Hyderabad: By September 16 in 1948 it was pretty much game over for the erstwhile Hyderabad state’s last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, whose government was fighting a ‘war’ against the Indian army to stay independent. Within hours on September 17, the Hyderabad State Army would officially surrender, ending his reign as the monarch of the one of India’s largest princely states.

The India Army however also had a second and more important motive for being sent – to crush the Communist Party of India (CPI)-led peasant rebellion that had spread through the districts of Telangana from 1946 itself. The CPI was bent on running its own communist state and the wary Indian government wanted to prevent it. Hence, the army was stationed in Telangana until 1951 for this purpose.

However, in the aftermath of the state’s annexation, called Operation Polo, is when the worst would come. Muslims en masse would bear the brunt of communal violence that took place in the Marathwada and north Karnataka regions (that were part of the Hyderabad state). The Sunderlal Committee formed to conduct an enquiry on this would surmise that about 26000 to 40000 Muslims were killed in violence post Police Action.

All of this today has become contentious, thanks to the fact that the Indian government and the erstwhile joint Andhra Pradesh governments both conveniently hid this part of our history. The victims of Operation Polo never came to terms with it because nothing from the state was done to help people after it.

Similarly, the families of Hindus who were attacked by the violent Razakar group led by then Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) head Qasim Razvi to this day only have horrible anecdotes about what they went through. The state under the last Nizam did in fact let them down by allowing the Razakars to function – a reality that one has to accept today.

In fact, this is one of the reasons that the BJP and other right-wing groups are able to twist and politicise Operation Polo. A party that had absolutely no role in Operation Polo today is able to twist and set the narrative politically because earlier governments chose to be silent and hid this part of our history. The CPI, which is in alliance with the ruling Congress in Telangana is finally waking up and now seeking its share in remembering the history of Hyderabad’s annexation.

But one question that begs to be answered is whether the last Nizam of Hyderabad’s decisions will ever be questioned for his decisions in 1948. While there is no doubt that he was not communal, his decision to stay independent eventually led to the loss of thousands of lives. Some say that he had lost control to Qasim Razvi, so does that mean that the Nizam by the end had absolutely no control?

There were several voices from within the state and his government who felt that Hyderabad should merge peacefully with India. Just imagine, had Osman Ali Khan done that, not only would Muslims in the state have not gone through violence, his legacy as a secular ruler would not be tarnished thanks to the Razakars.

Osman Ali Khan was barely punished in spite of Police Action, as the Indian government chose to still retain him as the state’s (nominal) head post annexation. Even though the right hates him, many still continue to see him as a benevolent ruler in spite of everything. Had the state not gone through Operation Polo, it would have perhaps not allowed the BJP to politicise the whole thing.

Sadly, the BJP has successfully managed to spin its own narrative and has managed to rebrand the historical incident as ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’. And it doesn’t look like it will die anytime soon.

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