The Centre decided to celebrate September 17 every year as ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’, according to a government notification issued on Tuesday. The Union home ministry stated in the notification that even after India gained independence on August 15, 1947, Hyderabad was ruled by the Nizams for 13 months. The 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' from this year onwards is to remember the martyrs who liberated Hyderabad and to infuse the flame of patriotism in the minds of youth, the notification read.
When India gained independence, the Razakars called for Hyderabad state to either join Pakistan or to become a Muslim dominion while resisting its merging with the Union of India. The Razakars were a private military group formed by Qasim Razvi to uphold the authority of Nizam Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII. They protected the Nizam rule in Hyderabad and opposed the integration of Hyderabad state into the dominion of India.
The region was liberated from Nizam's rule on September 17, 1948, after a police action namely 'Operation Polo' initiated by the then Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The Narendra Modi government has observed September 17 as "Hyderabad Liberation Day" for the past few years, with Amit Shah’s attendance at the function.