KOMARAM BHEEM THE VALIANT MARTYR FROM TELANGANA
The present Telangana province in Andhra Pradesh earlier
was part of Nizams diminions called Hyderabad state. It was ruled by the
Nawabs of Asifjahi dynasty. The princely state was absorbed into Indian
union after Police action in 1948. The last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan
did not merge his state in to Indian union after India was granted
independence and preferred to remain independent. He let loose a
reign of terror on Hindu population in his dominion to Islamise the
state and raiseda fundamentalist militia called Razakars under Kasim
Razvi who was also the head of Majlis ittehad ul Mulsimeen ( MIM).
Razakars committed untold atrocities on Hindu population of the state
and it was ignored by the Nizam. Inspite of repeated warnings from
Indian government there was no improvement and at last Indian army
marched in Sept 1948 from different directions into Hyderbad state and
Nizams military power collapsed like a pack of cards. Many razakars
were killed. The criminals were arrested and Nizams government was
abolished and the state was merged into Indian union. Kasim Razvi who
deserved hanging was given a 10 year prison term after a trial.
Hyderabad became one of the union states.Razakar force was disbanded
apart from Hyderabad army.
Hyderabad princely state had two distinct regions
called Marathwada and Telangana. Telangana areas were Telugu speaking
areas comprising districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Medak,
Nalgonda, Khammammet ( Now called Khammam), Mahboob nagar, Warnagal and
Atraf balda ( Around Hyderabad city). Marathwada region consisted of
districts, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Aurangabad, Osmanabad, Beed,
Parbhani and Nanded. In 1956 the states were reorganized and Telangana
was merged with Andhra state and Andhra Pradesh was formed. The demand
for a separate Telangana state has been going on from 1956 and it
erupted with great force in 1969 and again recently. Many precious lives
have been lost in the agitation in police firings and , suicides. The
people of Telanagana are clamoring for self rule free from the alleged
domination of Andhra leaders. The struggle is going on and probably the
area will be never calm till Telangana is materialized.
People of Telangana earlier suffered under Nizams
rule. Asafjahi dynasty comprising of 7 Nizams ruled Hyderabad
state. The first Nizam was Qamruddin Chin khilij khan Asaf Jah and he
was a Deccan Subedar of Mughal emperor Mohammed Shah (Rangeela ) and
literally was an independent ruler. The sixth Nizam was Mir Mahboob Ali
Khan generally known as a benevolent ruler. However, under the rule of
Nizam 7 Mir Osman ali Khan, Hindu population suffered greatly. Taxes
were severe and exploitation of masses was very high. There were
systematic methods to eradicate Hindu names in Telangana and many
districts were renamed giving them Islamic identity. Indur was named
Nizamabad while Palamoor was named as Mahboob nagar. Metuku was
transformed into Medak. Elagandla which was the district capital was
abandoned and was shifted to Karimnagar a close by place. Bhuvanagiri a
hill fort which is about 40 km from Hyderabad was renamed as Bhongir.
Manukota was renamed as Mahboobabad. All village names ending with Padu
were changed to Pahad. Hyderabad state was also declared as Islamic
state. Hindu shrines were too allegedly destroyed and new mosques were
built. Women were exploited and dishonored. Thus situation was grave.
Adilabad district is located at the northern end
of the state bordering Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. These are hill
bound areas with deep and thick jungles. In the earlier times, the
area were under the rule of Gond kings of Chanda ( Chadrapur) and
Ballalpur. Tribal population like Gonds constitute a great strength. The
district is backward in most of the aspects.Agriculture is poor. During
Nizam’s times, situation was worst and the villagers suffered
greatly. Taxes imposed by the Nizam were un bearable. The local
Zamindars of Nizam suppressed the tribals ruthlessly and exploited them.
Komaram Bheem was born in Asifabad region of Adilabad district in a
Gond family and was brought up in tribal areas and had no contact with
outside world and education. When he grew, he realized the hardships of
his people and observed the atrocities on tribals by Nizams officials
and police. He decided to resist the repression. He was much inspired by
the sacrifices of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Alluri Seetha rama Raju in
Tribal areas of Andhra region. He decided to wage battle against the
oppressive Nizam’s rule. He organized Gonds for the rebellion and
waged gurellia war against Nizams police. He had no resources and used
primitive weapons such as muzzle loaders, spears, lances , bows and
arrows and swords. Local Talukdar Abdul Sattar could not control the
situation and decided to attack Bheem with large police force. With
ninety well armed police men he attacked the hiding place of Bheem on
October 27, 1940 and the rebels under the leadership of Bheem
retaliated with full force. There was a vigorous fight and in the
operation Komaram Bheem became a martyr and sacrificed his life for
liberation of the people from an oppressive regime. The Nizam too
lost his power in 1948 after police action and people of the state were
freed from the cruel Asifjahi rule.
Komaram Bheem has become a deity to Gond people and has
become an Icon for liberation movement in Telangana. His name literally
disappeared into history and most of the people in the state were not
aware of him and his sacrifice. His death anniversary was being
celebrated in the Adilabad district at Jodeghat ( Krameri Mandal)
near his native place by the Naxalite militants and it is alleged that
the govt has down played the activity. With rising passions in
Telangana region, Komaram Bheem’s memory has been rekindled and
recently a his statue has been erected on the tank bund in Hyderabad.
During NT Rama Rao’s regime scores of statues of distinguished leaders
and achievers in various fields were erected on Tank bund. However
during the last years million march episode of Telangana agitation,
statues of many Andhra stalwarts were destroyed, disfigured and thrown
down into Hussein sagar lake . It was the result of rising passions and
to assuage the feelings of locals. Movies on the life of the hero have
also been produced in Telugu and released. A statue of martyr Komaram
Bheem has been installed at Tank bund. Long live his memory
Dr K Prabhakar Rao
