The Hyderabad Freedom Movement · 1800–1948
The last battle of Indian independence · From Subsidiary Alliance to Police Action · When the Asaf Jahi throne fell
The Hyderabad Freedom Movement was not a footnote to Indian independence — it was the last battle. While the tricolor flew over Delhi on August 15, 1947, the Nizam’s dominion remained a sovereign island of feudalism, dreaming of independence or Pakistan. For over 150 years — from the Subsidiary Alliance of 1800 to the Police Action of 1948 — the people of Hyderabad waged a relentless struggle against the Nizam’s autocracy and its British masters. This is the story of that long war: of forgotten rebellions, of student satyagrahis, of ochre-robed sanyasis, and of the Razakar reign of terror that finally compelled the Indian Army to march.
The British noose tightens around the Asaf Jahi throne
The Subsidiary Alliance with Hyderabad was a two-step process:
🔹 September 1, 1798 (Initial Treaty): Nizam Ali Khan (Asaf Jah II) became the first Indian ruler to sign a well-defined subsidiary alliance under Lord Wellesley. He agreed to dismiss French officers, maintain a British force of 6,000 men, and pay an annual subsidy of Rs. 24,17,100. In return, the British promised protection against the Marathas and Mysore.
🔹 October 12, 1800 (Supplementary Treaty): To pay for an expanded British contingent, the Nizam ceded the territories he had won from Mysore in 1792 and 1799 — creating the "Ceded Districts". This reinforced British control over Hyderabad's military and foreign affairs.
Following these treaties, Hyderabad ceased to be an independent kingdom. The Nizam became a pensioner of the British, maintaining a Contingent Force that was nominally his but actually commanded by the British Resident. Hyderabad became a bastion of British imperialism in the Deccan — a buffer against the Marathas and later a check against Indian nationalism. But the people never accepted this bondage.
1804 - 1808 CE : Raja Mahipat Ram, the Governor of Berar, tried to forge an alliance with the Holkars and Sindhias against the British and was dismissed. He fled to Indore and joined the resistance. Historical sources record him as "the first person after the Subsidiary Alliance to try to rescue Hyderabad from British bondage."
1818 CE : Nobles like Raja Rao Rambha Nimbalkar prominent Maratha chief and the highest commander of the Nizam of Hyderabad's army and Noor-ul-Umra a Piagah noble rallied discontented sepoys who had deserted the East India Company. The British forced the Nizam to banish Nimbalkar and dismiss Noor-ul-Umra.
1812, Indian sepoys at the British Residency in Hyderabad tied Major Edward Gordon to a gun muzzle and threatened to blow him up unless their pay and pardon were guaranteed. The ringleaders were executed.
1827: New uniform innovations in the Hyderabad Contingent Force trigger a mutiny at Mominabad cantonment. Infuriated sepoys shoot dead Col. Davies of the British troops.
1855: Bolarum Cantonment trouble. During Moharrum, Brig. Mackenzee bans processions on a Sunday. Hawaldar Gulam Khadir stabs the Brigadier. Hindu and Muslim sepoys jointly take out the procession while terrified English soldiers remain confined to their homes for ten days.
1817 Maratha War, Sardar Khan Kadezahi crossed over to Peshwa Baji Rao with his entire company.
1818 : Local chieftains Dharmaji Pratap Rao of Bhir, Navasji Naik of Nanded, and Veerappa of Koppal rose in arms — described as “Robin Hoods” who trained their followers, tilled their farms, and fought only when the Nizam’s oppression clashed with their independence.
1819 : The Bhil chieftain Chil Naik made the British cantonment at Aurangabad “miserable and hazardous.” He was hanged, but the Bhils fought on under new leaders from 1822 to 1857.
1840s: Lingappa of Bidar, Krishnaji Deshmukh of Nandapur, Narsinga Rao of Belgaum, and Hasnappa Nayak of Sholapur fight fierce battles against the British.
1840 Revolt of Rohillas of Bhadrachalam, who kill Capt. Hayvar as British forces flee from the Godavari Valley.
1840–1848: Apparao of Jangaon captures the Jangaon Fort and holds it for eight years.
