On the 59th death anniversary of the Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur on Tuesday, his family members paid floral tributes at his grave and renewed their demand for the day to be declared a state holiday.
At Masjid-e-Judi, King Koti, the VII Nizam’s grandson Mir Najaf Ali Khan said, “The contribution of my grandfather was remarkable. We demand declaring this day as a holiday as was promised. We also want immediate and full restoration of Osmania General Hospital, one of his landmark institutions.”
He recalled that when Nizam VII passed away in 1967, lakhs of people flooded the streets of Hyderabad in one of the largest, most peaceful funeral gatherings in Indian history. “It is deeply painful that successive governments have failed to adequately highlight and commemorate his compassionate governance and unparalleled contributions,” he said.
Family members cited the Extraordinary Gazette of February 25, 1967, which declared a public holiday as a mark of respect, and urged the government to honour that precedent.
