Operation Polo
Date September 12, 1948 – September 17/18, 1948 Location Southern India Result Decisive Indian victory; State of Hyderabad annexed to the Union of India
Combatants
Union of India	State of Hyderabad
Commanders
Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri	S.A. El Edroos #, Qasim Razvi #
Strength
35,000 Indian Armed Forces	40,000 Hyderabad State Forces est. 10,000 Razakars
Casualties
10 KIA 97 wounded[1]	Hyderabad State Forces: 807 KIA, 1,647 POWs[1] Razakars: 1,373 KIA, 1,911 POWs[1]

Operation Polo, refers to the armed operation of Armed Forces of India which resulted in the integration of the State of Hyderabad and Berar into Indian Union on September 12, 1948. This Operation is often popularly referred to as the Police Action. This was the first large-scale military operation carried out by independent India . September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... South India is a geographic and linguistic-cultural region of India. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_India. ... ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_State_of_Hyderbad. ... Flag of the State of Hyderabad. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_India. ... Major General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri, OBE was Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1962-1966 and the Military Governor of Hyderabad State from 1948-1949. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_State_of_Hyderbad. ... To surrender is when soldiers give up fighting and become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. ... Image File history File links Coat_of_arms_of_the_Nizam_of_Hyderabad. ... Qasim Razvi was an activist and political leader who believed in independence for the state of Hyderabad from Indian hegemony. ... To surrender is when soldiers give up fighting and become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. ... The Indian Armed Forces is the primary military organization responsible for the territorial security and defense of India. ... Razakars were a private islamic militia organized by Qasim Razvi to support the rule of Nizam Usman Ali Khan and resist the integration of Hyderabad State in India. ... Temporary grave of an American machine-gunner during the Battle of Normandy. ... Temporary grave of an American machine-gunner during the Battle of Normandy. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... Temporary grave of an American machine-gunner during the Battle of Normandy. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... The Indian Armed Forces is Indias primary defence organisation. ... Flag of the State of Hyderabad. ... September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ...

in the mid 1940's the nizam of hyderabad influenced by jinnah started to dream about separating the state of hyderabad from the indian union and declare it an independent islamic state..this inspite of the fact that 80% of the population of hyderabad was hindu and to achieve his dream he joined forces with a terror outfit called razakars formed by kasim rizvi. what was to follow was something really terrible. the razakars unleashed an orgy of violence against the hindus in hyd killing and raping thousands of people..they also destroyed numerous places of worship. the main aim of this razakar movement was to destroy hindu population in hyderabad and overpopulate them with muslims from neighbouring states. as the violence was getting out of hands some brave hindus in hyd started to organize themselves into groups esp the arya samaj and started to highlight the pain of there folks to outside world especially gandhi and indian government. as india got freedom and there were celebrations while people of hyderabad were suffering under nizam and his razakars. the rss for its part gathered some youths in the bordering villages of hyderabad and started raids on nizam police.this was to a large extent ineffective. finally these patriots went to meet gandhi for his help.but gandhi was untouched by whot was happening and gave them a cold shoulder.he and nehru just did not seem to be bother. it was then that these patriots found solace in sardar patel.it seems that sardar patel felt their pain and suffering but he was helpless. so he went and spoke to gandhi and nehru and suggested that something has to be done.Gandhi replied" nizam is like my son and as long as i live i will not tolerate any army action against him...how can a father send his army to attack his son?"

The military operation was carried out because the Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII, decided to remain independent after the Partition of India. Though backed by Qasim Razvi's armed militias, known as Razakars, and a distant moral support of Pakistan^[1], the Hyderabad State Forces were easily defeated by the Armed Forces of India within five days. The Nizams Coat of Arms Nizam-ul-Mulk was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad state from 1724 to 1949. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Caution! This Article Is Under Construction This article or section is currently in the middle of an expansion or major revamping. ... Qasim Razvi was an activist and political leader who believed in independence for the state of Hyderabad from Indian hegemony. ...

