Jawaharlal Nehru, Nizam Mir Sir Osman Ali Khan and Jayanto Chaudhuri; Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

thumbnail_220px-OsmanNehruJN.jpeg

220px-OsmanNehruJN.jpeg

When the British announced they were leaving India, it automatically meant that the suzerainty of the British crown was ending- thus, the Princely states were now legally independent and were free to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent. The choice was theirs. 

But as it always happens in a power struggle, the rulers got to decide the fate of their kingdoms, never mind the common folk who lived there. This problem posed a direct threat to the future of a united India. 

Like the ruler of Travancore, the Nizam of Hyderabad also declared complete independence from India and Pakistan. Seeing the challenges that lay ahead of them, the Indian government's approach was that the succession of the princely states to India must be consensual, there should be a proper demarcation of boundaries, and autonomy was to be given to all regions. 

While most states joined by signing the instrument of accession, the Nizam of Hyderabad proved to be the most difficult. 

> Hyderabad was the largest princely state in India, and its ruler- the Nizam was one of the world's richest men. Adamant about staying independent, he did not accede to either of the countries even after months of independence.

> Slyly, he tried to maneuver his state by allying with India rather than acceding to it. By entering into a Standstill Agreement with India in November 1947, he stalled the entire process for a year while negotiating with the Indian Government, making it seem like he would accede to India very soon.

During the negotiations, a turbulent atmosphere was brewing within Hyderabad, and people's dissatisfaction against the Nizam only seemed to grow with each day. 

The maximum rebellion came from the peasants in the Telangana region, women, the communists, and the Hyderabad Congress.  Rounding up the protestors and filling up the jails with them did not add to the Nizam's popularity. 

In addition to that, the opposition organizations in Hyderabad called for the accession of Hyderabad to India when the Nizam acceded to neither dominion.

> As the protests only got bigger and never seemed to end, the Nizam deployed the Razakars- a para-military force whose atrocities knew no bounds. The Razakars continued to hunt Hindus and all those Muslims whose loyalty to the Nizam was wavering. The summer of 1948 was nothing short of the summer of terror.

Unfortunately, the Razakars' atrocities only seemed to grow, and the Nizam had lost control of his territory. On 13th September 1948, the central government moved its troops into Hyderabad to quell the unrest in the region. Eventually, the Nizam surrendered and signed the Instrument of Accession. Therefore, making the princely state of Hyderabad a territory of India.

The most liberating things and events often come at a great price. Independence from the British incurred such a loss- its debt could never be paid. India faced the gravest issue after independence: to make a nation out of 565 princely states. All states had the option of joining either India or Pakistan. However, the merger of the Princely state of Hyderabad proved to be the most gruesome and chaotic.