The Parkala Massacre was the killing of 22 Protestors on 2 September 1947, by the Razakars in the town of Parkala. The massacre suppressed the popular movement for India to annex the Hyderabad State.[1][2]
| Parkala Massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Parkala |
| Date | 2 September 1947 (UTC+05:30) |
| Target | Civilians |
Attack type | Mass murder |
| Deaths | 22 |
| Injured | 150 |
| Perpetrator | Razakars |
History
editIndia became independent from the British Raj on 15 August 1947. Immediately after, the people of Hyderabad State began a civil revolt, agitating for a merger with India and against the authoritarian rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad. Farmers in the town of Parkala also took part in the resistance.[1]
On 2 September 1947, they prohibited all gatherings in Warangal, but more than 1,500 people from nearby villages ignored this diktat and came together to hoist the flag of India. According to eyewitnesses, the Razakars fired indiscriminately, killing 22 people and seriously wounding over 150. The Razakars killed three people by tying them to a tree and shooting them. In the nearby village of Laxmipuram, they sexually assaulted women, looted money, and set the huts ablaze.[1][better source needed]
Legacy
editYears later, Indian Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao deemed the Parkala Massacre as the "Jallianwala Bagh of the south".[3] The Jallianwala Bagh massacre was a major turning point for the Indian independence movement when a British general, Reginald Dyer, marched into Jallianwala Bagh and ordered his troops to fire on peaceful protesters, killing 379 and injuring 1,200.[4]
On 17 September 2003, Vidyasagar Rao, a politician from Telangana, built a memorial named the "Amaradhamam", in tribute to the victims of the massacre.[5] The memorial was inaugurated by the then Indian Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani.[6] According to Rao, the massacre was an issue neglected by the government, and the memorial honored the people of Telangana in their struggle for the liberation of Hyderabad. The memorial has been used as a platform by the Bharatiya Janata Party to demand that the government recognize 17 September as "Liberation Day" of Telangana.[2][7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Rao, Gollapudi Srinivasa (3 September 2010). "Elders recount Parkal massacre". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ^ a b Edwin, James (2 September 2016). "Nizam's tyranny recalled". The Hans India. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ^ "BJP to launch campaign against Seemandhra leaders' 'false propaganda'". The Hindu. 2 September 2013.
- ^ Dalrymple, William. "British Children Must Be Taught Imperial History". Pakistan Historical Society. Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society. 61 (4).
- ^ "RSS fought against Nizam's rule: BJP". The Times of India. 8 September 2003. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
- ^ "Advani to inaugurate Parkal memorial". The Hindu. 7 September 2003.[dead link]
- ^ "BJP pushes for Liberation Day on September 17 in Telangana". Deccan Chronicle. 3 September 2017.