The dispute

Main article: Political Integration of India

Main article: Partition of India

Hyderabad State covered 82,000 square miles in the heart of India and had a population of 16 million. The area covers parts of what are currently the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, and most of Andhra Pradesh in India. India under British Raj in 1922, prior to its partition and integration after independence. ... Caution! This Article Is Under Construction This article or section is currently in the middle of an expansion or major revamping. ... Flag of the State of Hyderabad. ... Maharashtra   (Marathi: महाराष्ट्र , English: , IPA: ) is Indias third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh. ... Karnātakā   (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) (IPA: ) is one of the four southern states of India. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... Andhra Pradesh  : (Telugu: ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్, Urdu: آندھرا پردیش, IPA: ), is a state in southern India. ...

Its ruler was Nizam Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII. Hyderabad had always enjoyed an influential relationship as the largest and most loyal ally of the British Raj.Though faced with a largely hostile section of his subjects, the Nizam sought independence for Hyderabad as a dominion in the British Commonwealth. When the British ruled out this possibility, the Nizam set his mind upon independence, and refused to sign the instrument of accession. The Nizams Coat of Arms Nizam-ul-Mulk was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad state from 1724 to 1949. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The flag of British India British India, circa 1860 The British Raj (Raj in Hindi meaning Rule; from Sanskrit Rajya) was the British rule between 1858 and 1947 of the Indian Subcontinent, which included the present-day India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Burma (Myanmar), whereby these lands were under the colonial... The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2006 Headquarters Marlborough House, London Leaders  -  Queen Elizabeth II  -  Secretary-General Don McKinnon (since 1999)  -  Ransford Smith Establishment  -  as British Commonwealth 1926   -  as the Commonwealth 1949  Membership 53 sovereign states Website thecommonwealth. ...

To Sardar Patel, Hyderabad was more important than Kashmir. Without Hyderabad, there would be a big gap in the "stomach of India", and Patel knew that Hyderabad was looking towards Pakistan for political and military support. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (October 31, 1875–December 15, 1950), popularly referred to as Sardar Patel, was an Indian statesman, an important leader of the Indian National Congress and the deputy Prime Minister in the first cabinet of Independent India. ...

Sardar Patel made it clear that Hyderabad was essential for India, but agreed with Lord Mountbatten that force should not be used immediately. A Standstill Agreement was signed, maintaining a status quo - a concession made to no other princely state without an explicit assurance of eventual accession. But Patel allowed Hyderabad to only guarantee that it would not join Pakistan. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (October 31, 1875–December 15, 1950), popularly referred to as Sardar Patel, was an Indian statesman, an important leader of the Indian National Congress and the deputy Prime Minister in the first cabinet of Independent India. ... Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (June 25, 1900 – August 27, 1979) was a British admiral and statesman and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ... Status Quo are an English rock band whose music is characterised by a strong boogie line. ...

Mountbatten and K.M. Munshi, India's envoy attempted to engage the Nizam's envoys Laik Ali and Sir Walter Monckton into negotiations on an agreement. But Hyderabad continually refused to accept possible deals meted out by Mountbatten .Hyderabad also protested that India had created an armed barricade to isolate it economically. India charged that Hyderabad was receiving arms from Pakistan, and that the Nizam was allowing Qasim Razvi's volunteer movement Razakars to intimidate Hindus and attack villages in India. Hyderabad unsuccessfully also attempted to obtain the arbitration of the United Nations and the President of the United States, . Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi was an Indian freedom fighter from the state of Gujarat. ... Mir Laiq Ali was the last Prime Minister of Hyderabad State under the rule of the Nizams. ... Walter Turner Monckton, 1st Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, GCVO, KCMG, MC, PC (1891-1965) was a British politician. ... Qasim Razvi was an activist and political leader who believed in independence for the state of Hyderabad from Indian hegemony. ... Razakar is a Persian word which means volunteer. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. ...

Mountbatten drafted the Heads of Agreement deal and attempted in June 1948 to obtain Patel's signature. The agreement called for:- June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with a length of 30 days. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ...

• Disbandment of the Razakars.
• Restriction of the Hyderabad State Forces.
• The Nizam to hold a plebiscite and elections for a constituent assembly.

