Shoebullah Khan

Shoebullah Khan was the editor of Imroze, a newspaper published in Hyderabad.¹ Sarojini Regani names Imroze among the nationalist newspapers of Hyderabad in 1947–48.² It criticised the Razakars (the armed volunteers of the Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen).¹ He was murdered on 21 August 1948.¹ The Indian Army entered the state about three weeks later, on 13 September.³

The murder, August 1948

Regani writes that on 19 August 1948 Kasim Razvi, the Razakar leader, made a speech in Hyderabad.¹ In it he threatened anyone who raised a hand against the Muslims.¹ According to Regani, a man named Munim Khan and his companions took the speech literally.¹

On 21 August 1948 they shot Shoebullah Khan.¹ Regani says that when he fell, they attacked him with swords and cut off his hands.¹

After the police action

The Nizam ordered a ceasefire on 17 September 1948.³ The new government’s publication Hyderabad Reborn (1949) says that he was murdered for writing the truth.⁴ It records that the government gave his widow a life pension of Rs. 100 a month.⁴ His brother-in-law, who had helped him with the paper and was disabled, received Rs. 50 a month.⁴ The government also said it was trying to revive Imroze.⁴

The police history of 1961 says that special tribunals were set up to try cases of murder, loot and arson from before and after September 1948.⁵ Special Tribunal No. IV, at Trimulgherry, tried the Shoebullah Khan murder case.⁵ The police history does not give the verdict.⁵

Footnotes

1. Regani, Highlights (1956), p. 230 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

2. Sarojini Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement in Andhra Pradesh (1956), p. 213 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). ↩

3. Regani, Highlights (1956), pp. 232–234 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩²

4. Hyderabad Reborn (1949), p. 89 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. The History of the Andhra Pradesh Police (1861–1961) (1961), p. 106 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩² ↩³