Despite there being no dynasty, no crown, and no ruler, the war of succession seems to be far from over in the Nizamate. The coronation of Azmath Jah as the 9th Nizam following the death of his father, Nawab Mukarrum Jah Bahadur, last month has become a bone of contention with different groups laying claim to the royal title.
At a press conference on Monday, two rival groups claiming to be the “real sahibzadagan” (progeny) squared off. Before the warring sides dispersed, there was an exchange of heated words. Much before the press conference began at the Mediaplus auditorium, police were called in after a family member requested security due to possible disruptions from the rival group.
The cops left after they were told that it was just a family feud and that there would be no trouble.
Dressed in the traditional sherwanis and Rumi topis, the family members led by Sahebzada Mir Hashmat Ali Khan, president, Majlis-e-Sahebzadagan Society, pledged loyalty and solidarity with Azmath Jah and hailed his anointment as the 9th Nizam. “He is the rightful heir to the throne and deserved it. Those not related to the Nizam family cannot claim this position”, said members of the Sarf-e-Khas Trust, House of Asaf Jahi dynasty.
Quoting a 1950 deed of the Trust, Mir Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, Trust general secretary, said if a sahebzada marries a girl from a non-sahebzada family, their child will be considered among the sahebzadagan.
However, if a sahebzada girl marries from the non-sahebzada family, their children will not be counted among the sahebzadagan. “And it is exactly the case with Nawab Raunaq Yar Khan, who was designated as the 9th Nizam the other day”, he said.
He stated that the Nizam legacy is carried on through sons rather than daughters, as has been the case since the first Nizam, Mir Qamaruddin Ali Khan, he said the Society was working for the collective benefit and well being of the family.
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Zaheeruddin Ali Khan went on to say that the Majlis-e-Sahibzadagan had asked the 9th Nizam for a plot of land on which to build a residential colony for the Asaf Jahi family. Prince Azmath Jah promised to donate Rs. 5 crore, but we requested him to sanction Rs. 20 crore, he said.
Even as the members of the Society were wrapping up the press conference, a few members of the opposing group, along with a couple of bouncers, walked in. Led by one Nizam Ali Khan, this group contested the claim of the other group and said their society was set up in 1932 and was renewed in 2020. Some people who are after positions have formed a fake society despite the fact that they are not even sahebzadas. He criticised their opponents for using the name of Majlis-e-Sahibzadagan to mislead people. “We will take legal action against them as we have all the documents to prove the charge”, he said.
Earlier in the day, the Nizam Ali Khan group held a press conference elsewhere and displayed documents to claim that they were the rightful members of the Majlis-e-Sahibzadagan Society.
Meanwhile, as the rift in the Nizam family intensifies, Prince Azmath Jah, who is currently in Turkey, is said to have told a confidant of his in Hyderabad to ‘ignore’ the whole thing. On January 29, the young prince who came with the mortal remains of his father left Hyderabad along with his mother.
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