Goa liberation movement
Encyclopedia
The Goa liberation movement (known variously as Goa/Goa's/Goan liberation/freedom/independence movement/struggle) was a movement that sought to end the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 colonial rule in Portuguese India
Portuguese India
The Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...

. It began in the early 20th century and gained strength between 1940 to 1961. It was preceded by many smaller revolts. The liberation movement consisted of non-violent demonstrations as well as revolutionary methods. The struggle was conducted both within Goa and outside and also involved diplomatic efforts. Portuguese rule in its Indian colonies ended when India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 invaded Goa
Invasion of Goa
The 1961 Indian annexation of Goa , was an action by India's armed forces that ended Portuguese rule in its Indian enclaves in 1961...

 in 1961 and incorporated the territories into the Union. Portugal recognized the annexation only in 1975.

Portuguese Possessions in India

The Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 set foot in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 in 1510. They conquered many parts of the western coast of India and a few colonies along the east. However by the end of the 19th century their possessions dwindled to Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

, Daman, Diu, Dadra
Dadra
Dadra refers to two separate but originally linked concepts in Hindustani classical music.-Dadra tala:This is a Hindustani classical tala , consisting of six beats in two equal divisions of three. The most commonly accepted theka or basic pattern for this tala is dha dhi na, dha tu na...

, Nagar Haveli and Anjediva Island.

Revolts against Portuguese Rule

The colonized peoples soon began to hate the Portuguese presence. One of the chief reasons was the imposition of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 by force or coercion and the brutal regime. There were fourteen revolts against Portuguese rule, the last one being in 1912. However, none of these revolts had a mass character and most were led by small groups of people who were directly affected.

Early 20th century

The abolition of the Portuguese monarchy in 1910 raised hopes that the colonies would be granted self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...

. However this proposal was withheld and this led to the emergence of a concrete freedom movement. Luís de Menezes Bragança
Luís de Menezes Bragança
Luís de Menezes Bragança , alternatively spelled as Luís de Menezes Braganza, was a prominent Indo-Portuguese journalist, writer, politician and anti-colonial activist from Goa. He was one of the few Goan aristocrats who actively opposed the Portuguese occupation of Goa...

 founded the first Portuguese language newspaper in Goa, the O Heraldo
O Heraldo
-History:The firm was established as the first Portuguese newspaper on 22 January 1900 by Prof. Messias Gomes and Luís de Menezes Bragança in Goa, the O Heraldo which was critical of Portuguese colonial rule, which was later transformed into an English daily in 1987....

which was critical of Portuguese colonial rule. In 1917, the "Carta Organica" law was passed under which all civil liberties were curtailed.

The Portuguese government in Goa practiced fascist repression of civil liberties which included press censorship. Any printed word - even invitation cards - had to be submitted for pre-censorship. If any newspaper disobeyed this order, the Governor was empowered without any reference to the judiciary, to suspend the newspaper, close down the printing press and impose heavy fines. Newspapers and periodicals were permitted to function only as publicity for the government.

Menezes Braganza organized a rally in Margao
Margao
Margao and commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is the administrative headquarters of South Goa district and of the Salcete taluka.- Etymology :...

 denouncing the law. For some time, the Goans
Goans
Goan is the demonym used to describe the people of the Indian state of Goa who form an ethno-linguistic group which is a result of assimilation of Indo-Portuguese, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Proto-Australoid, Indo-Scythian, Indo-Greeks and Indo-Iranians ethnic and/or linguistic ancestries.They speak...

 received the same rights as mainland Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....

.

The Portuguese Patriarch of the Catholic Church in Goa issued approximately 60 official letters addressed to the priests of the Archdiocese instructing them to preach to their congregations that salvation lay with the Portuguese and in dissociating themselves from cultural-political relationship with the rest of India.

1920-1940

In 1928, T.B. Cunha founded the Goa National Congress. At the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...

 the Goa Congress Committee received recognition and representation in the All-India Congress Committee.

In May 1930, Portugal passed the "Acto Colonial" (Colonial Act) which restricted political rallies and meetings. Goa was again relegated to the status of a colony. Compulsory conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...

 was introduced in Portuguese India. This added to the resentment in Goa.

The Portuguese Government pressured the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...

 to disaffiliate the National Congress (Goa). The Goans
Goans
Goan is the demonym used to describe the people of the Indian state of Goa who form an ethno-linguistic group which is a result of assimilation of Indo-Portuguese, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Proto-Australoid, Indo-Scythian, Indo-Greeks and Indo-Iranians ethnic and/or linguistic ancestries.They speak...

 in Bombay city formed the Provisional Goa Congress in 1938.