India would be empowered to control Hyderabad's foreign affairs, but the deal allowed Hyderabad to set up a parallel government structure that could have enabled it to obtain the same level of a dominion, and perhaps declare independence.

Sardar Patel signed the deal, fearing that the Nizam would renege on the plan that was seemingly favoring Hyderabad. The Nizam reneged and Mountbatten's plan fell flat.

The operation

Sardar Patel made it clear that India would take no more. He obtained the principal agreement of Governor-General Chakravarti Rajagopalachari and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru after some contentious debate, and under Operation Polo, sent the Indian Army to annex Hyderabad. Even prior to the execution of the operation, the Indian government had blockaded food, machinery and trucks, resulting in soaring prices of essential commodities in Hyderabad. All aerial flights from Hyderabad were also suspended, making the Nizam's position vulnerable.[1] Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (October 31, 1875–December 15, 1950), popularly referred to as Sardar Patel, was an Indian statesman, an important leader of the Indian National Congress and the deputy Prime Minister in the first cabinet of Independent India. ... Rajaji Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari (December 1878 - December 25, 1972), known as or Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, writer, statesman and a Hindu spiritualist. ... Jawaharlal Nehru (Hindi: , IPA: , from Persian Javâher-e Laal, meaning Red Jewel) (November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964) was a political leader of the Indian National Congress, was a pivotal figure during the Indian independence movement and served as the first Prime Minister of the Republic of India. ... The Indian Army is the largest branch of the Armed Forces of India and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. ...

"Operation Polo", as it was called, was launched on September 12, 1948. Between September 13th and 17th, Indian troops fought Hyderabadi troops and Razakar militants. The Indian Army backed by the Indian Air Force surrounded the Nizam's territory. The Nizam's Army and an estimated 10,000 Razakars were expected to put up fierce resistance. Razakars had famously claimed that they would not only beat the Indian Army, but hoist the Nizami flag from the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi^{[citation needed]}. September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... The Indian Army is the largest branch of the Armed Forces of India and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. ... The Indian Air Force (भारतीय वायु सेना : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting aerial warfare and securing the Indian airspace. ... Razakar is a Persian word which means volunteer. ... Razakar is a Persian word which means volunteer. ... There used to be a redirect from the Red Fort in Delhi to Agra Fort in Agra. ... Delhi   (Hindi: , Urdu: , Punjabi: ), sometimes refered to as Dilli, is the second-largest metropolis in India after Mumbai with a population of 13 million. ...

The Indian Army attacked from all fronts encircling the Hyderabad State forces and the rebellious Razakars. Within five days the Indian Army secured Hyderabad. The Indian Army suffered 22 soldiers dead and 97 injured. Indian government claimed that Razakars and the Nizam's army suffered 882 dead and thousands injured.Civilian casualties that are estimated to be in the tens of thousands were not reported. Major General (later General) Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri, who led the whole Operation Polo, was appointed the Military Governor of Hyderabad (1948-1949) to restore law and order. Razakar is a Persian word which means volunteer. ...

Aftermath

The annexation of Hyderabad was allegedly followed by communal violence between Muslims and Hindus in the Hyderabad. Specifically, suspected Razakar members were targeted as traitors. Allegations were made that the Indian Army aided Hindu mobs against Muslims in Hyderabad.As reports of the violence reached Delhi, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru commissioned an unofficial report from a group of veteran Congressmen which included two Hyderabadi Muslims who had prominently opposed the Nizam's rule.^{[citation needed]} The goodwill mission was chaired by Pandit Sunderlal, a Hindu, and had as its members Kazi Abdul Ghaffar and Moulana Abdulla Misri, both Muslims. This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ...

After extensively touring the state, the committee presented its report, known as the "Sunderlal Report", to Nehru and Patel in January 1949. The report untimately found fault with the Razakars for aggrandizing communal differences and fomenting suspicion and violence between the Hindus and Muslims:

The Razakars had sown wind and reaped not only storm but a hurricane which in a few days cost the lives of one-tenth to one-fifth of the male Muslim population primarily in the countryside and provincial towers.