When the Great Uprising of 1857 broke out in North India, the Nizam remained faithful to the British. But the people of Hyderabad felt otherwise. Placards appeared on the walls of mosques and public places, urging the Nizam to rise and revolt in the name of the Emperor of Delhi. The Englishman of June 27, 1857 reported that “the State of Hyderabad is getting ready for a large-scale anti-British movement.” The Nizam’s Prime Minister, Nawab Salar Jung, unleashed a reign of terror — rounding up every suspected fakir and rebel.
On July 17, 1857, 500 Rohillas under Turrabaz Khan and Moulvi Ala-ud-din assaulted the Hyderabad Residency. The siege lasted all night. Turrabaz Khan was captured and sentenced to the Andamans (killed while attempting escape). Moulvi Ala-ud-din was banished to the Andamans, where he remained until his death in 1884.
A memorable episode was the rebellion of Raja Venkatappa Naik of Shorapur, a vassal of the Nizam. A staunch nationalist, he recruited Arabs and Rohillas, sent emissaries to Nana Saheb Peshwa, and fought the British with such ferocity that two British commanders were killed. Captured, sentenced to transportation for life, the Raja shot himself rather than bear the indignity. His trial revealed a general plan of insurrection across the southern Maratha country and northern Karnataka — Miraj, Kolhapur, Nargund, Koppal, Raichur, and Shorapur.
The Wahabi movement in Hyderabad was not merely religious — it was political and anti-British. By 1838, Gowhar Ali Khan (Mubarez-ud-Dowla) was recognized as its leader. The Nawab of Kurnool, under his influence, began preparing for jihad against the British. The British got wind of it, sent a punitive force, and captured the Nawab. In Hyderabad, Gowhar Ali Khan and his associates were detained and tried. Documents recovered during the enquiry revealed that the rulers of Satara, Baroda, Banda, Rohilkhand, Saugar, Bhopal, and Patiala were ready to join a concerted action against the British. Gowhar Ali Khan was imprisoned in Golkonda Fort, where he remained until his death in 1854.
The growth of public opinion in Hyderabad is traced to 1883, with the agitation over the Chanda Railway scheme. Prominent Hyderabadis led by Dr. Aghore Nath Chattopadhyaya (father of Sarojini Naidu) insisted that the construction of the new railway line should be entrusted to Indians, not a British company. The Nizam’s government resented this courage. Dr. Chattopadhyaya was dismissed from service and exiled from Hyderabad — the first nationalist to be exiled from the State. From then on, banishment became a normal practice.
In 1885, the Indian National Congress was formed. Mulla Abdul Qayum emerged as the first Muslim from Hyderabad to join the Congress, working alongside Dr. Chattopadhyaya and Ramchandra Pillai to build nationalist opinion among the educated elite of the State.
By 1900, several journals championing the nationalist cause were published from Hyderabad: Hyderabad Telegraph, Deccan Standard, Deccan Times, The Deccan Budget, The Deccan Mail (English); Gulbarga Samachar, Nizam Vaibhav Bhageshwari (Marathi); Dinavartamana (Telugu); and Shaukat-ul-Islam, Hazar Dastan (Urdu). For criticizing the Resident as the “Local Caesar,” the Hyderabad Record was stopped in 1892. The State Government passed restrictive orders to curb the independent press.
The Andhra Jan Sangam (later Nizam Rashtra Andhra Maha Sabha) was the beginning of social, political, and economic movements in Hyderabad. Under leaders like Suravaram Pratap Reddy, Madapati Hanumantha Rao, Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, and Mandumula Narsing Rao, the Jan Sangam directed its energies towards eradicating forced labour (vetti) and protecting merchants from forced levies. The agitation resulted in firmans in 1923, 1926, and 1927 forbidding forced labour — one of the first victories of popular struggle in the State.
The movement originally stood for social and cultural upliftment. Having achieved that object, it merged itself into the main political organization: the Hyderabad State Congress.
In 1921, enlightened young men of Hyderabad wanted to convene a Political Conference to press for constitutional reforms. The Nizam issued an extraordinary gazette notification on September 9, 1921, prohibiting all public meetings. The first Hyderabad Political Conference was therefore held at Kakinada in 1923 (outside the State), presided over by Madhav Rao Ane of Berar. It demanded an elected council, responsible government, and freedom of expression.