1940s

By the 1940s, the movement had gained steam, taking cue from the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...

 which had entered its crucial phase. In 1946, the British announced their intention to grant India independence. This boosted the efforts of the counterparts in Goa. With Independence finally in sight, Indian leaders also turned their attention to the freedom movements in Portuguese India
Portuguese India
The Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...

 and French India
French India
French India is a general name for the former French possessions in India These included Pondichéry , Karikal and Yanaon on the Coromandel Coast, Mahé on the Malabar Coast, and Chandannagar in Bengal...

.

T.B. Cunha was arrested in 1946. A.G. Tendulkar became the president of the Goa Congress and organized a meeting in Londa (outside Goa).

On 18 May 1946 Ram Manohar Lohia
Ram Manohar Lohia
Rammanohar Lohia was an Indian freedom fighter and a socialist political leader.-Early life:Lohia was born in a village Akbarpur in Ambedkar Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, in India to Hira Lal, a nationalist and Chanda,a teacher. He was born to Marwari Maheshwari family. His mother died when he...

 held a demonstration in Margao, despite being threatened at gunpoint. He was arrested and this motivated the people to hold large-scale protests. About 1500 people were arrested and incarcerated. Goan leaders like T.B. Cunha, Purushottam Kakodkar
Purushottam Kakodkar
Purushottam Kesava Kakodkar was a prominent politician and social worker from Goa. He served as a Member of Parliament in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.-Freedom Fighter:...

 and Laxmikant Bhembre were deported to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

. From October to November 1946, a series of Satyagrahas were held in Goa. Many of the leaders were arrested and the movement died down. The Goa Congress began operating from Bombay

This period also saw the creation of new political parties, each having a different agenda about where the allegiance of the people of Goa lay. While one party called for Goa's merger with Maharashtra post liberation, another harked back to its links with the South. Other supported an independent Goa and one group pursued the idea of autonomy within Portuguese rule.

Sensing that the various identifications would harm the cause of Goa's freedom Gandhiji suggested that all should unite for the cause of civil liberties. Responding to this call, in June 1947 all Goan political parties met in Bombay and requested the Portuguese government to Quit India. The Goan leadership felt that with Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 on its way out of India, the Portuguese would soon follow. However on 3 August, Lohia said that Goa's freedom would not coincide with India's and that the Goans would have to continue their struggle, not just for civil liberties but for freedom itself.

The failure to see Goa liberated along with India and the mixed signals from the new leadership in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

; along with harsh repression by the Portuguese led to a temporary lull in the movement. The partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...

 and the war between India and Pakistan
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
The India-Pakistan War of 1947-48, sometimes known as the First Kashmir War, was fought between India and Pakistan over the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu from 1947 to 1948. It was the first of four wars fought between the two newly independent nations...

 forced the Indian leadership to turn attention away from Portuguese and French colonies.

During this time, a separate demand for independence was being raised by Dr. Froilano de Mello
Froilano de Mello
Froilano de Mello was an Indo-Portuguese microbiologist, medical scientist, professor, author and an independent MP in the Portuguese parliament....

, a prominent Goan microbiologist and MP in the Portuguese National Assembly. de Mello sought independence for Goa, Daman and Diu as a separate entity, but within the framework of a Portuguese Commonwealth, similar to the British Commonwealth.

Demand for Autonomy

There were periodic demands for autonomy for Portuguese India either as a permanent settlement or as a step towards eventual freedom. In July 1946, a public meeting was held which openly petitioned the Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar, GColIH, GCTE, GCSE served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He also served as acting President of the Republic briefly in 1951. He founded and led the Estado Novo , the authoritarian, right-wing government that presided over and controlled Portugal...

 administration to grant autonomy to the Estado da India. The meeting was presided by José Inácio de Loyola. A committee formed by Uday Bhembre
Uday Bhembre
Uday Bhembhre is an Indian lawyer and a former member of the Goa Legislative Assembly. He is also noted for his role as the editor of the Konkani daily, Sunaparant and as an Konkani language activist.-References:...

 was proposed to pursue autonomy. Their attempts failed to get any response from the Portuguese administration. The last such demand for autonomy was made by Purushottam Kakodkar in early 1961.

Diplomatic efforts

In December 1947, Independent India and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 established diplomatic ties. In January 1948, the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...

 met the Portuguese Consul and raised the issue of Goa's integration into the Indian Union. The Portuguese were unwilling to negotiate as they had no desire to leave their colonies. In 1948 the freedom movement came to a near standstill.

