Why in News?
Operation Polo marks the 77th anniversary of the historic military action launched by India on 13th September 1948 to annex the princely state of Hyderabad. 
 
Major highlights of Operation Polo:

Background and Causes

• Refusal to Accede: After India's independence, all princely states were given the choice to join India or Pakistan. The Nizam of Hyderabad, with a majority Hindu population but a Muslim ruling elite, sought to maintain Hyderabad as an independent nation.
• Strategic Location: Hyderabad was a large, landlocked state situated in the heart of India. Its independence was seen as a major threat to India's territorial integrity and a potential "cancer in the belly of India," as described by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• Rise of the Razakars: A private, radical Muslim militia known as the Razakars, led by Qasim Razvi, gained immense power and influence. They committed widespread violence and atrocities against those who supported accession to India.
• Standstill Agreement and Escalation: A standstill agreement was signed between Hyderabad and India in November 1947, but this period was used by the Nizam to import arms (reportedly from Pakistan) and strengthen his military, while the Razakars intensified their violent activities.

About Operation

• Code Name: The operation was officially termed a "police action" to avoid the international perception of it being an act of war.
• Swift and Decisive Action: On September 13, 1948. The Indian forces, led by Major General J.N. Chaudhuri remarkably overpowered the Nizam's army and the Razakars only in five days.
• Nizam's Surrender: Faced with imminent defeat, the Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, formally surrendered and signed the Instrument of Accession, integrating Hyderabad into the Indian Union.

Outcomes and Aftermath

• Hyderabad was placed under military administration until December 1949.
• Later, a civilian government was appointed by the Ministry of States.
• Elections were conducted in 1952, marking the democratic transition of Hyderabad into the Indian Union.

• Reorganization of the State: Hyderabad was later reorganized on a linguistic basis in 1956, with its different parts becoming part of the new states of Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana and Andhra Pradesh), Maharashtra, and Karnataka.
• Commemoration: September 17 is often marked as "Hyderabad Liberation Day" to commemorate the day the state was freed from the Nizam's rule and joined the Indian Union.

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