Liberation Day in Goa

The Liberation Day in Goa is celebrated on December 17. It commemorates the day when the Indian Government seized power from the Portuguese colonizers in1961.The Portuguese were the first European power to arrive in India and the last to depart. They set foot in Goa in 1510 and left on 19 December 1961 – when they were driven away.

In 1926, when Portugal came under grip of dictatorship, life of the common people became impossible to bear. So, the people of Goa began to rebel against their conquerors. Finally, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, the great Indian socialist leader, launched a movement for civil liberties at a public meeting in Margao, on 18 June 1946. this meeting set in motion a mass movement for freedom from the Portuguese rule.

The Government of India, with the help of peaceful negotiations with Portugal made attempts to solve the problem of Goa between 1947 and 1955. But all these attempts proved futile. From 1955 to 1961, the Goans and the Indian political parties organised public meetings and adopted resolutions condemning Portuguese rule. in this way the terrible conditions prevailing in Goa were made public. On 18-19 December 1961, the Government of India adopted a plan called Operation Vijay to liberate the Portuguese colonies in India.

Finally, all operations in Goa came to an end at 6:00 p.m., on 19 December 1961. The final formal surrender was received from the Portuguese Governor General, Vassalo De Silva. The documents of surrender were signed at 7:30 p.m. and Major General K.P. Candeth was appointed as the Military Governor of Goa. Thus within 40 hours of the start of the military operations, the last foreign holding in India was brought to an end.

This is how the Liberation Day in Goa came into being. From then on the Liberation Day in Goa is celebrated every year on the 17th of December in celebration of their well-earned liberty.