A bust of freedom fighter and journalist Shoebullah Khan, who was killed by Razakars for exposing the ‘tyranny’ of Nizam rule through his writings more than 70 years ago in Hyderabad, was unveiled at Subledu in Tirumalayapalem mandal on Monday.
The event marked the celebration of the Telangana Liberation Day by the BJP district committee. BJP State vice-president and former Hanamkonda MLA M. Dharma Rao unveiled the statue at Subledu where Khan had spent most of his childhood.
The statue was crafted by sculptors of Tenali in Guntur district of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. A host of senior BJP leaders, including the party State secretary K. Sridhar Reddy, Ismail, a childhood friend of Shoebullah Khan, and Habeebullah, a close relative of the great freedom fighter, were among those present.
The national flag was hoisted and the supreme sacrifice made by Shoebullah Khan, who waged a valiant armed struggle against the then Nizam’s rule, were recalled by the speakers.
Taking a dig at the TRS government, Mr. Reddy alleged the TRS leadership, which vociferously demanded the celebration of Telangana Liberation Day officially during the separate Telangana government, has kept the matter under wraps after coming to power.
He demanded September 17 be celebrated as Telangana Liberation Day officially to mark liberation of Hyderabad State from the Nizam’s clutches in 1948. Several speakers sought inclusion of a lesson on the life history of Shoebullah Khan in the school curriculum.
