At the time of Indian Independence in 1947, the Nizam of Hyderabad was:

At the time of Indian Independence in 1947, the Nizam of Hyderabad was Mir Osman Ali Khan (Asaf Jah VII), the seventh and last Nizam.

About Mir Osman Ali Khan:

• He was born in 1886, and became the Nizam in 1911.
• He was one of the richest men in the world in his time.
• He founded Osmania University (1918), the first university in India to use Urdu as the medium of instruction.
• He built many public buildings in Hyderabad, such as the Osmania General Hospital, the High Court, the State Central Library and the Asafia Library.
• He built the Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs to protect the city from floods and supply water.
• He donated large sums to many institutions across India, including the Banaras Hindu University and the Aligarh Muslim University.

Hyderabad and Independence:

• In 1947, the Nizam wanted Hyderabad to remain independent and did not join India or Pakistan.
• He signed a "Standstill Agreement" with India in November 1947.
• Within the state, a militia called the "Razakars", led by Qasim Razvi, used violence against people who wanted to join India.
• There was also a peasant movement in Telangana against the Nizam's landlords.

Operation Polo (1948):

• In September 1948, the Indian Army carried out a "police action" called "Operation Polo".
• Within about four days, the Nizam's forces surrendered (17 September 1948), and Hyderabad joined India.
• The Nizam became the Rajpramukh (constitutional head) of Hyderabad state from 1950 to 1956.
• After the reorganisation of states in 1956, Hyderabad was divided among Andhra Pradesh, Bombay and Mysore states.
• He died in 1967.

The Asaf Jahi dynasty:

• It was founded in the 18th century by Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah.
• Mir Mahbub Ali Khan (Asaf Jah VI) was the father of Mir Osman Ali Khan.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Mir Mahbub Ali Khan and Afzal-ud-Daulah were earlier Nizams.
• ✗Nizam-ul-Mulk was the founder of the dynasty.