Razakars (Hyderabad)
Razakar units being trained from Muslim volunteers
|
|
| Type | Private militia organised by Qasim Razvi |
|---|---|
| Legal status | Affiliated to the MIM |
| Headquarters | Hyderabad |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | House of Nizams and Nizam Army |
|
Region served
|
Hyderabad State |
| Leader | Qasim Razvi |
|
Parent organisation
|
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen |
The Razakars were a private militia organised by Qasim Razvi to support the rule of Nizam Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII and resist the integration of Hyderabad State into the Dominion of India. They also attempted to make the Nizam accede his princely state to Pakistan instead of India.
To counter the Razakars, people of Telangana under the leadership of Swami Ramanand Tirtha formed the Andhra Hindu Mahasabha which sought integration of the state with rest of India. Razakars were responsible for the killing, rape, and brutal murder of many people in the Telangana and Marathwada region who were driven out. Eventually, the Indian Army routed the Razakars during Operation Polo. Qasim Razvi was initially jailed and then allowed to move to Pakistan where he was granted asylum.
The princely state of Hyderabad was a Hindu-majority state that was ruled by the Muslim 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 status quo.
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 Ittehad or MIM). "Its objectives were to unite the Muslims in the State in support of Nizam and to reduce the Hindu majority by large-scale conversion to Islam". The MIM became a powerful communal organization, with the principal focus to marginalize the political aspirations of Hindus and moderate Muslims.
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