On 13 September 1948, India's Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel ordered the Indian Army to launch "Operation Polo", aimed at integrating the princely state of Hyderabad into the Indian Union. Hyderabad, under its Nizam, had not acceded to India after independence in 1947 and had sought to remain independent. Tensions escalated as the Nizam, backed by his militia known as the Razakars, resisted integration.
The operation, involving around 36,000 Indian troops, was brief, lasting only five days from 13 to 18 September. The Hyderabad State forces and the Razakars were quickly overwhelmed, and by 17 September 1948, the Nizam announced his surrender. This led to the successful incorporation of Hyderabad into the Indian Union, marking a significant step in the consolidation of post-independence India.
This decisive military action was one of Vallabhbhai Patel's key moves to unify the newly independent nation.
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