Hyderabad

In September 1948, the newly independent Dominion of India raised a police action against Hyderabad. The code name of this police action was ‘operation polo’. In this article, we will tell the purpose and consequences of operation polo in great detail.

What Was Operation Polo:

In 1978, Hyderabad was the first state to come under British protection under the policy of the Subsidiary Alliance. In 1947 when India finally got independence from the British, the country was partitioned into two countries: India and Pakistan. As we all know the partition was created on the basis of religion with the Hindu majority living in India and the Muslim majority in Pakistan. At that time the princely states were given three choices:

• Join India
• Join Pakistan
• Remain independent

By 1948 most of the princely states merged with India. Although Hyderabad was ruled by Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, a Muslim ruler who exercised control over the large Hindu population. He wanted Hyderabad to remain independent. Initially, Nizam Mir Usman Ali signed a ‘standstill agreement’ with India. According to this agreement, the external affairs and defense of Hyderabad would be controlled by India although there won’t be any kind of interference in the internal affairs.

Although this agreement was violated by Hyderabad when they secretly loaned 15 million pounds to Pakistan and built their own military named Razakars in the country. Telangana uprising, the rise of militant Razakars, unclear negotiations and the idea of Hyderabad arming itself with the help of Pakistan did not go well with India. Therefore, the government of India decided to launch a military operation named ‘operation polo’ to annex Hyderabad.

Events Before Operation Polo:

Nizam Mir Usman Ali initially requested the British Government to acquire the status of an independent constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations. However, this request was rejected by the last Viceroy of India, The 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma.

At the time when the British left India Nizam announced that Hyderabad would remain as an independent state. He started to appoint trade representatives in European countries. Nizam also tried to negotiate with the Portuguese in order to lease or buy Goa to provide sea access to Hyderabad. The state also violated the ‘standstill agreement’. At that time, Hyderabad had banned the Indian currency, organized illegal gun-running with the help of Pakistan, halted the export of groundnuts and gave rise to the irregular army named Razakars.

In late 1945, an uprising started in the Telangana area, led by communists. They launched various positive social and economic programs. The poor peasants had a lot of complaints against the jagirdari system, which covered 43% of landholding. The communists fought for the rights of the poor peasants. They also redistributed the land, ended forced labour, increased the wages, built public latrines, encouraged women’s organisations and discouraged untouchability.

In mid-1946 the communists revolted against the Nizam. The conflict between the communists and Razakars became extremely violent and by 1948, the communists had already killed about 2,000 people. The Razakars started communal violence against the Hindus who were residing in Hyderabad. To save themselves, the Hindus fled to neighboring states.

Due to all of these events, a conflict between the Indian army and the Hyderabadi forces started. To give a fierceful reply to the Hyderabadi forces Sardar Vallabhai Patel launched police action against Hyderabad.

Consequences of Operation Polo:

The operation lasted for 5 days. Let’s see what happened in all the 5 days:

Day 1, 13 September:

On September 13 the force entered the state at 4 a.m. The 1st Hyderabad Infantry and the attacking force of the 7th Brigade fought with each other at Naldurg Fort on the Solapur Secunderabad Highway. The Indian forces defeated the Hyderabadi forces and secured Naldurg fort.

Day 2, 14 September:

On the second day, the Indian forces proceeded to the town of Rajeshwar. Airstrikes were called in which helped in clearing the routes and allowed the force to secure Rajeshwar by the afternoon. The anti-tank ditch slowed down the assault force from the East. The assault fire later came under heavy fire from hillside positions. Osmanabad was attacked by the 3/11 Gurkha Rifles and a squadron of the 8th Cavalry. As the city was attacked by six columns they surrendered to the Indian force by the afternoon.

Day 3, 15 September:

A company of 3/11 Gurkhas moved to occupy the town of Jalna. While the other part of the force moved to Latur. After capturing Latur they moved to Mominabad where they faced 3 Golconda Lancers. Air force cleared most of the Hyderabadi force in Suryapet. Although some Razakar units were still battling against the 2/5 Gurkhas who had occupied the town. The Hyderabadi forces destroyed the bridge at Musi but the Indians were quickly able to repair the bridge since the Hyderabadi force lacked cover fire.

Day 4, 16 September:

The task force under Lt. Col. Ram Singh moved to Zahirabad but encountered a minefield. When the force reached the junction of the Bidar road with the Solapur-Hyderabad City Highway they faced gunfire. The Razakars used their terrain with the full advantage. However, the Razakars again faced a lot of problems when Indians brought their 75 mm guns.

Day 5, 17 September:

On the last day of the battle, the Indian army entered Bidar. The force which was under the leadership of the Armoured regiment took over the town of Chityal. While another column defeated the town of Hingoli. By the morning of the 5th day, the Hyderabadi army and the Razakars had heavy casualties. At 5 pm on 17 September, Nizam ended the war by announcing a ceasefire.

Conclusion:

As you can see, operation polo is a very important part of our history. The operation was filled with gunfire and the death of thousands of people. After the operation, Hyderabad became a part of India.