Today is a significant day in #Indianhistory, as the last Muslim-run state of the Asaf Jahi dynasty acceded to the Indian Union after a 4-day war. This was preceded by years of mudslinging against the #Nizam's rule, which you will see continues now as #HyderabadMuktiSangram

Many use this day to claim 'iron man' status for Sardar Patel, a man whose legacy has not received adequate critical scrutiny. But in the case of Hyderabad, archival records show he stalled enquiries into massacres of Muslims in the post-Police Action period.

The Pandit Sunderlal Committee was set up on Jawaharlal Nehru's insistence. It recorded that 27000-40000 people were killed during & after Police Action & stated tht 'without any exaggeration that in a greater part of the state, the entire Muslim economic life has been smashed'

The epicentre of post-Police Action violence was Osmanabad, Nanded, Gulbarga and Bidar where about 18000 people lost their lives. Sudden retrenchment of 100s of Muslims from state services, incarceration for years together due to unproven allegations made things worse.

No one wants to hail a monarchy, not least a Nizam under whose rule bonded labour reigned supreme in Telangana. But for many groups involved in the fight against Nizam (Arya Samaj, Hindu Mahasabha and later Congress), it was the fact of a Muslim ruled dynasty that gnawed at them.

Hyderabad state's histories shd be part of histories of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana as the state split three ways. Simply castigating the #Nizam because he was Muslim, dismissing the regions as 'backward' because it was ruled by him is a disservice to ppl of these parts

History teaches us that there is more than one narrative, more than one perspective yes. But it doesn't automatically mean a post-truth world. It only means the truth is complex, work needs to be done to uncover it & our minds need to be expanded to hold contradictory facts.

This exhaustive thread by @lasaniayunus captures much of the events of that period and offers a comprehensive view of the times. https://twitter.com/lasaniayunus/status/1306501745896427520

https://scroll.in/article/983875/bjp-made-gains-in-hyderabad-using-history-as-a-weapon-but-how-accurate-is-its-version-of-the-past

This article is in continuation with my interest in the erstwhile Hyderabad state's histories and its continued relevance at a time of Hindu right-wing ascendancy.