Jump to content

Hyderabad State (1948–1956)

Coordinates: 17°00′N 78°50′E / 17.000°N 78.833°E / 17.000; 78.833
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 203.192.204.124 (talk) at 16:42, 18 September 2023. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about a State of India from 1948–1956. For the princely state of Hyderabad, see Hyderabad State. For the modern state, see Telangana.

Hyderabad State
State of India
1948–1956

Hyderabad in India (1951)
Area
 • Coordinates17°00′N 78°50′E / 17.000°N 78.833°E / 17.000; 78.833
History 
• Hyderabad State formed from Hyderabad Princely State
1948
• Reorganized and renamed United Andhra Pradesh
1956
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Hyderabad State
United Andhra Pradesh File:United Andhra Pradesh banner.png
Karnataka
Maharashtra
Today part ofTelangana
Maharashtra
Karnataka
States of India since 1947
Hyderabad state until 1956

Hyderabad State was a state in Dominion and later Republic of India, formed after the accession of the State of Hyderabad into the Union on 17 September 1948.[1] It existed from 1948 to 1956.

Following the States Reorganisation Act, which implemented a linguistic reorganization of states, the Hyderabad state was dissolved. Its different sections were merged with Andhra State, Mysore State and Bombay State respectively.[2]

History

Main article: Operation Polo

The princely state of Hyderabad was annexed by India in September 1948 through a military operation code-named Operation Polo, which was dubbed a "police action".[3][4][5]

At the time of partition of India in 1947, the princely states of India, who in principle had self-government within their territories, were subject to subsidiary alliances with the British, which gave control of external relations to the British. With the Indian Independence Act 1947, the British abandoned all such alliances, leaving the states with the option of opting for full independence.[6][7] 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.[8]: 224  The Nizam was also beset by the Telangana rebellion, which he was unable to crush.[8]: 224 

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. India felt that the establishment of a Communist state in Hyderabad would be a threat to the country.[9][10] 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. On 7 September, Jawaharlal Nehru gave ultimatum to Nizam, demanding ban on the Razakars and return of Indian troops to Secunderabad.[11][12][13] India invaded the state by 13 September 1948, following a crippling economic blockade, and multiple attempts at destabilising the state through railway disruptions, the bombing of government buildings, and raids on border villages.[14][15][16] After the defeat of Razakars, the Nizam signed an instrument of accession, joining India.[17][18]

The operation led to massive violence on communal lines, at times perpetrated by the Indian Army.[19] The Sunderlal Committee, appointed by Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, concluded that between 30,000–40,000 people had died in total in the state, in a report which was not released until 2013.[20] Other responsible observers estimated the number of deaths to be 200,000 or higher.[21]

Military Governor

Major General El Edroos (at right) offers his surrender of the Hyderabad State Forces to Major General (later General and Army Chief) J. N. Chaudhuri at Secunderabad.

After the Annexation into the Indian Union, Major General J. N. Chaudhuri who led Operation Polo stayed on as Military Governor till December 1949.[citation needed]

The state witnessed Mulkhi agitation in 1952 by the locals after government jobs meant for the locals were given to non-locals.[citation needed]

Rajpramukh

Hyderabad State had its last Nizam, HEH Mir Osman Ali Khan (1886–1967) as Rajpramukh from 26 January 1950 to 31 October 1956.[22]

Elections

In the first State Assembly election in India, 1952, Dr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao was elected Chief minister of Hyderabad State. During this time there were violent agitations by some Telanganites to send back bureaucrats from Madras state, and to strictly implement 'Mulki-rules'(Local jobs for locals only), which was part of Hyderabad state law since 1919.[23]

List of districts of Hyderabad State

Administratively, Hyderabad State was made up of sixteen districts, grouped into four divisions:[citation needed]

Districts of Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State Political Map
CategoryDistricts
LocationHyderabad State
Number
  • 4 divisions
    • 16 districts
Government
Official name Division Map
Aurangabad Aurangabad Division
Bhir
Nander
Parbhani
Bidar Gulbarga Division
Gulbarga
Osmanabad
Raichur
Atraf-i-Baldah Gulshanabad (Medak) Division
Mahbubnagar
Medak
Nalgonda
Nizamabad
Adilabad Warangal Division
Karimnagar
Warangal

Linguistic reorganization

In 1956 during the reorganisation of the Indian states based along linguistic lines, the Telugu-speaking region of the state of Hyderabad State was merged with Andhra State. The Marathi speaking region was merged with Bombay State and Kannada speaking region with Mysore State.[citation needed]

The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was not in favour of an immediate merger of Telugu speaking Telangana region of Hyderabad State with Andhra State, despite their common language. Para 378 of the SRC report said One of the principal causes of opposition of Vishalandhra also seems to be the apprehension felt by the educationally backward people of Telangana that they may be swamped and exploited by the more advanced people of the coastal areas.[citation needed]

