Explained: What is Hyderabad's Liberation Day, its significance?

The BJP has invited Union Home Minster Amit Shah to kick start the year-long celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of Hyderabad's liberation day starting from September 17. TRS has also decided to hold a yearlong celebration.

The MIM wrote to the Centre urging them to call it National Integration Day. At a time when the different political parties are making a lot of noise around Hyderabad's liberation day, it is important to look back into our history and understand the significance of the liberation day.

Hyderabad's liberation day as the BJP calls it or the national integration day as the TRS and MIM calls it is a day to commemorate the annexation of Nizam-ruled Hyderabad into independent India.

Before Indian Independence, Hyderabad was a princely state in British India, which comprised three linguistic regions: the Telugu-speaking Telangana area (including the capital city, Hyderabad), the Marathi-speaking Marathwada, and a small Kannada-speaking region. It included 8 districts of Telangana, 5 districts of Maharashtra, and 3 districts of Karnataka.

In 1947, when India got Independence from the Britishers and the partition of the country took place, the then princely states were left with an option to either join the Union of India or remain independent. Hyderabad, which was then ruled by Osman Ali Khan, decided to stay independent.

It is also important to note that Telangana armed struggle also took place from 1946-51. Here, the peasants supported by the communists fought against the oppression perpetuated by feudal lords and the Nizams due.

It was also the time when the area witnessed the growth of fundamentalism by Qasim Razvi, the leader of Majlis-e-Ittahudeel-Musilmeen who formed the Razakars.

Fearing the establishment of a Communist state in Hyderabad by the rebels and the rise of Muslim nationalists, India defeated the Razakars and liberated the state in September 1948. Subsequently, Nizam signed an instrument of accession, joining India.

On 17 September 1948, Hyderabad was merged into India through military intervention under Operation Polo. There was a huge massacre of Muslims during the annexation of Hyderabad.