The second Conference was held at Bombay, the third at Pune in 1928 (presided by N.C. Kelkar, addressed by Subhash Chandra Bose), and the fourth at Akola in 1931. Bose told the gathering: “In British India we have white bureaucracy or autocracy, but in the states people have to fight with brown bureaucracy or autocracy. The character of both is the same, and therefore our cause is the same.”
The first Andhra Maha Sabha Conference was held at Jogipet in 1930. To stall it, the Nizam’s government issued Firman Gasthi Nishan — new restrictions on freedom of expression. Permission was given only on three conditions: the President must be a mulki (local), the Conference must not cause prejudice to co-religionists, and it must not discuss political matters. Despite this, the Maha Sabha passed 32 resolutions under the chairmanship of Suravaram Pratap Reddy, demanding repeal of undemocratic laws and compulsory primary education. A meeting of Andhra Mahila Sabha was also held under Nadimpally Sundaramma — a feature that continued until 1942.
The second Conference at Deverakonda (president: Burgula Ramakrishna Rao) and the third at Khammam (president: Pulijala Ranga Rao, 1934) were held under mounting repression. For the Khammam Conference, the government demanded a security deposit of Rs. 2000 that would be forfeited if political matters were discussed. The Conference unanimously resolved to use religious cess collected by merchants for education instead.
A Congress Committee had existed in Hyderabad since 1918, but could only do constructive work (Khadi, Harijan uplift) because the very name “Congress” was taboo. A serious effort to revive it was made in early 1938. A provisional executive of the Hyderabad State Congress was formed on January 9, 1938 with Govindrao Nanai as President. It decided to hold a statewide Conference on September 9, 1938. Two days before the Conference, the government banned the Congress under the Public Safety Regulation, calling it a “communal and alien organization.”
The crime of the State Congress? It demanded people’s participation in administration, freedom of the press, civil liberties, a Public Service Commission based on merit without religious discrimination, and equal rights for all citizens. The State Congress protested and launched a satyagraha.
Leaders like Govindrao Nanai, Ramakrishna Dhoot, Ravi Narayana Reddy, Janardhan Rao Desai, and Srinivas Rao Bonkar were among the first batch arrested. At Gowliguda, police mercilessly lathi-charged the vast gathering that came to witness the peaceful satyagraha. On the third day, Swami Ramananda Tirtha — the frail sanyasi who would later lead the final struggle — was arrested. In all, 18 batches participated. Other prominent arrestees included Sardar Jamalapuram Keshava Rao, Baddam Yella Reddy, Nagulapally Kodanda Ram Rao, Digamber Rao Bindu, Kashinath Rao Vaidya, Mandumula Ramachander Rao, Kaloji Narayana Rao, and T. Hayagrivachary.
The satyagraha coincided with similar movements by the Aryasamaj, Hindu Parishad, and Civil Liberties Union. Gandhi advised the State Congress to call it off to avoid being labeled “communal.” The satyagraha was called off on December 24, 1938. Gandhiji then wrote to Sir Akbar Hydari, the Prime Minister, to recognize the State Congress and release all satyagrahis. They were released, but the ban remained.
The Vande Mataram movement (October 1938) was an offshoot of the general political awakening. The government declared “Vande Mataram” a communal song and banned it in Osmania University. Students disobeyed. Hired goondas entered the campus, beat students, ravaged belongings, denied food. Sir Akbar Hydari rusticated all involved students and ensured no other Indian university would admit them — except Nagpur and Jabalpur Universities, which came to their rescue. After graduation, these students returned to Hyderabad and rejoined the freedom movement. Ramachandra Rao, tortured with the ‘Tiktiki’ punishment, became immortalized as Vandemataram Ramachandra Rao.