Andhra state and Hyderabad State were merged to form Andhra Pradesh on 1 November 1956, after providing safeguards to Telangana in the form of Gentlemen's agreement. But in June 2014, Telangana re-emerged as a separate state. Hyderabad city will continue to be the capital of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for 10 years.[citation needed]

Chief Ministers of Hyderabad State

Hyderabad State included nine Telugu districts of Telangana, four Kannada districts in Gulbarga division and four Marathi districts in Aurangabad division.[citation needed]

1956 map of Southern India showing Hyderabad state in yellowish green. After the States reorganisation in 1956, regions west of the red and blue lines merged with Bombay and Mysore States respectively and the remaining part (Telangana) was merged with Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh.
No Name Portrait Term of office Party[a] Days in office
1 M. K. Vellodi 26 January 1950 6 March 1952 Independent (civil service) 770
2 Burgula Ramakrishna Rao 6 March 1952 31 October 1956 Indian National Congress 1701

See also

Notes

  1. ^ This column only names the chief minister's party. The state government he headed may have been a complex coalition of several parties and independents; these are not listed here.

References

  1. ^ "Hyderabad had tried 'NRC' 71 years ago, and failed". The Times of India. 15 September 2019.
  2. ^ "States Reorganization Act 1956". Commonwealth Legal Information Institute. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  3. ^ "Hyderabad had tried 'NRC' 71 years ago, and failed". The Times of India. 15 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Hyderabad Police Action". Indian Army. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  5. ^ B. Cohen (2007). Kingship and Colonialism in India's Deccan: 1850–1948. Springer. pp. 159–161. ISBN 978-0-230-60344-8.
  6. ^ Mehrotra, S.R. (1979). Towards Indias Freedom And Partition. Delhi: Vikash Publishing House. p. 247. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  7. ^ See Section 7 (1) (b): "the suzerainty of His Majesty over the Indian States lapses, and with it, all treaties and agreements in force at the date of the passing of this Act between His Majesty and the rulers of Indian States, all functions exercisable by His Majesty at that date with respect to Indian States, all obligations of His Majesty existing at that date towards Indian States or the rulers thereof, and all powers, rights, authority or jurisdiction exercisable by His Majesty at that date in or in relation to Indian States by treaty, grant, usage, sufferance or otherwise."
  8. ^ a b Barbara D. Metcalf; Thomas R. Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of India (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521682251.
  9. ^ "Delhi felt Razakars, communists a threat to India". Deccan Chronicle. 15 September 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  10. ^ Ernst, Waltraud; Pati, Biswamoy (2007). India's Princely States: People, Princes and Colonialism. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-11988-2.
  11. ^ Siddiqi, A. (1960). Pakistan Seeks Security. Longmans, Green, Pakistan Branch. p. 21.
  12. ^ Benichou, L.D. (2000). From Autocracy to Integration: Political Developments in Hyderabad State, 1938-1948. Orient Longman. p. 231. ISBN 978-81-250-1847-6.
  13. ^ Desai, V.H. (1990). Vande Mataram to Jana Gana Mana: Saga of Hyderabad Freedom Struggle. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 142.
  14. ^ Sunil Purushotham (20 March 2015). "Internal Violence: The "Police Action" in Hyderabad". Comparative Studies in Society and History. 57 (2). Cambridge University Press: 439. doi:10.1017/S0010417515000092. JSTOR 43908352. S2CID 145147551. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  15. ^ "New book on Hyderabad's Invasion, 1948's Police Action". The Milli Gazette – Indian Muslims Leading News Source. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  16. ^ Sherman, Taylor C. (2007). "The integration of the princely state of Hyderabad and the making of the postcolonial state in India, 1948 – 56" (PDF). Indian Economic & Social History Review. 44 (4): 489–516. doi:10.1177/001946460704400404. S2CID 145000228.
  17. ^ Chandra, Mukherjee & Mukherjee 2008, p. 96.
  18. ^ Apparasu, Srinivasa Rao (16 September 2022). "How Hyd merger with Union unfolded". Hindustan Times.
  19. ^ Thomson, Mike (24 September 2013). "Hyderabad 1948: India's hidden massacre". BBC. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  20. ^ Noorani 2014, Appendix 15: Confidential notes attached to the Sunderlal Committee Report, pp. 372–373
  21. ^ Smith 1950, p. 46.
  22. ^ Ian Copland, The Princes of India in the Endgame of Empire, 1917-1947 (Cambridge University Press, 2002), p. x
  23. ^ "Mulki agitation in Hyderabad state". Hinduonnet.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

Sources

Further reading


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hyderabad_State_(1948–1956)&oldid=1175971259"