Hyderabad, Feb. 25 -- For the longest time in Hyderabad, any debate about the city's last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, would largely revolve around his governance and contributions to the city's development, with criticism set aside.

However, over the last decade, right-wing narratives have hijacked this discourse, turning the last Nizam of Hyderabad into a convenient punching bag for Hindutva groups and those seeking to vilify Muslims in India today. Osman Ali Khan passed away on 25 February 1967, leaving behind a legacy that has been examined and re-examined over the past 58 years.

More importantly, despite criticism, it remains a fact that Osman Ali Khan oversaw Hyderabad's transformation into a modern metropolis before independence, d...