Goa Independence

The proclamation of the Republic in Portugal for Goa in October 1910 had the effect of religious freedom. For the first time since the start of European domination, Hindus were now freely exercising their religion. Although the first republic in Portugal remained unstable and was overthrown again in 1926, the cry for freedom began the resistance against the colonial rulers, following the example of the freedom movement.

India’s independence in 1947 increased the pressure on Portugal to cede its colonies in India – in addition to the cities of Goa Daman (Damao) and the tiny enclaves of Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli – in India. Similar calls by the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru rejected the nationalist Salazar regime.

Also inside were independence movements, such as the Jai Hind movement, sometimes violently suppressed. In 1955 unarmed men stormed the fort of Tiracol and then hoisted the Indian flag. Portugal reported the men, whereupon Nehru declared that the presence of the Portuguese in the Indian subcontinent was unwelcome, and ordered a blockade of the Portuguese colonies in India. However, the government in Lisbon was not ready to relent.

Indian troops invaded in December 1961 with about 20 single-fold superiority in Goa. The company was named “Operation Vijay” (from Hindi vijaya = “victory”) and was completed within 26 hours. The Portuguese and Goans troops were fighting a losing battle. The planned deployment of the Portuguese amplification was stopped after Egypt’s President Nasser blocked the Suez Canal for the navy. India strategics bombed civilian targets in Goa, Damao and Diu.

The Portuguese arrived for the fighting, with over 300 civilians and 500 Indian soldiers losing their lives. The Portuguese governor, assigned a Goa Liberation Day holiday on 19th December, signed the capitulation, in Portugal and was later convicted of cowardice and insubordination to prison, although he was saved by his quick abandonment.

The following year, Goa along with Daman and Diu, became an Indian union territory. They introduced a resolution in the UN Security Council that was vetoed by the Soviet Union. In subsequent years, many governments recognized the annexation, Portugal recognized the annexation of India, until 1974, after the fall of the dictatorship in the Carnation Revolution.

They held a referendum in 1967 for a connection to the state of Maharashtra. It was feared discrimination against the interests of the population. A renewed debate on the northern neighbor has since seen no more attempts. Finally, Goa has been removed from the managed lands and on 30th May 1987 it became an independent state in India.