Civil rights body approaches Telangana HC to stop movie ‘Razakar’

Hyderabad: The Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) has approached the Telangana High Court, seeking direction to stop the release of the upcoming controversial movie 'Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad'.

The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by APCR is scheduled to come up for hearing on March 11. Advocate Afsar Jahan, vice president of APCR's Telangana Chapter, will represent the organisation's interests in the High Court. The multilingual film, produced by a BJP leader, is scheduled for release on March 15.

APCR said that the decision to file the PIL comes amid growing concerns regarding the potentially inflammatory and divisive content of the movie, which has raised apprehensions of inciting communal disharmony among the two communities.

Nadeem Khan, secretary of APCR, has spearheaded this initiative after a unanimous decision was taken by the organisation's National Executive Committee.

It highlights the organisation's unwavering commitment to safeguarding civil liberties and promoting communal harmony, Khan said.

The second trailer of the movie was released last month. The first trailer was released in September last year in the run-up to the Telangana Assembly elections.

The then BRS government had said that it was weighing options following concern in some quarters that the movie may vitiate communal harmony in the state.

Also, then minister KT Rama Rao had promised that the matter would be taken up with the Censor Board and the Telangana Police to ensure that the law and order situation in the state is not affected.

The teaser was released on September 17 last year, which marks the anniversary of erstwhile Hyderabad State's accession to the Indian Union. The makers of the movie claimed that it depicts the atrocities committed by Razakars on the Hindu population after India's Independence.

Razakars were the paramilitary volunteer force working with the Nizam government to keep Hyderabad State independent.

Hyderabad State, comprising Telangana and parts of present-day Karnataka and Maharashtra, acceded to the Indian Union on September 17, 1948, after India's military operation codenamed 'Operation Polo' which is also called 'Police Action'.

Produced by BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy and directed by Yata Satyanarayana, the film is set to release in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.

The director had said that through this movie they have tried to tell the new generation what had happened in Hyderabad State for 13 months after India's Independence.