[By Devansh Desai Mumbai Samachar Desk]
When India gained independence, three princely states refused to sign the Instrument of Accession: Hyderabad, Kashmir, and Junagadh. Situated between the Girnar Hills forests and the Arabian Sea, Junagadh was a state famed for its lions. Its ruler was Nawab Muhammad Mahabat Khan, while 80 percent of its population was Hindu.
Junagadh was surrounded by Indian territory on three sides, with a long coastline on its fourth. Its main port, Veraval, was just 325 miles from Karachi, Pakistan’s then-capital.
The Nawab of Junagadh was renowned for his canine obsession, reportedly owning about 2,000 dogs.
In their book ‘Freedom at Midnight,’ Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins write, “His dogs were kept in special houses with electricity and telephones, attended by servants. There was a dog cemetery where they were buried in marble graves.”
The Nawab even orchestrated their weddings, including one for a Labrador pair, Roshanara and Bobby.
“Every major king and dignitary in India was invited to this wedding,” write Lapierre and Collins. “The Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin, was also on the guest list but did not attend.”
“The dog procession was led by the Nawab’s bodyguard… nearly 1.5 lakh (150,000) people watched the spectacle… the Nawab hosted a grand feast… and declared a three-day state holiday.”
The Nawab also made significant efforts to save the Asiatic lions from extinction, even prohibiting the British from hunting them. He also showed great interest in the breeding and conservation of Gir cows.
Nawab of Junagadh Declares Accession to Pakistan
Within Junagadh’s borders lay the Somnath temple and the magnificent marble Jain temples atop Girnar, drawing thousands of pilgrims from across India.
As India’s independence neared and Junagadh’s future was being decided, Nawab Mahabat Khan was vacationing in Europe. In his absence, the sitting Diwan, Abdul Qadir Mohammed Hussain, was replaced by Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto a formidable Muslim League leader from Sindh and a close confidant of Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
(Interestingly, Shah Nawaz Bhutto’s son, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, would later become Prime Minister of Pakistan.)
In his book ‘India After Gandhi,’ Ramachandra Guha writes, “Upon returning from Europe, the Nawab’s Diwan pressured him not to join India. On August 14, the day of the power transfer, the Nawab announced that Junagadh would accede to Pakistan.”
“Legally, the Nawab had the right to do this, but geographically, it made no sense as it shared no border with Pakistan. It also contradicted Jinnah’s two-nation theory, given that 82 percent of the state’s population was Hindu.”
Indian Leadership Alarmed
Earlier in Delhi, the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar and the Maharaja of Dhrangadhra had warned VP Menon, Sardar Patel’s closest aide, about the Nawab’s intentions. This was confirmed when, by August 12, 1947, Junagadh had given no indication of accession to India. Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto merely sent word that the issue was “under consideration.”
On August 13, Junagadh’s Hindu population submitted a memorandum to the Nawab, demanding accession to India. Shah Nawaz Bhutto countered with the argument that Kathiawar was historically part of Sindh, which was now part of Pakistan.
Narayani Basu, in her book ‘VP Menon, The Unsung Architect of Modern India,’ writes, “VP Menon first learned of Junagadh’s intentions from the newspapers. He was stunned. He thought that if Junagadh joined Pakistan, it would have a cascading effect on the other princely states of Kathiawar.”
“In Hyderabad, the hardline leader Qasim Rizvi had already begun to openly mock Sardar Patel, questioning why he was making noise about Hyderabad when he couldn’t even handle the small state of Junagadh.”
VP Menon’s secretary, CG Desai, advised that the Indian government must act. He recommended cutting off all food supplies to the state and dispatching a contingent of Indian troops to Rajkot to pressure Junagadh.
Basu writes, “Desai’s next plan was to encourage the state’s smaller districts and taluks to initiate their own accession to India, which would then give India a pretext to enter the area to ‘protect’ the people from the Junagadh durbar.”
Pakistan Accepts Junagadh’s Accession
VP Menon took this plan to Sardar Patel, who immediately agreed. A company of state armed police was sent to Rajkot. The Defence Department was instructed to dispatch troops for the mission.
The Railway Board was ordered to halt coal and petrol supplies to Junagadh. The Communications Department began intercepting and recording Junagadh’s communications with Pakistan.
Nehru sent a telegram to Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, stating, “Junagadh is free to choose between India and Pakistan, but the will of its people must prevail, not the will of its ruler.”
Meanwhile, Shah Nawaz Bhutto was sending desperate cables to Jinnah, pleading with him to “save them from being eaten by wolves” (Jinnah Papers, pp 264-266).
After weeks of silence, Pakistan officially accepted Junagadh’s accession on September 13.
Ramachandra Guha writes, “It seems they did this so they could use Junagadh as a bargaining chip for Jammu & Kashmir. Kashmir had also not joined either country by August 15. There, the Maharaja was Hindu, while the majority population was Muslim the exact opposite of the situation in Junagadh.”
The Nawab Refuses to Meet Menon
The news of Junagadh’s accession to Pakistan angered Indian leaders.
Narayani Basu writes, “Following approval from the Union Cabinet, central security police were first sent into Babariawad and Bilkha… Plans were made to control Veraval (where the port was) and Keshod (where the airport was). This was necessary to neutralize the possibility of Pakistani naval or air force intervention.”