In January 1953 the government of India sought to negotiate with Portugal on the issue of its territories in India through the Indian Delegation in Portugal. The Indian government offered a direct transfer but the Portuguese refused. Diplomatic relations deteriorated. on 11 June 1953 the Indian Delegation in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

 was closed down and ties were formally severed.In July Nehru openly stated that the Indian government's position: the French and Portuguese Possessions in India should be integrated into larger India. Subsequently India made many efforts to persuade the Portuguese to leave peacefully through the UN.

Revolutionary Groups

A revolutionary group called Azad Gomantak Dal was formed which vowed to fight the Portuguese by any means. They carried out raids on police stations and factories and ambushed patrols; attached troops stationed at the border and blew up ammunition dumps. In response the Portuguese increased their military presence by bringing in white and African troops .
Another group was the Goa Liberation Army founded by Shivajirao Govindrao Desai.

1953 onwards: Intensification of Satyagraha movement

In order to co-ordinate the various liberation groups working independently in Mumbai, Dr. T.B. Cunha formed the Goa Action Committee in 1953. A number of Goans
Goans
Goan is the demonym used to describe the people of the Indian state of Goa who form an ethno-linguistic group which is a result of assimilation of Indo-Portuguese, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Proto-Australoid, Indo-Scythian, Indo-Greeks and Indo-Iranians ethnic and/or linguistic ancestries.They speak...

 and non-Goans came forward to offer Satyagraha
Satyagraha
Satyagraha , loosely translated as "insistence on truth satya agraha soul force" or "truth force" is a particular philosophy and practice within the broader overall category generally known as nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. The term "satyagraha" was conceived and developed by Mahatma...

.

In Goa the freedom movement took two distinct forms. The National Congress Goa directed a peaceful satyagraha
Satyagraha
Satyagraha , loosely translated as "insistence on truth satya agraha soul force" or "truth force" is a particular philosophy and practice within the broader overall category generally known as nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. The term "satyagraha" was conceived and developed by Mahatma...

 while the Azad Gomantak Dal spearheaded violent methods. On 15 August 1954 a huge satyagraha was begun . The authorities arrested and beat many. P.D. Gaitonde was arrested for publicly protesting the Portuguese stand the Goa belonged to Portugal in perpetuity.

A year later another protest was organized on the same date, this time, including a large number of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

ns from outside Goa, mainly from Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

. About 3000 protesters including women and children entered Goa through various points on the border. The security forces baton charged them or opened fire resulting in a few deaths and hundreds injured.

The Indian government did not react to the situation because Portugal was now part of NATO. NATO member nations had a pact to protect each other in case any of them was attacked. Although the treaty did not cover colonies, Portugal's stand that its overseas possessions were not colonies but an integral part of the Nation of Portugal itself. India had to act cautiously and diplomatically if it didn't want to run the risk of NATO forces being involved in Goa.

In 1954 the Goa Vimochan Sahayak Samiti (All-Party Goa Liberation Committee)was formed to continue the civil disobedience movement and provide financial and political help to the Satyagrahis. The Maharashtra and Gujarat chapters of the Praja Socialist Party
Praja Socialist Party
The Praja Socialist Party was an Indian political party in existence from 1952 to 1972. It was founded when the Socialist Party, led by Jayprakash Narayan, Acharya Narendra Deva and Basawon Singh , merged with the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party led by J.B. Kripalani...

 assisted them with the intention that Goa would be merged into Maharashtra. These parties organized several satyagrahas in 1954-55.

The Portuguese government charged India with violation of it territorial sovereignty due to the Satyagrahas and appealed to various international powers; forcing Nehru to announce that India disapproved of the Satyagrahas.

This stopped the impact of the Satyagraha. A group of satyagrahis planned to cross the border at Terekhol fort , but very few of the expected 500-odd Satyagrahis turned up. The small band managed to seize the fort but the Portuguese recaptured it the next day. The freedom movement lost its momentum with the exception of small satyagrahas and the activities of the All-Goa Political Party Committee. On June 18, 1954 , some Satyagrahis from India managed to infiltrate Goa and hoist the Indian flag there. The demonstrators and suspected sympathizers were arrested. Dr. Gaitonde and Shriyut Deshpande were deported to Portugal.

Liberation of Dadra & Nagar Haveli

The United Front of Goans, led by Francis Mascarenhas drove out the Portuguese from Dadra
Dadra
Dadra refers to two separate but originally linked concepts in Hindustani classical music.-Dadra tala:This is a Hindustani classical tala , consisting of six beats in two equal divisions of three. The most commonly accepted theka or basic pattern for this tala is dha dhi na, dha tu na...

