P. K. Monnappa

P. K. Monnappa was an accomplished police officer of South India, in fact the most accomplished of his times. He served in three Southern states, Madras(before it's disintegration), Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) and Mysore (Karnataka), at different times. However he is to be best remembered for his valuable contributions towards the integration of Hyderabad into the Union. P.K. Monnappa, probably held a record of sorts, nine years as an Inspector General of Police, heading the Police in three States: in Hyderabad after the Police Action, in newly formed Andhra Pradesh, and in Karnataka, where he retired in 1958. Rao Bahadur Monnappa had an exemplary career in the Public Service, reflected duly by his titles and medals.^[1]

Rao Bahadur Pemmanda K. Monnappa was born and brought up in Kodagu, India. During the British Raj, he was made an Indian Police Service officer, eventually he became the Director General of Police of Madras State. Rao Bahadur (also Rai Bahadur; abbreviated R.B.) is a title of honour issued in India, during the era of British rule, to individuals who have performed great service to the nation and was accompanied by a medal. Known as Roy Bahadur in Bengal, Khan Bahadur among Muslims and Parsees and Sardar Bahadur among Sikhs, it is the equivalent of an OBE. Literally translated, "Rao" implies "prince", and "Bahadur" means "most honorable." Rao Sahib (also Rai Sahib)and Diwan Bahadur were other titles, awarded by the Raj to Indians.

In 1948, he was made Inspector-General of Police, the highest position in the police of Hyderabad State under interesting circumstances,after Operation Polo. Operation Polo code name for The Hyderabad Police Action[3][4] was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian armed forces engaged those of the State of Hyderabad and ended the rule of Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union. The operation took place after Nizam Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII decided not to join the princely State of Hyderabad to either India or Pakistan after the partition of India. The Nisam's defiance was backed by armed militias, known as Razakars, and had the moral support of Pakistan. After a stalemate in negotiations between the Nizam and India, and wary of a hostile independent state in the centre of India, Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Patel decided to annex the state of Hyderabad. He sent the Indian army and the Hyderabad State Forces were defeated within five days.

On the morning of September 13, 1948 five infantry battalions and an armoured regiment of the battle hardened Indian Army under the command of Maj Gen J N Chaudhry entered the princely state of Hyderabad, over a year after Independence and after the patience of the new Indian Union was tested beyond endurance. The Nizam of Hyderabad, like the Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir, too entertained notions of an independent state and had so far managed to avoid accession. In the meantime the Nizam sought to widen the issue by moving the United Nations, took the advice and assistance of Pakistan, and began stockpiling arms. The Times in London reported on August 9, 1948 that the Hyderabad army was strengthened to 40,000 and supplies of arms were being received, presumably from Pakistan. The Prime Minister of Hyderabad Mir Laiq Ali boasted that if "the Indian government takes any action against Hyderabad, 100,000 men are ready to fight. We also have a hundred bombers in Saudi Arabia ready to bomb Bombay!". ^[2]

Within the Nizam's realm, Razakars led by Kasim Razvi, had stepped up their campaign. On 16 September, faced with imminent defeat, the Nizam summoned the Prime Minister Mir Laik Ali and requested his resignation by the morning of the following day. The resignation was delivered along with the resignations of the entire cabinet. On the noon of 17 September, a messenger brought a personal note from the Nizam to India's Agent General to Hyderabad, K.M. Munshi summoning him to the Nizam's office at 1600 hours. At the meeting, the Nizam stated "The vultures have resigned. I don't know what to do". Munshi advised the Nizam to secure the safety of the citizens of Hyderabad by issuing appropriate orders to the Commander of the Hyderabad State Army, Major General El Edroos. Munshi also suggested that the Nizam might make a broadcast welcoming the Indian "Police action" and withdrawing his complaint to the Security Council. Munshi explained and offered to help draft the speech. The speech was in English. Nobody bothered to translate it into Urdu. After the broadcast the Nizam drove back to King Kothi Palace to brood. Major General El Edroos offered his surrender of the Hyderabad State Forces to Major General (later General and Army Chief) Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri at Secunderabad. Within five days the "police action", actually a military operation, was all but over. At the time of India's independence, Hyderabad was the largest Indian princely state in terms of population and GNP. Its territory of 82,698 square miles (214,190 km²) was more than that of England and Scotland put together. The 1941 census had estimated its population to be 16.34 million, over 85% of who were Hindus and with Muslims accounting for about 12%. It was also a multi-lingual state consisting of peoples speaking Telugu (48.2%), Marathi (26.4%), Kannada (12.3%) and Urdu (10.3%). The Nizam received the ceremonial post of Rajpramukh in 1950, but resigned from this office when the states were re-organized in 1956.^[3]

Following the escape of Mir Laiq Ali after his resignation and Hyderabad's surrender, PK Monappa, IP, then Inspector-General of Police from Madras State, had been specially brought in to replace BBS Jetley.^[4] Later he quelled the unrest that followed in the aftermath of Operation Polo when landlords who supported the Nizam terrorised the common people in Nalgonda in Hyderabad in around 1950 as police chief of Hyderabad under Home Minister Sardar Patel's command.

In 1956 the reorganization of states was done in India on linguistic basis. On the same lines the Mysore state came in existence in 1956. The unified state police got a uniform dress code under Mysore Police. Coorg (Kodagu), Kannada speaking parts of Bombay (Belgaum, North Canara), Hyderabad (Bidar, Raichur,Bijapur, Bellary) and Madras (South Canara) were added to Mysore. Similarly the Telugu speaking parts of Hyderabad and Madras were brought together. At that time Monnappa was made the first police chief of the newly formed state of Andhra Pradesh. Afterwards,later in that same year(1956),he became the first police chief of Karnataka (then known as Mysore) as well. P.K. Monappa was the first Inspector General of Police and also State’s first IP (Imperial Police) Officer.^[5] His residence was in Bangalore when he retired in 1958. In 1959-60, he served as President of the Bangalore Kodava Samaja.^[6]

His son P. M. Belliappa later became an IAS officer who was posted in Madras. He established the Pemmanda Monnappa scholarship fund in 2010 for South Indians studying in Cambridge University.^[7]

Notes

1. ^ The Hindu
2. ^ Police Action
3. ^ Time Magazine 1948
4. ^ A policeman ponders: Memories and melodies of a varied life (Author:Mahmood bin Muhammad)
5. ^ Karnataka State Police
6. ^ Kodava Samaja Bangalore,Kodava Samaj
7. ^ Scholarship Fund