Razakars
The Razakars were the paramilitary volunteer force of the nationalist party in the Hyderabad State under the British Raj.
Formed in 1938 by the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Bahadur Yar Jung.
They expanded considerably during the leadership of Qasim Razvi around the time of Indian independence.
They were deployed in the cause of maintaining Muslim rule in Hyderabad and resisting integration into India.
During the period November 1947–August 1948, when Hyderabad was under a Standstill Agreement with India, the Indian government made repeated demands to the Nizam of Hyderabad to disband the Razakars, which were all turned down.
In the eventual armed invasion launched by India, dubbed a 'police action', the Razakars formed the main resistance to the Indian Army.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Indian Minister for Home Affairs, decided to undertake "police action" in Hyderabad State to force the King Nizam's hand.
Operation Polo was launched and the Indian Army, led by Major General J. N. Chaudhuri, entered the state from five directions.
The Razakars fought briefly against the overwhelming attack by Indian forces before surrendering on 18 September 1948.
Mir Laik Ali, the prime minister of the Nizam, and Qasim Rizvi were arrested.
The Nizam surrendered and agreed to disband the Razakars.
Qasim Razvi was initially jailed and then allowed to move to Pakistan where he was granted asylum.
Annexation of Hyderabad
Annexation of Hyderabad
At the time of Partition in 1947, the princely states of India, who in principle had self-government within their own territories, were subject to subsidiary alliances with the British, giving them control of their external relations.
With the Indian Independence Act 1947, the British abandoned all such alliances, leaving the states with the option of opting for full independence.
However, by 1948 almost all had acceded to either India or Pakistan.
One major exception was that of the wealthiest and most powerful principality, Hyderabad, where the Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, a Muslim ruler who presided over a largely Hindu population, chose independence and hoped to maintain this with an irregular army.
The Nizam was also troubled by the Telangana rebellion, which he was unable to crush.
In November 1947, Hyderabad signed a standstill agreement with the Dominion of India, continuing all previous arrangements except for the stationing of Indian troops in the state.
Claiming that it feared the establishment of a Communist state in Hyderabad.
Nizam's power had weakened because of the Telangana Rebellion and the rise of a radical militia known as the Razakars whom he could not put down.
India invaded the state in September 1948, following a crippling economic blockade, and multiple attempts at destabilizing the state through railway disruptions, the bombing of government buildings, and raids on border villages.
After the defeat of Razakars, the Nizam signed an instrument of accession, joining India.
Operation Polo was the code name of the Hyderabad "police action" in September 1948, by the newly independent Dominion of India against Hyderabad State.
It was a military operation in which the Indian Armed Forces invaded the Nizam-ruled princely state, annexing it into the Indian Union.
The operation led to massive violence on communal lines, at times perpetrated by the Indian Army.
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