Annexation of Hyderabad

Operation Polo
	; The State of Hyderabad in 1909 (excluding Berar)
Date	13–18 September 1948; (5 days)
Location	Hyderabad State, (parts of South and Western India)17°00′N 78°50′E
Result	Indian victory Annexation of Hyderabad to the Union of India;
Belligerents
Dominion of India	Hyderabad
Commanders and leaders
Governor-General Chakravarti Rajagopalachari; Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru; Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; Minister of Defence Baldev Singh; General Sir Roy Bucher; Air Marshal Thomas Elmhirst; Lieutenant-General Rajendrasinhji Jadeja; Major General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri; Major General Ajit Rudra; Air Vice-Marshal Subroto Mukherjee;	S.A. El Edroos ; Qasim Razvi ;
Strength
35,000 Indian Armed Forces	22,000 Hyderabad State Forces; est. 200,000 irregulars (Razakars);
Casualties and losses
Less than 10 killed	Hyderabad State forces: 807 killed; unknown wounded; 1,647 POWs; Razakars: 1,373 killed; 1,911 captured;
	Sunderlal Committee: 30,000–40,000 civilians killed; Responsible observers: 200,000 civilians killed;

The princely state of Hyderabad was annexed by India in September 1948 through a military operation code-named Operation Polo, 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, giving them control of their external relations. 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 and the rise of a radical militia known as the Razakars whom he could not put down. 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 destabilizing 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 30,000–40,000 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.

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