Annexation of Hyderabad
| Operation Polo | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Telangana Rebellion and the Political integration of India | |||||||||
The State of Hyderabad in 1909 (excluding Berar) | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Dominion of India | Hyderabad | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 35,000 Indian Armed Forces |
| ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Less than 10 killed | |||||||||
| |||||||||
The Annexation of Hyderabad (code-named Operation Polo) was a military operation launched in September 1948 that resulted in the annexation of the princely state of Hyderabad by India, which was dubbed a "police action".
At the time of partition of India in 1947, the princely states of India, who in principle had self-government within their territories, were subject to subsidiary alliances with the British, which gave control of external relations to the British. With the Indian Independence Act 1947, the British abandoned all such alliances, leaving the states with the option of opting for full independence. However, by 1948 almost all had acceded to either India or Pakistan. One major exception was that of the wealthiest and most powerful principality, Hyderabad, where the Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, a Muslim ruler who presided over a largely Hindu population, chose independence and hoped to maintain this with an irregular army.: 224 The Nizam was also beset by the Telangana rebellion, which he was unable to crush.: 224
In November 1947, Hyderabad signed a standstill agreement with the Dominion of India, continuing all previous arrangements except for the stationing of Indian troops in the state. India felt that the establishment of a Communist state in Hyderabad would be a threat to the country. Nizam's power had weakened because of the Telangana Rebellion, whom he could not put down. The Razakars tried to ensure that Nizam's rule was maintained, however they proved unsuccessful. On 7 September, Jawaharlal Nehru gave ultimatum to Nizam, demanding ban on the Razakars and return of Indian troops to Secunderabad. India invaded the state by 13 September 1948, following a crippling economic blockade, and multiple attempts at destabilising the state through railway disruptions, the bombing of government buildings, and raids on border villages. After the defeat of Razakars, the Nizam signed an instrument of accession, joining India.
The operation led to massive violence on communal lines, at times perpetrated by the Indian Army. The Sunderlal Committee, appointed by Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, concluded that between 30,000 and 40,000 people had died in total in the state, in a report which was not released until 2013. Other responsible observers estimated the number of deaths to be 200,000 or higher.