A. G. Noorani is an Advocate, Supreme Court of India, and a leading constitutional expert and political commentator. He is a regular columnist for Frontline and the author of, inter alia, Jinnah and Tilak: Comrades in the Freedom Struggle and Indian Political Trials 1775 - 1947.
'It was the final act that brought Muslim rule over a Hindu
majority to an end, the last show for the Mogul empire, told here
in detail from diplomatic and journalistic sources and witness
testimony. ... This closely argued telling of a grisly episode is a
valuable addition to the story of partition - and another blow to
the belief that the independence of the sub-continent was achieved
by non-violent means.'
*The Independent*
'Drowned out by the remembrance of Partition in the north, the
story of annexation in the south has never fully been told. After
almost seventy years of official silencing, A.G. Noorani carefully
reconstructs the political efforts to undermine the independence of
Hyderabad and the violent "Police Action" that claimed the
Muslim-ruled kingdom for the Republic of India. This is a brave and
important book by one of India's most distinguished journalists and
champions of due process. Noorani has performed a great service
both to the integrity of India and the story of its origins.'
*Nile Green, Professor of History, UCLA*
'Among the untold stories of the Partition of India the fate of the
former princely state of Hyderabad looms large. With a lawyer's
forensic attention to detail A. G. Noorani peels back the layers of
bureaucratic obfuscation to reveal what really occurred when Indian
forces "liberated" Hyderabad and ensured its accession to India
rather than Pakistan. It is a riveting story, told with flair, one
that cautions against our acceptance of "official" histories,
irrespective of their source.'
*Professor Ziauddin Sardar, author of Reading the Qur'an and editor
of Critical Muslim*
'[A] thoroughly researched revisionist account of the "police
action" led by the Indian army against the government of Nizam of
Hyderabad in 1948 - Noorani's account questions the narratives put
forth by the "court historians of Indian nationalism."'
*The Indian Express*
'At a time when the future of Hyderabad city is being hotly
contested - A G Noorani's book on the former Hyderabad State and
its painful process of merger with Indian Union should serve as a
relevant set of documents for analysis. - wonderful work.'
*The Times of India*
'Noorani sheds fresh light on the fall of Hyderabad and provides a
rare insight into the events before and after its invasion in
September 1948 by the Indian Army. - By making use of information
available in the official archives of Andhra Pradesh, largely
unexplored, Noorani tries to set the record straight. His narrative
exposes the false claims of "court historians" that it was only a
"police action" to quell a so-called "revolt."'
*Dawn (Pakistan)*
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