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![]() Razakar units being trained | |
Formation | 1938 |
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Founder | Bahadur Yar Jung |
Dissolved | 1948 |
Type | Paramilitary |
Purpose | Support of the Nizam, Sir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, resisting the integration of Hyderabad State into India |
Headquarters | Hyderabad |
Region served | Hyderabad State |
Leader | Bahadur Yar Jung Qasim Razvi |
Affiliations | Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen |
The Razakars were a paramilitary force and homeguard in Hyderabad State whose goals were to defend Hyderabad in the face of an Indian invasion.[1] Formed in 1938 by the MIM leader Bahadur Yar Jung,[2] the organisation expanded considerably during the leadership of Qasim Razvi by the time of India's annexation of the country. Although primarily associated with the Muslim political party Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), it quickly began to draw Dalits and other Hyderabadi Hindus into its ranks,[3] in addition to later collaborating with the communists in 1948.[4] The organization has become a renewed topic of discussion in modern-day India due to a historical film released in 2024 distorting the political situation in pre-1948 Hyderabad and promoting anti-Muslim propaganda.
During the period November 1947–August 1948, when Hyderabad was under a Standstill Agreement with India, the Indian government made repeated demands to the Nizam of Hyderabad to disband the Razakars, which were all turned down. In the eventual armed invasion launched by India, dubbed a 'police action', the Razakars formed the main resistance to the Indian Army.[5] After they were defeated, the Nizam surrendered and agreed to disband the Razakars.[6] Qasim Razvi was initially jailed and then allowed to move to Pakistan where he was granted asylum.[7]
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