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On 2 September 1947, Razakar forces killed 22 protesters and wounded more than 150 in the town of Parkala, part of the popular movement demanding Hyderabad State's merger with India.
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India gained independence from British rule on 15 August 1947. In the aftermath, residents of Hyderabad State launched a civil revolt, pressing for the state's merger with India and opposing the authoritarian rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad. Farmers in the town of Parkala joined this resistance movement.
On 2 September 1947, authorities had banned all public gatherings in Warangal. Despite this prohibition, more than 1,500 people from surrounding villages gathered in defiance to hoist the Indian flag. According to eyewitnesses, the Razakars—an irregular paramilitary force aligned with the Nizam—opened fire indiscriminately on the crowd. The attack killed 22 people and seriously wounded more than 150 others. Among the dead, three individuals were reportedly tied to a tree and shot.
The violence extended beyond Parkala itself. In the nearby village of Laxmipuram, the Razakars are reported to have sexually assaulted women, looted money, and set huts on fire.
The massacre suppressed the popular movement for Hyderabad's annexation to India at the time, though it later became a symbol of the broader struggle. Indian Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao subsequently described the Parkala Massacre as the "Jallianwala Bagh of the south," drawing a comparison to the 1919 massacre in Amritsar, where British General Reginald Dyer ordered troops to fire on peaceful protesters, killing 379 and injuring 1,200 people.
On 17 September 2003, Telangana politician Vidyasagar Rao built a memorial called "Amaradhamam" in tribute to the massacre's victims. The memorial was inaugurated by then-Indian Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani. Rao stated that the massacre had been an issue neglected by the government and that the memorial was intended to honor the people of Telangana for their role in the struggle for the liberation of Hyderabad. The memorial has since been used by the Bharatiya Janata Party as a platform to call for government recognition of 17 September as "Liberation Day" for Telangana.
3 dated entries · 1947–2003
India becomes independent from British rule; civil revolt begins in Hyderabad State demanding merger with India.
Razakars open fire on a crowd of over 1,500 protesters in Parkala who gathered to hoist the Indian flag in defiance of a ban on public gatherings, killing 22 and wounding more than 150; sexual assault, looting, and arson also reported in nearby Laxmipuram.
Memorial "Amaradhamam" built by politician Vidyasagar Rao in tribute to victims, inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani.
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Pressthehindu.comAccessed Jul 7, 2026
Pressthehansindia.comAccessed Jul 7, 2026
EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 7, 2026
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