“The strategy of a military blockade… had an immediate effect. The troop deployment so troubled Bhutto that he was forced to write to Liaquat Ali, ‘If Pakistan does not come to our rescue at this critical juncture, our annihilation is certain.'”
On September 18, VP Menon arrived in Junagadh.
In his book ‘The Integration of the Indian States,’ VP Menon wrote, “The Nawab refused to meet me, feigning illness. Even his son, the Crown Prince, was so busy with a cricket match that he had no time to see me.”
“I had to settle for a meeting with the Diwan, Shah Nawaz Bhutto. He complained to me that the feelings of the Junagadh people had been inflamed by the ‘venomous writing’ of the Gujarati press.”
A ‘Parallel Government’ is Formed in Bombay
The crisis deepened a few days later when the Nawab sent his troops to seize control of neighboring principalities.
In ‘The Man Who Saved India,’ a biography of Sardar Patel, Hindol Sengupta writes, “Sardar’s view was that sending Junagadh’s troops into Babariawad… was an act of aggression and must be met with force.”
Meanwhile, in Bombay, Mahatma Gandhi’s nephew, Samaldas Gandhi, formed a parallel or ‘Arzi Hukumat’ (provisional government) for Junagadh, declaring that the Nawab had lost the support of his citizens.
Back in Delhi, VP Menon met with the British Deputy High Commissioner, Alexander Symon, on September 25, 1947, and told him, “The Government of India will never allow Junagadh to secede… [and] will ensure that a plebiscite is held on this issue.”
Symon reported to his government that Menon did not appear to be bluffing. India’s Army Chief, General Rob Lockhart, believed that Pakistan’s army lacked the capability to intervene militarily in Junagadh.
VP Menon privately opined that Junagadh’s neighboring states should be encouraged to take up arms against it. Sardar Patel also decided that the Indian Army should be prepared for military action.
Sardar believed that if Junagadh were allowed to join Pakistan, Hyderabad would soon follow. (The Nizam was already demanding a ‘treaty of cooperation’ instead of accession.) As military strategy was being discussed, VP Menon announced the accession of two neighboring states, Sardargarh and Bantwa, to India.
The Nawab Flees to Karachi
While India and Pakistan were at a stalemate over the issue of a plebiscite, the Nawab of Junagadh, Mahabat Khan, decided to flee to Pakistan.
Narayani Basu writes, “The Nawab, notorious for his indecisiveness in his final days, showed no delay in deciding to leave for Pakistan. A special plane was hastily chartered.”
“The state treasury’s cash, jewels, his favorite dogs, and his wives were loaded onto it. Just before takeoff, one of his begums realized she had accidentally left her child behind in the palace. The Nawab had her disembark and flew to Karachi.”
When the Nawab’s plane landed in Karachi, a full ceremonial guard of honor was prepared for his arrival.
TCA Raghavan, a former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, writes in his book ‘The People Next Door,’ “Those present at the ceremony later recalled that as soon as the aircraft door opened, the Nawab’s dogs leaped out before him and ‘began urinating on the wheels and stairs of the aircraft.'”
NM Buch Takes Charge of Junagadh’s Administration
In the meantime, Samaldas Gandhi’s ‘Arzi Hukumat’ had begun to take control of parts of Junagadh. A helpless Shah Nawaz Bhutto wrote to the Government of India, stating, “To prevent bloodshed and protect life and property, I am prepared to hand over the administration of Junagadh to the Government of India.”
NM Buch, the Regional Commissioner in Rajkot, immediately contacted VP Menon by phone. It was past midnight.
Narayani Basu writes, “VP was awake, sitting at Nehru’s residence. Buch read Bhutto’s letter to him… Nehru ‘jumped with joy.’ Together, he and Menon drafted a letter to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Liaquat Ali.”
They wrote, “The Government of India is accepting Bhutto’s request, but… it would still wish to ascertain the will of the people… through a plebiscite before Junagadh is formally integrated into India.”
VP Menon then went to Sardar Patel’s house and woke him up. When he showed the draft letter to Patel, Patel objected to the offer of a plebiscite.
Patel argued that there was no administration left in Junagadh, the Nawab had fled, the people were overwhelmingly Hindu, and the Diwan himself had openly asked for Indian intervention.
However, VP Menon managed to convince Patel to agree to the plebiscite.
The Junagadh Referendum
On the afternoon of November 9, NM Buch and Brigadier Gurdial Singh of the Indian Army arrived in Junagadh.
The Junagadh soldiers were disarmed. At 6 PM, Buch officially took over the administration of Junagadh on behalf of the Government of India. Shah Nawaz Bhutto had already departed for Karachi the previous day.
Four days later, Sardar Patel arrived in Junagadh and addressed the local populace on the grounds of Bahauddin College.
In Delhi, Lord Mountbatten was displeased that he had not been consulted before India took over the administration.
Ramachandra Guha writes, “To satisfy Mountbatten, and partly to establish its legality, India conducted a referendum in Junagadh. In the referendum held on February 20, 1948, nearly 200,000 people participated. Of these, only 91 cast their votes in favor of Pakistan.”
London’s Daily Telegraph and Sunday Times newspapers reported that the referendum was conducted with full transparency. Referendums were also held in Mangrol, Manavadar, Babariawad, Sardargarh, and Bantwa.
After this process, the question arose of which state to merge Junagadh with. VP Menon advised merging it with Saurashtra. Almost a year later, on February 20, 1949, Junagadh was formally merged with Saurashtra.
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