Parkal Massacre · September 2, 1947
The 'Jallianwala Bagh of the South' · Nizam's Tyranny and the Fight for Hyderabad's Liberation
The Parkal Massacre took place on September 2, 1947, in the town of Parkal (then a small village in Warangal district), during a period of intense political turmoil as the people of Hyderabad State struggled for integration with the Indian Union. Nizam's men pumped bullets into people who had gathered in the town to hoist the tri-colour. The incident has been referred to as the 'Jallianwala Bagh of the south' by former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao. The memories of the carnage are still remembered by the elders who witnessed the incident at that time.
September 2, 1947
Parkal (then a village, now a town in Warangal district, Telangana)
~13 at Parkal + 9 at other places (reported by witnesses); 150 total bullet wound deaths (other sources)
250 individuals arrested
Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, Kasim Razvi (Razakar leader), Ziauallah Khan (Nizam's official at Parkal)
Amaradhamam (built in 2003 by Ch Vidyasagar Rao)
Following India's independence on August 15, 1947, the Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, declared that he would not join the Indian Union, instead choosing to remain independent as "Azad Hyderabad". This decision placed Hyderabad State — one of the largest and wealthiest princely states — in direct opposition to the newly independent Indian nation.
Organizations like the Hyderabad State Congress and the Arya Samaj actively opposed the Nizam's demand for independence, preparing for a mass movement to demand a responsible government and integration with India. These groups organized rallies, distributed nationalist literature, and encouraged the hoisting of the Indian national flag — acts that the Nizam's regime considered seditious.
In the weeks preceding the massacre, prominent leaders were being arrested. On July 30, 1947, individuals such as Pandit Narendraj i, Shri Dattatreya Prasad, and Gangaram were sent to jail. These arrests signaled the Nizam's determination to crush the pro-integration movement through force, but they only intensified public anger and resistance.
The Nizam's regime, supported by the paramilitary Razakars under Kasim Razvi, utilized terror tactics to suppress the pro-integration movement. The Razakars raided villages, looted property, and forcibly pulled down national flags to enforce the Nizam's authority. Their reign of terror created a climate of fear, but it also hardened the resolve of those seeking liberation. According to freedom fighters, Razakars tied three people to a tree and shot them brutally at Rangapuram village, and looted gold and money, molested women at Laxmipuram, and set the village on fire.
An official of the Nizam's regime, Ziauallah Khan, cautioned the public to disperse. But the public, charged with patriotic fervour, went ahead with their plan to hoist the flag. Their determination to assert their allegiance to India, despite the Nizam's prohibitions, reflected the deep desire for liberation from monarchical tyranny.
When the crowd refused to disperse, the Nizam's police first resorted to a lathi charge (baton charge). When this failed to disperse the patriotic crowd, they opened fire indiscriminately. Witnesses, including nonagenarians Basani Murari and Reguri Chandra Reddy who witnessed the incident, described the brutality. The Razakars ambushed those who wanted to hoist the flag and fired at them, killing about 13 persons at Parkal and nine persons at other places.
This action resulted in:
- 150 deaths caused by bullet wounds (according to some sources)
- The arrest of 250 individuals
Due to the combined menace of the Razakars and police actions like the one at Parkal, thousands of people (primarily Hindus) fled their homes between August 1947 and September 1948, crossing into Indian territory for safety. The terror unleashed by the Razakars — looting, arson, forced conversions, and abductions — made life unbearable for those who opposed the Nizam's rule.
In response to this mass displacement, the Arya Samaj established refugee camps in various locations, including Sholapur, Pandharpur, and Bijapur, to provide aid to those fleeing the Nizam's territory. These camps provided food, shelter, and medical assistance to thousands of displaced families.
The brutality of such massacres contributed to a shift from peaceful protest to armed resistance. People began forming village and regular guerrilla squads to defend their property and honor against the Razakars and the Nizam's police. The Parkal massacre, like Indravelli decades later, became a recruitment tool for those willing to take up arms against state oppression.
The ongoing violence and the rise of militant movements eventually led the Indian Government to launch its "Police Action" (Operation Polo) in September 1948, which finally forced the Nizam's surrender and the state's accession to the Indian Union. The five-day military operation ended the rule of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and integrated Hyderabad into the Indian Union.
In 2003, former Union minister and present Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao built a memorial called 'Amaradhamam' at Parkal, paying tributes to the massacre victims. The memorial was built in memory of his mother by the Chennamaneni Chandramma Trust of Karimnagar. Incidentally, the back cover of the book titled 'Uniki' authored by Vidyasagar Rao and released by President Pranab Mukherjee features a picture of 'Amaradhamam' as a mark of respect to those who laid down their lives to fulfil their desire to hoist the national flag.
— Freedom fighters P Veeraswamy and P Vaikuntam
Speaking to The Hans India in 2016, nonagenarians Basani Murari and Reguri Chandra Reddy who witnessed the incident recalled the tale of the Nizam's dictatorial rule. "The Razakars ambushed those who wanted to hoist the flag and fired at them killing about 13 persons at Parkal and nine persons at other places," they recounted.
The freedom fighters and witnesses urged that the history of the Parkal massacre and other such incidents should be included in school textbooks and that Telangana Liberation Day should be celebrated officially. "Successive governments have failed to acknowledge the Telangana Liberation Movement and honour the martyrs by officially celebrating Telangana Liberation Day. It is sad that even in separate Telangana it is not happening," they lamented.
ð️ The 'Jallianwala Bagh of the South'
Former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao referred to the Parkal massacre as the 'Jallianwala Bagh of the south' — a comparison that underscores the brutality of the Nizam's regime and the sacrifice of those who died for the tri-colour.
- Highlighted the brutality of the Nizam's regime — The Parkal massacre exposed the lengths to which the Nizam and his Razakar forces would go to suppress pro-Indian sentiment.
- Demonstrated popular desire for integration — Despite prohibitory orders and the threat of violence, 1,500 people gathered to hoist the national flag, demonstrating overwhelming public support for joining India.
- Accelerated armed resistance — The massacre pushed many from peaceful protest to guerrilla warfare, contributing to the growing militant movement that eventually forced Indian intervention.
- Remains a symbol of unfinished justice — Decades later, survivors and descendants continue to demand official recognition of the martyrs and formal celebration of Telangana Liberation Day.
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