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Defence
Operation Polo: 5‑Day Military Campaign That Integrated Hyderabad into India
✍️ Hindustan Times
🗓 13 Sep 2026, 06:23 PM
👁 2
On 13 September 1948, the Indian Army launched Operation Polo, a swift five‑day campaign that brought the princely state of Hyderabad under Indian control, reshaping the nation’s borders.
Operation Polo began on 13 September 1948 with the objective of integrating the princely state of Hyderabad into the Indian Union. The Nizam of Hyderabad had sought independence, but the Indian government viewed the region as strategically essential and politically integral.
The campaign lasted only five days. Indian forces entered Hyderabad, faced resistance from the Nizam’s troops, and secured key positions. By 18 September, the Nizam’s forces had surrendered, and the state was brought under Indian administration.
Following the operation, Hyderabad was reorganised as a part of the Indian Union, leading to administrative reforms and the integration of its territory into the national framework. The event is remembered as a decisive moment in the post‑independence consolidation of India.
Operation Polo set a precedent for the peaceful integration of other princely states and permanently altered the political map of the country.
The campaign lasted only five days. Indian forces entered Hyderabad, faced resistance from the Nizam’s troops, and secured key positions. By 18 September, the Nizam’s forces had surrendered, and the state was brought under Indian administration.
Following the operation, Hyderabad was reorganised as a part of the Indian Union, leading to administrative reforms and the integration of its territory into the national framework. The event is remembered as a decisive moment in the post‑independence consolidation of India.
Operation Polo set a precedent for the peaceful integration of other princely states and permanently altered the political map of the country.