Hyderabad Liberation Day

• The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the celebration of ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’ every year on September 17.
• Even after India’s independence on August 15, 1947, Hyderabad did not get independence and continued to remain under the rule of the Nizams for 13 months.
• The city was liberated from Nizam’s rule on September 17, 1948, after a police action namely ‘Operation Polo’.

ABOUT OPERATION POLO

• Operation Polo is the code name for the military operation conducted by the Indian Armed Forces in September 1948 to integrate the princely state of Hyderabad into the independent Union of India.
• The operation was initiated by the then Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel after Nizam remained indecisive about whether to join India or Pakistan or maintain independence.
• The military operation was conducted under the leadership of Major General J. N. Chaudhuri.
• The operation was concluded within less than five days, with minimal resistance from the Nizam’s force.
• In the end, the Nizam surrendered, after which Hyderabad officially became a part of India.