What happened during India’s 1948 military intervention in Hyderabad?

Following the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, the nizam of Hyderabad sought to maintain independent status rather than join India. Tensions escalated due to the nizam's efforts to assert autonomy and violence perpetrated by the Razakars, a Muslim militia, against Hindu communities.12

On September 13, 1948, the Indian army intervened by invading Hyderabad. The military operation successfully routed the nizam’s forces within four days, leading to the state's accession to India. While the initial military action resulted in minor loss of life, it was followed by an outburst of looting and revenge killings of Muslims by Hindu civilians and Indian soldiers. A multi-faith commission, the Sunderlal commission, later investigated these events and concluded that between 27,000 and 40,000 people had been killed.12

Following the intervention, Hyderabad was governed by a military and provisional civil administration until a popular ministry and legislature were established in 1952. In 1956, the state was reorganized along linguistic lines, eventually leading to the formation of the state of Telangana in 2014.12