The people of Hyderabad magnificently responded to Gandhi’s call. Many gave up government jobs, joined the struggle, and courted arrest. The Nizam unleashed a reign of terror — false cases, charges of sedition, ordinary crimes foisted on social and political workers. But repression only strengthened enthusiasm. Mass satyagrahas were offered by the State Congress, Maharashtra Parishad, and Karnataka Parishad. Leaders like Smt. Sarojini Naidu, Hansh Chandra Heda and his wife Shankumari Heda, Dr. G.S. Melkote and his wife, B. Ramakrishna Rao, Katam Lakshminarayana, Komangin Narayan Rao, Nandpurkar, G. Ramachare, Krishna Dubey were arrested.
The arrest of leaders led to mass upheaval. Students resorted to destructive activities: government offices and property were burnt, railway tracks and telephone lines uprooted. Swami Ramananda Tirtha, Katam Lakshminarayana, and Bhai Ramamurthy Naidu plunged the entire State into political turmoil. A new awakening was born.
In 1941, the Andhra Maha Sabha came under the influence of the Communist Party of India. It opposed the Quit India Movement and was not interested in Hyderabad’s accession to the Indian Union, viewing World War II as a “people’s war” (after Hitler’s invasion of the USSR). The Hyderabad government patronized them and enlisted their services for the war effort. The anti-communist group — comprising lawyers, middle-class gentry, landlords, and jagirdars — adhered to Congress ideology and held a separate Conference in 1945, forming the Nationalist Andhra Maha Sabha (President: M. Narsing Rao, editor of the Urdu daily Ryyat). In 1946, the Nationalist Andhra Maha Sabha merged with its counterparts, Maharashtra and Karnataka Parishads, into the Hyderabad State Congress to carry on the united struggle for merger with the Indian Union.
After prolonged negotiations and the intervention of the new Prime Minister Sir Mirza Ismail, the ban was lifted in June 1946. Swami Ramananda Tirtha was elected President. The State Congress held its first Conference inside Nizam’s dominions at Hyderabad in June 1946, attended by nearly one lakh people. The main political resolution, moved by Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, called upon the people to prepare for a protracted struggle to compel the Nizam to introduce responsible government and accede to the Indian Union. The Conference was addressed by Shanker Rao Deo, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya, Prof. N.G. Ranga, and Nijalingappa.
Elders like Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, Kashinath Rao Vaidya, Janardan Rao Desai, and K.V. Ranga Reddy believed in negotiations. But the rapid changes after the Labour Party’s resolve to make India free generated a new wave of enthusiasm among the younger generation. They demanded fully autonomous and democratic set up as an inalienable part of independent India. Ramamurthy Naidu and Katam Lakshminarayana formed the Hyderabad State National Youth Congress. Within a short period, its activities spread all over the State. When the State Congress launched the satyagraha on August 7, 1947, Youth Congress workers dominated it. They courted arrest, joined border camps outside the State, and gave armed fight to the Nizam’s police and Razakars with reckless abandon. It was mostly because of their relentless activities that the Nizam’s administration collapsed in many districts, paving the way for accession.
On June 26, 1947, the Nizam issued a firman declaring that the removal of British Paramountcy entitled him to declare independence. A delegation negotiated with the Government of India. On October 27, 1947, when the delegation was to fly back to Delhi with the signed draft Agreement, the Razakars prevented them by show of physical force. The delegation was dissolved. A new one finally signed the Standstill Agreement on November 29, 1947 — an exceptional arrangement that India did not grant any other State. The Government of India withdrew its army from Hyderabad in good faith.
The Nizam immediately violated the Agreement. He remitted 20,000 pounds to Pakistan from public exchequer, banned Indian currency in Hyderabad, tried to buy Goa from Portugal, increased the strength of his army, smuggled war materials, and started manufacturing arms. He appointed Sir Walter Monckton as his advisor, hoping to influence Lord Mountbatten.
— Jayaprakash Narayan at Karbala Maidan, Hyderabad, before being immediately deported.
Jayaprakash Narayan’s deportation infuriated the people. Groups of Congressmen holding tricolor flags went around the city shouting “Jayaprakash Narayan Zindabad.” The next day, a meeting addressed by Swami Ramananda Tirtha and Narendra Prasad Saxena was banned even while in progress; more than 300 persons were arrested. In the evening, a batch of five Congressmen offered satyagraha in violation of the ban.
