The Union Home Ministry declared Tuesday that September 17 would be designated as ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’ annually. According to a notification issued by the Ministry, Hyderabad remained under the governance of the Nizams for 13 months after India’s independence on August 15, 1947, not achieving independence until later. The region was liberated from Nizam’s rule on September 17, 1948, through a police action known as ‘Operation Polo’. Residents of the area have advocated for the commemoration of Hyderabad Liberation Day on September 17.
The notification stated, “In order to honor the martyrs who liberated Hyderabad and to instill patriotism in the minds of the youth, the Government of India has decided to observe the 17th of September every year as ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’.”
Following India’s independence, the Razakars urged Hyderabad state to either join Pakistan or become a Muslim dominion, opposing its integration with the Union of India. The local populace valiantly resisted the cruelties inflicted by the Razakars, a private militia defending the former Nizam’s rule in Hyderabad, to facilitate the region’s merger into the Union of India.
On September 17, 1948, Hyderabad state, then under Nizam’s authority, was annexed into the Union of India through military intervention spearheaded by the then Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. In recent years, the Narendra Modi government has organized events on September 17 to commemorate ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also participated in previous commemorations. Last year, Shah visited the state to observe the occasion alongside Union Tourism Minister and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy, party’s National General Secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and other leaders.
Addressing the assembly, Shah criticized the BRS-led state government for not officially recognizing the day. “The BRS-led state government’s reluctance to commemorate Telangana Liberation Day is driven by vote bank politics. The people of Telangana will respond accordingly,” Shah remarked. He further emphasized that the central government officially celebrates Telangana Liberation Day for three main reasons: educating future generations about freedom struggles, honoring the warriors of the liberation movement, and contributing to the state’s reconstruction.