Mukarram Jah laid to rest with State honours

Hyderabad: The last rites of Mukarram Jah, the titular Nizam VIII of the erstwhile Princely State of Hyderabad, were conducted with State honours here on Wednesday.

After the Asr prayers, Mukarram Jah was laid to rest at the ancestral graveyard of the Asaf Jahi family here. His body was buried beside the grave of his father, Mir Himayat Ali Khan. Members of the Nizam family, Telangana Home Minister Mohd Mahmood Ali were among those who attended the funeral.

The Old City of Hyderabad saw black flags representing sorrow and grief erected on the roads. Prince Mufakkam Jah Bahadur and other members of the Nizam family from across the globe came to the city to attend the funeral.

The area was turned into a sea of people as several thousands of people gathered to watch the glimpse of the last Nizam. The youngsters were seen taking turns to carry the Nizam's bier. An 89-year-old Mukarram Jah's bier was wrapped in 'Parcham-e-Asifya' (Nizam's state flag).

Following the State honours, as a part of respect, a band from the Telangana police headed the procession at Chowmahalla Palace and gave a guard of honour at Mecca Masjid to the mortal remains.

The prayers were led by Maulana Hafiz Rizwan Qureshi, the Qateeb of the mosque, after the evening prayers. City scholars, Ulemas, politicians, leaders and several others attended the funeral of the last Nizam.

Most shops in and around the Charminar area remained closed as the locals mourned the passing of Mukarram Jah. The Nizam's Museum, Salar Jung Museum, and other educational institutions of the Nizam were also closed.

According to historians, in 1967 when the Nizam VII of Hyderabad Mir Osman Ali Khan died, over one million attended the funeral procession.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao and other leaders from the BRS and Congress party condoled the death of Mukarram Jah. They called on the family members and consoled them.

Mukarram Jah was born to Mir Himayat Ali Khan alias Azam Jah Bahadur, the first son of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of the Princely State of Hyderabad before it was merged with the Indian Union in 1948.