After the Indian Armed Forces deposed the Nizam, Hyderabad was ultimately included into the Indian Union on September 17, 1948. 68 years later, politics around the date are still going strong. It is being demanded that this day be renamed “Hyderabad Liberation Day.” While that is still up for debate, Hyderabad Times goes back 159 years to tell the tale of Turrebaz Khan, a misunderstood native son who answered the call of the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 and led 5000 or so troops in Hyderabad’s First War of Independence in an effort to liberate his nation from British domination.
A name that is rarely mentioned in history texts is Turrebaz Khan. The hero of Hyderabad’s little-known resistance to the British during the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 is an enigma. Only as a common soldier from Begum Bazar who organised 6,000 or so people to attack the British Residency is he remembered by history. We don’t even have a sketch or a portrait of him, so we don’t know anything about his family history, his life before the rebellion, or his personality. It appears that the Turrebaz Khan tale was born during the 1857 uprising and perished along with it.
Although there isn’t much known about him, his tale deserves to be recounted again. He was the one responsible for putting Hyderabad on the national map during the First War of Independence.
How the sepoy rebellion got to Hyderabad
The main goal of the rebellion in Hyderabad in 1857, which was headed by Turrebaz Khan and Maulvi Allauddin, was to release Jamedar Cheeda Khan, who was being held as a prisoner inside the Residency. Hyderabad was significantly impacted by the 1857 revolution, despite the narrative being left out of high school textbooks. Posters imploring the Nizam and the populace to rebel against the British emerged on mosque walls, church walls, and in public squares as word of the insurrection, which originated in Meerut, spread to Hyderabad. However, Nizam Afzal Ud-Dula and Salar Jung, his minister, along with the Umraos and Sardars, took a pro-British stance. If they had supported their people, Hyderabad’s history would have been different today, according to Anuradha Reddy of INTACH.
Before 1857, there were periods of anti-British uprising in Hyderabad State. The Nizam was heavily influenced by the British after he signed the Treaty of Subsidiary Alliance with the East India Company in 1800, which caused him to incur enormous debts. The East India Company’s subsidiary troops and the Indian sepoys in Nizam’s army rose up in revolt against the European officers. Jamedar Cheeda Khan, one of them, rose up in rebellion against the British when Hyderabad Contingent’s 3rd Cavalry was given the order to march to Delhi at Buldhana. According to Mohammad Ali Baig, a well-known theatrical actor from Hyderabad who recently brought Turrebaz Khan’s narrative to life on stage with his play 1857: Turrebaz Khan, which made its world premiere at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, “They believed it was an attempt of the foreigners to overthrow the Mughal emperor.” “Cheeda Khan and 15 other sepoys went to Hyderabad in the hopes of receiving assistance from the Nizam. But as soon as he entered Hyderabad, Nizam’s minister Mir Turab Ali Khan detained him and turned him over to the Resident,” says Baig.
When Koti became a scene of battleground
A retired professor from Sri Venkateswara University named Dr. Devireddy Subramanyam Reddy describes what would have happened at the Residency on that fateful day: “Waving a flag, Turrebaz Khan rode to the British residency in Koti, via Begum Bazar, where he rallied about 5000 Rohillas, Arabs, students, and other mutinous people who rushed forward like a flash of lightning to attack the British residency.
Maulvi Allauddin, meantime, assembled his followers from Putli bowli and joined Turrebaz near the southwest corner of the Residency. Around 6.30 p.m., they took up positions in two sizable mansions that belonged to two soucars (moneylenders), Abban Saheb and Jaigopal Das, who had given up their residences for the “noble cause.” These properties were located facing the western wall of the Residency.
Minister Mir Turab Ali Khan learned that 5000 troops were heading towards the British Residency in the interim. He immediately warned the Residency by sending a message to them. The Rohillas, Turrebaz Khan, and Maulvi Allauddin destroyed the wall and entered the Residency garden through the gates, only to discover Major Cuthbert Davidson waiting for them with his gun drawn. And thus the war started. The Madras Horse Artillery’s well-trained soldiers were no match for the poorly equipped individuals headed by Turrebaz and Maulvi and the rebels hiding out in the soucars’ homes. The rebels were obviously outmatched as the shooting continued all night. The insurrection was put down at 4 am.