On August 7, 1947, Swami Ramananda Tirtha launched the “Join Indian Union” satyagraha. Several batches offered satyagraha in the twin cities, district towns, and villages. On August 15, the State Congress hoisted the tricolor flag that Jawaharlal Nehru had personally given to Swami Ramananda Tirtha. Dr. G.S. Melkote, Krishnamachari Joshi, Jamalapuram Keshava Rao, and Swami Ramananda Tirtha were arrested. Even before the satyagraha was launched, the government had rounded up thousands of Youth and State Congress workers.
A reign of terror was let loose with the help of Razakars — the paramilitary wing of the Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Musalmeen (founded 1926 at the Nizam’s instance). A Razakar pledged: “to fight to the last to maintain supremacy of the Muslim power in the Deccan.” They were well equipped with arms, ammunitions, and vehicles financed by the Nizam’s government. They raided contiguous districts of Bombay, Madras, and Central Provinces. Kasim Razavi, their leader, dreamed of the Asafia flag flying over the Red Fort — from the Jamuna to the Musi.
On September 3, 1947, at Parkal in Warangal district, police opened fire on a peaceful flag-hoisting gathering, killing over a hundred unarmed civilians — one of the worst massacres of the movement.
The raid on Gulbarga Jail, where Swami Ramananda Tirtha was imprisoned, was another gory deed. Armed Razakars entered the jail and swooped on satyagrahis offering evening prayers. Several were injured; one died. When the dazed satyagrahis silently demonstrated their indignation, the jailor opened fire on them. Only the District Collector’s arrival prevented a massacre. Some satyagrahis, including Jagannath Rao Chandriki and Katam Lakshminarayana, went on a fast.
Seven eminent Muslims wrote to the Nizam, urging him to disband the Razakars, dismiss Mir Laik Ali, and accede to the Indian Union. Shoeb-ulla-Khan, the young editor of the Urdu paper Imroz, published the letter. Kasim Razavi ordered the Razakars to cut off his hands. When Shoeb was leaving his office, armed Razakars hacked him to death and severed his hands and head, presenting them to Razavi as a gift. A hartal was observed across the State. Lawyers boycotted the courts. The Business Community appealed for law and order. Instead of disbanding the Razakars, the Commander-in-Chief of the Hyderabad army appealed to the people to be ready for war with India. Mir Laik Ali appealed to the UNO.
The moment the Police Action started, the Indian Agent General K.M. Munshi was placed under house arrest. There was some resistance on the first two days, but then complete collapse. On September 17, the Nizam sent a message through K.M. Munshi that he had ordered ceasefire and disbandment of the Razakars. Later that day, Major General Syed Ahmed El Edroos, the Commander-in-Chief of the Hyderabad State Forces, along with Prince Azam Jah, formally brought down the Asaf Jahi flag and surrendered.
In a broadcast over Deccan Radio, the Nizam said: “I am glad to inform my people that I have sent a message to His Excellency the Governor-General C. Rajagopalachari stating that my cabinet has resigned and requested him to assume full charge of the political situation. I regret that I did not do so earlier. It is now too late.” He ordered the release of Swami Ramananda Tirtha and all political prisoners.
🌟 The long war ends:
• On September 18, Indian troops entered Hyderabad. Maj. Gen. Chowdhary took over as Military Governor.
• Kasim Razavi was arrested, tried by military tribunal for the Bibinagar massacre, sentenced, and deported to Pakistan in 1957.
• In February 1949, the Nizam signed an Agreement with the Indian Union on the same terms as other princes. He was reduced to a constitutional head. His army was disbanded. His dominions were merged.
• Jagirdari system abolished — ownership of lands conferred on tenants who had tilled them for generations.
• Maj. Gen. Chowdhary continued as Military Administrator till December 1949, then M.K. Vellodi (ICS) became Chief Minister, associating four State Congress leaders in the administration for the first time.
• March 1952: First general elections in Hyderabad State. B. Ramakrishna Rao formed the first popular ministry.
• 1956: Following the State Reorganisation Committee’s report, Andhra Pradesh was formed with Hyderabad as its capital.
Jai Hind · Vande Mataram
Comments
Post a Comment