Operation Polo

Operation Polo, also known as the Hyderabad Police Action, was a military operation conducted by the Indian Armed Forces from 13 to 18 September 1948 to integrate the princely State of Hyderabad into the Indian Union. Hyderabad was ruled by Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam, who had sought to maintain the state's separate status after Indian independence. As negotiations over Hyderabad's future failed and armed Razakar activity and violence increased, the Government of India ordered military intervention. Indian forces, under Major General Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri, entered Hyderabad State from multiple directions, supported by infantry, armour, artillery and the Indian Air Force. They faced the Hyderabad State Forces commanded by Major General Syed Ahmed El Edroos and Razakar forces led by Qasim Razvi. Indian forces rapidly advanced and defeated organised resistance. On 17 September, the Nizam announced a ceasefire, and on 18 September 1948, Major General El Edroos formally surrendered to Major General Chaudhuri at Hyderabad. Following the surrender, Hyderabad came under Indian military administration, with Major General Chaudhuri serving as Military Governor. The Nizam subsequently signed the Instrument of Accession to India on 25 January 1950. The operation was a major step in the political and territorial integration of Hyderabad into the Indian Union, although its aftermath also involved significant communal and political violence that remains an important subject of historical study.