The Rohillas left the Abban Saheb and Jaigopal Das houses, which were destroyed after the revolt, because they could not stand the constant fire from the Residency. The arena was covered in the bodies of Rohillas who had been killed. Turrebaz Khan also escaped, but he planned to return with more vigour and assistance.
The hero sacrificed his life for the Nation.
On July 22, Turab Ali Khan once more provided the Resident with information regarding Turrebaz. “Turrebaz was apprehended in the wilderness next to Ashoor Khana after being recognised by a scar near his eye. According to Dr Devireddy Subramanyam Reddy, he was tried by the Hyderabad Court and given a life sentence of transportation to the Andaman Islands. “He was questioned regarding Moulvi Allaudin’s whereabouts and his involvement in the rebellion during the trial. But he refused to share any information about Moulvi in exchange for a lighter sentence because he was a devoted patriot. Instead, he accepted all the blame, according to Mohammad Ali Baig.
But Turrebaz was ingenious. He managed to escape from jail on January 18, 1859 before he could be transported for ‘Kala paani ki saza’. The British authorities announced a reward of Rupees 5,000 for any information on Turrebaz. There was a manhunt for him and as believed by the historians, he was caught and shot dead on January 24 in the forests of Toopran by a bunch of armed Indian men led by Talukdar Mirza Qurban Ali Baig. His body was dragged all the way back to the city. According to several historic accounts, Turrebaz’ body was hanged naked from a tree near the Residency building to serve as a deterrent. Thus, Turrebaz, a resident of Begum Bazar and the son of Rustum Khan, gave his life bravely for the sake of the populace, in contrast to the Nizam of Hyderabad, who, like the Mughal emperor in Delhi, was more concerned with maintaining his or her position of power. According to Dr. Devireddy Subramanyam Reddy, Turrebaz and Moulvi Allaudin should be honoured for their efforts to free the Nizam’s dominions from British control.
The Nizam, meantime, benefited from this massacre.
The East India Company honoured the Nizam Afzal-ud-Daula and his minister Mir Turab Ali Khan for their “unwavering support during the turbulent times and for letting down the rebels… His Highness the Nizam and his most capable minister owe the British Government a debt of gratitude that it will never forget. (According to Davidson).
“The British would have lost the South if not for Nizam’s strong support,” the Governor of Bombay stated in a letter to the Governor General. Captain Abbot later detailed the horrific circumstances in a letter: “Of 94 soldiers, many were murdered. A person was hanged. Four people were killed by gunfire. One was discharged from a cannon by placing him in front of it; his hands fell 8 yards apart and his head flew 20 yards.
Talukdar Mirza Qurban Ali Baig was given a reward of 5,000 rupees and had his pay increased by 200 rupees. Additionally, some historical reports claim that Qurban Ali was elevated to the position of Sadar Talukdar. The Nizam was given the title of “Star of India.” He received back from the British Raichur and Osmanabad, which they had taken in 1853. Amounts owing between Rs. 50 and 55 lakh were waived. Also permitted were coins bearing his likeness rather than those of the Mughals. ‘Salar Jung’ was bestowed upon Mir Turab Ali Khan.
The martyr is largely forgotten today.
It is unknown when he was born, but every year on January 24, the day of his passing, it goes by without a murmur. A plaque with the inscription “Memorial to the Martyrs of July 17, 1857” was built close to the Koti bus stop to commemorate the 1857 uprising in Hyderabad. On the plaque, Turrebaz Khan’s name is inscribed. But few people pay attention. In the midst of the constant activity in this busy market place, the building built in honour of those valiant martyrs is obscured. It is occasionally, on occasion, garlanded by some leader under the possibility of being clicked, and that is it. The section of road that runs from Koti Women’s College to Pulti Bowli X roads is also known as Turrebaz Khan Road. Of course, not many people probably know it by the name of Turrebaz Khan Road.