The report also catalogued a large number of incidents of murder and mass rape committed by Hindu mobs, often after troops had disarmed the Muslim population.

"The perpetrators of these atrocities were not limited to those who had suffered at the hands of Razakars, not to the non-Muslims of Hyderabad state. These latter were aided and abetted by individuals and bands of people, with and without arms, from across the border, who had infiltrated through in the wake of the Indian Army. We found definite indications that a number of armed and trained men belonging to a well known Hindu communal organisation from Sholapur and other Indian towns as also some local and outside communists participated in these riots and in some cases actually led the rioters." ^[2]

The report also mentions several incidents where the soldiers were involved in looting and rape. The report was suppressed and never made public, possibly because it cast the Indian Army in an unfavourable light. Excerpts from the report were published in the Indian news magazine Frontline after having been published in 'Hyderabad: After the Fall' by Omar Khalidi and in Margrit Pernau's book 'The Passing of Patrimonalism'. The report places a conservative estimate of the number of deaths to between 27,000 and 40,000. Nehru was deeply disturbed to hear of the scale of violence, which was far more than he had been led to believe. Sardar Vallabhai Patel, however was very critical of the report for it's partisanship as it allegedly "completely ignored the magnitude of the atrocities inflicted by the Razakars on the state population"^[3] The Indian Army is the largest branch of the Armed Forces of India and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. ... For the Scottish Marxist magazine called Frontline see International Socialist Movement Frontline is a fortnightly English language magazine published by The Hindu group of publications from Chennai, India. ...

"I notice that your report is and your activities were, restricted to making inquiries about what happened during and after the police action. There is nothing in it about the extent and consequences of Razakar atrocities. Probably that was out of the terms of reference which you had set for yourselves. At the same time, you have covered in your reports matters which could by no stretch of imagination, have formed the purview of your enquiry"

The Communist Party of India was already leading an armed peasant struggle against the Nizam and the feudal Zamindari system which was policy in the Nizamate. After annexation, there was a difference of opinion within the party. While hardliners argued that the fight should go on till the rights of people on the land were established, there was a significant section which advised against the continuation of resistance. Finally the party decided to go ahead with the fight. But the peasants were no match for the Indian Army. Many guerilla fighters were caught and killed. The Army quickly quelled all opposition, sometimes with draconian measures. The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. ... The Nizams Coat of Arms Nizam-ul-Mulk was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad state from 1724 to 1949. ... Feudalism comes from the Late Latin word feudum, itself borrowed from a Germanic root *fehu, a commonly used term in the Middle Ages which means fief, or land held under certain obligations by feodati. ... The Zamindari System is a kind of feudal system, introduced by the Mughals to collect taxes from peasants. ...

Afterwards, the Telugu speaking area was joined to Andhra to form an unified Andhra Pradesh and the western part was joined to Karnataka state. The Army's success here paved the way for further acquisitions by force against any other pockets of resistance like Goa. Patel however kept the Nizam as the head of state, and Maj. General J.N. Chaudhari became the military governor. Qasim Razvi was placed under house arrest. Years later, he immigrated to Pakistan as part of a general exodus of the Hyderabadi Muslim elite after its annexation. Telugu (తెలుగు) is a Dravidian language primarily spoken in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where it is the official language. ... Andhra Pradesh (ఆంధర దేశం), a state in South India, lies between 12°41 and 22°N latitude and 77° and 84°40E longitude . ... Karnātakā   (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) (IPA: ) is one of the four southern states of India. ... Goa   (Konkani: गोंय goṃya; Marathi: गोवा govā; Portuguese: Goa) is Indias smallest state in terms of area and the fourth smallest in terms of population (after Sikkim, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh). ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Hyderabad 1948 Revisited IndiaDefence.com
2. ^ From the Sunderlal Committee Report Frontline Magazine
3. ^ Of a massacre untold Frontline Magazine

External links

• Bharat Rakshak
• Patel: A Life by Rajmohan Gandhi
• Under the Char Minar - by William Dalrymple
• From the Sunderlal Report - Excerpts in FRONTLINE
• Of a massacre untold - A.G.Noorani
• In the Nizam's dominion