; a small landlocked enclave bordering Nagar Haveli; on 21 July 1954. A group of volunteers of National Movement Liberation Organisation (NMLO), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or National Patriotic Organization), also known the Sangh, is a right-wing Hindu nationalist, paramilitary, volunteer, and allegedly militant organization for Hindu males in India...

 and Azad Gomantak Dal commenced an attack on the larger enclave of Nagar Haveli on 28 July 1954 and liberated it on 2 August. India did not assimilate these enclaves immediately and they existed as a de-facto independent body, administered by the Varishta Panchayat of Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

The liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli gave the dormant Goa liberation movement an impetus. On August 15, 1954, mass Satyagrahas were launched where hundreds of people from all over India entered Goa, defying a ban by the Indian Government. The Portuguese killed many Satyagrahis and injured hundreds.

In 1955 the Satyagrahas continued and the Portuguese replied with brutal repression. Borders were sealed leaving people form each side stranded in the other territory. The attitude of the Indian Government towards the Goan situation was clear : that they supported the movement and intended to liberate Goa. Between 1955 and 1961 six political parties were formed to fight for freedom: Azad Gomantak Dal, the Rancour Patriota, the United Front of Goans, Goan People's Party, Goa Liberation Army and Quit Goa Organization.

The Portuguese had portrayed a falsified image to the world of Goans as being entirely Luso-Indian or Portuguese. P. D. Gaitonde, after his release from prison conducted a series of lectures around the world to dispel this notion. The armed struggle in the Portuguese African colonies also served to draw international opinion in favour of India's position.

In 1961 India reasserted its stand that Goa should be liberated "either with full peace or with full use of force". In August 1961 India began military preparations. On 1 December Nehru publicly asserted that India would not remain silent regarding the Goa situation. Troops were concentrated at the important towns near Goa.

End of Portuguese Rule

With few options left Nehru finally ordered the Indian Armed forces to take Goa by force. In a military operation
Invasion of Goa
The 1961 Indian annexation of Goa , was an action by India's armed forces that ended Portuguese rule in its Indian enclaves in 1961...

 conducted on 18 and 19 December 1961 Indian troops captured Goa with little resistance. The Governor General of Portuguese India signed an instrument of surrender.

Subsequent Events

Major General Candeth was appointed as the military Governor of Goa. In 1963 the Parliament of India passed the 12th Amendment Act to the Constitution of India
Constitution of India
The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India. It lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles, establishes the structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens...

, formally integrating the captured territories into the Indian Union. Goa, Daman and Diu became a Union Territory
Union Territory
A Union Territory is a sub-national administrative division of India, in the federal framework of governance. Unlike the states of India, which have their own elected governments, union territories are ruled directly by the federal government; the President of India appoints an Administrator or...

. Dadra and Nagar Haveli which was previously a part of the Estado da India, but independent between 1954 and 1961, became a separate Union Territory.

In October 1962 Panchayat elections
Panchayati Raj
The panchayat raj is a South Asian political system mainly in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. "Panchayat" literally means assembly of five wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community. Traditionally, these assemblies settled disputes between individuals and villages...

 were held in Goa followed by assembly elections in December 1962. On 16 January 1967 a referendum was held
Goa Opinion Poll
The Goa Opinion Poll was a referendum held in the state of Goa, India, on 16 January 1967, to decide the future of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu within the Indian Union. Although popularly called an opinion poll, it was in fact, a referendum, as the results of the poll were binding on...

 in which the people of Goa voted against merger with Maharashtra. Portugal recognized Goa's accession into the Indian union only in 1974. In 1987 Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

 was separated from Daman and Diu and made a full fledged-state. Daman and Diu continued as a new Union Territory.

Films

Saat Hindustani
Saat Hindustani
Saat Hindustani is a 1969 film written and directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. The film portrays the heroic story of seven Indians who attempt to liberate Goa from the Portuguese colonial rule. The cast included Utpal Dutt, Madhu, A. K. Hangal and Amitabh Bachchan who made his debut with this film...

 (translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...

: Seven Indians) is a 1969 film written and directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
Khwaja Ahmad Abbas , popularly known as K. A. Abbas, was an Indian film director, novelist, screenwriter, and a journalist in the Urdu, Hindi and English languages...

. The film portrays the heroic story of seven Indians who attempt to liberate Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

 from the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

colonial rule.
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