Marathwada, parts of Karnataka celebrate liberation day
Mumbai: The Marathwada region of Maharashtra and parts of the neighboring state of Karnataka observed Friday as their liberation days to commemorate their accession with the Indian Union on September 17, 1948.
The present-day Aurangabad, Nanded, Latur, Jalna, Beed, Parbhani, Osmanabad, and Hingoli districts comprised the Marathwada region.
After Independence in August 1947, then-Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had persuaded 562 out of 565 princely states to merge with the Indian Union, except the erstwhile Hyderabad, Junagarh, and Jammu and Kashmir states.
The Indian Army launched a military operation, called “Operation Polo”, to liberate and incorporate Hyderabad with the Union, against the wishes of its Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, who tried to remain independent.
The Hyderabad state comprised Marathwada, Telangana, and four districts of present-day Karnataka.
On September 13, 1948, the army entered Hyderabad from all districts surrounding it before launching attacks from Chalisgaon and Buldhana districts.
The Nizam’s small army surrendered to the Indian Army on September 17. It took only five days to force the princely state to surrender.
Also known as Marathwada Mukti Sangram Din, the Liberation day is a state holiday wherein the National Flag is raised on government buildings in Maharashtra as the citizens gather at the monument to pay tributes to the martyrs.
(Avya Mathur)
