Tragedy of Hyderabad resurfaces after 50 years

HYDERABAD: If all goes well, Tragedy of Hyderabad, a first person account of the tumultuous events leading up to the merger of Hyderabad with the Indian Union, penned by Mir Laik Ali, the last Prime Minister of Hyderabad State, may be available in Indian markets from September 17.The book, first published in Karachi in 1962, was banned by the Indian government. Publishers in the US and the UK too had refused to publish it. However, now, the Deccan Archeological and Cultural Research Institute and the 1969 Telangana Movement Founders’ Forum have reprinted the book, which speaks about the “hidden facts of the tragic history of Hyderabad State”.“We have added correspondence between Ali and the government, which reveals more hidden secrets,” forum co-convenor Chiranjeevi Kolluri told Express. Chiranjeevi claimed Hyderabad did not merge with India on September 17, 1948 and said the Nizam rule was continued till January 26, 1950. “September  17 has no significance. It was not the merger or Liberation Day,” Chiranjeevi contended.According to him, it was not liberation but “encroachment” by the government on Hyderabad State. He further claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had opposed the Congress party in Hyderabad as there was no British Raj in the erstwhile State. “It was NG Ranga who tried to establish a unit,” he said. Ali had written the book after fleeing to the US in 1950. It contains several chapters including After the Partition, Hyderabad States and the Nizams, Hyderabad State Congress, Hindu Mahasabha and Others, the Razakars, Formation of an Interim Government,  Munshi - The Agent General, Gandhiji and his Assassination and Collapse of Resistance and Surrender. On whether a banned book could be brought out, the forum co-convenor said it had been a long time since it was banned and hoped that no obstacles would be created this time.Chiranjeevi said so far the book had not been available in India, not even pirated copies.