Sept 17 cannot be called Liberation Day

History is not mere litany of facts or events. In essence it is commentary on carefully chosen facts. In the task of writing such commentary the historian is to neither get swayed by emotion nor passion nor be unduly critical or biased much less infuse ideology. The task of a historian is therefore unenviable. The challenge lies in choosing the facts and finding relationship between them. The demand made by certain political parties and groups to celebrate 17th September 1948 as a day of liberation warrants scrutiny.

Those who demand the day be celebrated as Liberation Day will do well to find answers to these questions or agree willy-nilly with those that are offered.

• If the Indian Union Army marched into the Hyderabad State with a view to liberate the people or the State why was it styled “Police Action”? Why was the action cloaked in those terms? The answer lies in the fact that there was a ‘standstill agreement’ between the Indian government and
• Liberation often implies freeing someone from fetters - political or otherwise. What were the fetters under which the people of Hyderabad state were living?
• Were those fetters religious or ideological?
• Was the state theocratic? H Could the Nizam be branded religious bigot? Those who believe that he connived with the Razakars and persecuted the Hindus will do well to explain why he executed Kasim Razvi who spearheaded the movement? Do they know that Razakars (meaning volunteers) comprised people from various religious persuasions? How will they explain his donations to various temples and other religious institutions including Gurudwaras?
• As for the Communists, who demand the day be celebrated as the day of Liberation, will they please explain why they became friends of the Nizam and entered a pact with the Prime Minister of Hyderabad, Laik Ali, on May 4, 1948 as a trade-off for lifting ban on the Communist party and hailed Razakars as peoples’ army? Did not Rajbahadur Gaur who was till then in hiding announce at a public meeting in Hasmath Gunj that independent Hyderabad state shall be the policy of the party?
• Is it not a coincidence that the Communists started claiming their role as freedom fighters in the state of Hyderabad ever since pensions for freedom fighters was announced by Indira Gandhi in 1973? There was a split in the Congress Party then and Indira Gandhi’s minority government depended on the Left parties’ support. The Communists were killed and captured in the so-called Police Action. But their fraternity enjoy pensions!
• If the day was meant to ‘liberate’ people from an autocratic ruler why were Muslims targeted and butchered in lakhs? What sin they committed? H Can one be oblivious to the fact that this day is observed as Martyrs’ day by Muslims in Telangana?
• And can one call it liberation if rule by the Monarch was replaced with military General? Why was Hyderabad brought under the rule of Gen Choudhary?

POSERS ON DAY OF INTEGRATION:

• The Nizam issued firmaans till January25, 1950, was designated ‘Raajpramukh’ and was given Privy Purse. How was this possible if a monarchical dispensation was integrated with democratic polity?
• Is it not revealing and insightful that the Supreme Court of India held in a Criminal Misc. Petition (71 0f1950) dt.14-12- 1950 that “the territory of the Govt. of H.E.H. the Nizam was never the territory of India before 26- 1-1950 and therefore the judgement and sentence passed by the H.C.of H.E.H the Nizam on the 12th&13th December 1949 cannot be considered as judgements and sentence passed by a Court in the territory of India.”?
• In reply to a query by an RTI activist the Supreme Court emphatically said “no” regarding its jurisdiction over Hyderabad state soon after Police Action (Letter No. 382/RTI/08-9/SCI dt.04- 10-2008).
• In another reply to a query by an RTI activist the Ministry of Defence, Government of India in their letter No.2191 HQ dt.19-10-2004 informed that Hyderabad state was merged with Indian Union on 26th January, 1950.

In sum the ‘Police Action’ was a small rap on the knuckles to get the Nizam into line. But it was proved disastrous for the people of Telangana as the events that followed laid bare the Hyderabad state to unbridled exploitation of its people and resources.