The film ‘Razakar – The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad’ is being produced by a BJP leader. (Image: @Konda Vishweshwar Reddy/Twitter)
A poster of the film ‘Razakar – The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad’ was recently released in the presence of BJP leaders. Since assembly elections are just a few months away, the film can be used to influence voters
there will be a movie Razakar – The Silent Massacre of Hyderabad stir up emotions like k files Did? The poster of the film was recently released in Hyderabad in the presence of BJP leaders. The film’s graphic poster shows a Brahmin hanging on a bayonet and surrounded by dead bodies. However, director Yatha Satyanarayana said at the launch that the film was not made to sow seeds of discontent among people.
The Razakars are an emotional chapter in the history of Hyderabad; They were a paramilitary force of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), which mainly committed atrocities against Hindus. The organization became extremist under the leadership of Kasim Razvi, a lawyer from Latur in Maharashtra. He became close to the Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, and dreamed of establishing a Muslim theocracy. He gave the slogan ‘Anal Malik’, which means every Muslim of the state is the ruler.
But it should be noted that Razakars were also used by Hindu landlords to suppress armed rebellion of communists. Some prominent Muslim activists were also killed by the Razakars.
Brutal rape captured in folklore
“The Razakars looted Hindu villages and raped many women. The numbers are difficult to estimate as no formal report was released about the atrocities,” said Raka Sudhakar Rao, an RSS ideologue and senior journalist who told the story of Nakka Andalamma. She was stripped, raped and then forced to perform Bathukamma rituals and later killed herself by jumping into a well.
His story was told by folk singers and other groups until the late 1980s. “There are many stories of men being lined up and shot. In Maharashtra alone, they destroyed 400 Hindu villages, while 300 houses were burnt in one village in Karnataka. The Nizam government provided them all kinds of assistance,” said Rao.
“In the initial phase the Razakars were only involved in proselytizing activities. They were not armed. After Razvi became the chief of MIM, he became armed and started targeting Hindus. They were also employed by Hindu landlords to fight communists,” he said.
Razakars came amid deep communal divide
“Islamic communalism began in Hyderabad in the mid-1930s,” said N Venugopal, editor of ‘Veekshanam’ magazine. Tablighis went from village to village to inspire people to embrace Islam.
“Some of the early converts were Dalits from the Madiga community. Around the same time, members of the Arya Samaj began a ‘purification’ ceremony to reconvert them. After 1937, these activities led to a deep communal divide in Hyderabad State – something that had never been seen before while Hyderabad was ruled by Muslim rulers for 400 years. Till that time all the riots were between Sunnis and Shias. The first communal riots took place in Hyderabad in 1938. It is in this background that Razvi came to power,” said the editor.
Razvi wanted theocracy
“The Nizam never considered Hyderabad as a Muslim state as 80 per cent of the population was Hindu. However, Razvi wanted it to be a theocracy. He gave the slogan ‘Anal Malik’,” Venugopal said.
The Razakars were supposed to empower the Muslims, but their soldiers were Dalits and converted Dalits. In 1944, the Telangana armed struggle began and the feudal landlords used them as a surveillance force against the communists.
With such a checkered history, it remains to be seen how the film portrays the Razakars, who disbanded after Hyderabad merged with India in 1948. With assembly elections a few months away, the film, which is being produced by a BJP leader, could be used to influence voters.
