtesy to ruthless shelling and firing of the Nizami forces. Two boys Ramayya Koli and Bhumayya Banjara who climbed on tower to ascertain the strength of the Razarkars were shot dead. Understanding the gravity of the situation the villagers hoisted a white flag signalling truce, but the barbaric forces were in no mood to relent. They entered the village and started a bloodbath unparalleled in the chronicles of history. Men and young boys were blindfolded and tied together with ropes and dragged out of the village like animals, women was raped en mass. Young, old, frail or diseased no one was left alive.

But the thirst of the barbarians were not yet satisfied. Men and young boys who were blindfolded and tied were brought and an experiment was planned. The officers of the Nizami Army were relaxing and discussing about how many bodies would a .303 bullet pass through if they were made to stand in a single row. To lay to rest these doubts a young officer came forward and fired a bullet instantly passing through four people killing them in an instance. Not satisfied with this, a Civilian officer, Gentleman Eqbal Hasham, Deputy collector of Bhongir came forward and took aim. The bullet he fired passed through 10 men, all falling dead. The nefarious, savage and brutal games continued until about 150 men were killed. 90 Harijans were killed and buried in a mass grave.

The outrageous fact was that the Bloodbath of Bhairavunipalli ( August 27th 1948 ) happened when the entire country was celebrating the First Independence Day. Such travesty of justice!

The Village looted, farmlands destroyed, rivulets of blood flowed, harrowing cries echoed along with the chirping of early morning birds, thick smoke bellowing from the houses on fire  covered the early morning sun. The scene was beyond comprehension for a sane human mind. The annihilation was complete.

The  great Revolutionary Ram Prasad Bismil famously wrote:
O Youngmen! If it ever pricks your hearts..
Remember us once in a while..
Us, the ones who lost their limbs one after the other
Whose mothers have lost all hopes
But not a shadow of pain on their foreheads
We don’t care what happens to us!
But Mother India’s suffering crossed our minds everyday every moment…

O Youngmen! If it ever pricks your hearts..
Remember us once in a while!
Remember us once in a while!!

Communists colluded with Nizam’s Razakars – KM Munshi Memoirs

Source : K.M.Munshi’s ” The End of an Era”

నిజాం రజాకార్ల తో చేతులు కలిపిన కమ్యూనిస్టులు
మే 1948, భారత ఏజెంట్ జనరల్ కే ఎం మున్షి గారు రచించిన “ ఎండ్ అఫ్ ఏరా” అనే పుస్తకం లోనిది

కమ్యూనిస్ట్ పార్టీ అఫ్ హైదరాబాద్ గతంలో తీసుకున్న నిర్ణయం నుంచి పూర్తిగా విరుద్ధమైన ప్రకటనతో ఒక కొత్త పాంఫ్లెట్ ముంద్రించడం జరిగింది. అందులో, హైదరాబాద్ సంస్థానం భారత దేశంలో వీలీనం కావడాన్ని వ్యతిరేకిస్తూ భారతీయ ప్రభుత్వం ఒక పెట్టుబడిదారి ప్రభుత్వం అని ఆరోపించింది.
కమ్యూనిస్టులు తాము నిలకడగా ఉన్నాము అని చెప్పుకోవడానికి, నిజమైన స్వాతంత్రం రావాలి అంటే భూస్వామ్య వ్యవస్థ సంపూర్ణంగా నిర్మూలించబడాలి అని నినాదం ముందుకు తెచ్చారు.

కొన్ని నివేదికల ప్రకారం, నిజాం ప్రభుత్వానికి కమ్యూనిస్ట్ లకు మద్య ఒక అవగాహన మాత్రమే కాకుండా పశ్చిమ బెంగాల్ లోని కమ్యూనిస్ట్ లు ద్వార ఇక్కడి రజాకార్లకు మారణాయుధాలు అందించబడుతున్నాయి.

కమ్యూనిస్ట్ ల నూతన ప్రచారం ప్రకారం దేశంలోని వివిధ సంస్థానాలు, భారత్ యూనియన్ వీలేనం కావడం అనే ప్రక్రియనే పూర్తిగా ప్రజాస్వామ్య వ్యతిరేకమైనది అని, ప్రజల మనస్సులో ఉన్న తిరుగుబాటును అనగదోక్కడమే అన్నారు.
భారతీయ సైన్యాలు ఒకవేళ హైదరాబాద్ సంస్థానంలోకి ప్రవేశిస్తే, అవి ప్రజల ఉద్యమాన్ని అనిచివేయడానికె అని ప్రకటించారు. కమ్యూనిస్ట్ ల ప్రాభల్యం లేదా భయం ద్వార తమ గుప్పిట్లో ఉన్న గ్రామాలలో ఒకవేళ భారత సైన్యాల కదలికలను కనిపిస్తే వాటిని వ్యతిరేకించాలి అని తమ కార్యకర్తలు, సానుభూతి పరులను ప్రోత్సహించారు ; #HydLiberationDay #HyderabadLiberationDay