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78-579: Operation Vijay may refer to: Operation Vijay (1961) , the operation by the Military of India that led to the capture of Goa, Daman and Diu and Anjediva Islands Operation Vijay (1999) , the Indian operation to push back infiltrators in the Kargil War See also [ edit ] Vijay (disambiguation) Vijay Diwas (disambiguation) Topics referred to by
156-813: A boom in mining—principally iron ore and some manganese . During this period, Portugal was governed by the Estado Novo regime. This government was a dictatorship and a strong proponent of colonialism . The Estado Novo viewed Portugal's overseas territories as extensions of Portugal itself. Under the Estado Novo , Portugal tried to perpetuate a vast, centuries-old empire with a total area of 2,168,071 square kilometres (837,097 sq mi), while other former colonial powers had, by this time, largely acceded to global calls for self-determination and independence of their overseas colonies. Resistance to Portuguese rule in Goa in
234-500: A consignment of half a dozen bags of sausages as food supplies instead of the intended grenades. In addition it transported a contingent of female paratroopers to assist in the evacuation of Portuguese civilians. The Portuguese air presence in Goa at the time of hostilities was thus limited to the presence of two civilian transport aircraft, the Lockheed Constellation belonging to TAP and a Douglas DC-4 Skymaster belonging to
312-456: A conventional attack from the overwhelmingly stronger Indian Armed Forces. The Portuguese government hoped however to politically deter the Indian government from attempting a military aggression through the showing of a strong will to fight and to sacrifice to defend Goa. In 1960, during an inspection visit to Portuguese India and referring to a predictable start of guerrilla activities in Angola ,
390-633: A general uprising of the population. A Portuguese army officer stationed with the army in Goa, Captain Carlos Azaredo, stated in 2001 in the Portuguese newspaper Expresso : "To the contrary to what is being said, the most evolved guerrilla warfare which our Armed Forces encountered was in Goa. I know what I'm talking about, because I also fought in Angola and in Guinea ( Portuguese Guinea ). In 1961 alone, until December, around 80 policemen died. The major part of
468-542: A ground anti-aircraft gun. The aircraft took evasive action by drastically dropping altitude and escaping out to sea. The anti-aircraft gun was later recovered near the ATC building with a round jammed in its breech. The Indian light aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was deployed 75 miles (121 km) from the coast of Goa to head off a possible amphibious operation on Goa and deter any foreign military intervention. On 11 December 1961, 17th Infantry Division and attached troops of
546-449: A liberation of historically Indian territory, while Portugal viewed it as an aggression against its national soil and citizens. Justifying the successful military action, Nehru remarked that the "Portuguese ultimately left no choice open to us." Following the end of Portuguese rule in 1961, Goa was placed under military administration headed by Major General Kunhiraman Palat Candeth as lieutenant governor . On 8 June 1962, military rule
624-514: A liturgical language by the territory's Catholics. Standard Portuguese exists in a post-creole continuum while Daman and Diu Portuguese is spoken by about 10,000–12,000 people in Daman. The languages taught in schools in Daman and Diu under the three-language formula were: According to the Constitution of India, the administration of Daman and Diu was carried out by an Administrator, appointed by
702-484: A military landing party intent on storming the island. The incidents lent themselves to fostering widespread public support in India for military action in Goa. Eventually, on 10 December, nine days prior to the armed action, code named Operation Vijay, Nehru stated to the press: "Continuance of Goa under Portuguese rule is an impossibility". The American response was to warn India that if and when India's armed action in Goa
780-520: A number of supporters of the Indian Republic were held prisoners there. However, the Portuguese defenders of the fort had not yet received orders to surrender and responded by opening fire on the Indian forces, Major Sidhu and Captain Vinod Sehgal being killed in the firefight. Daman and Diu Daman and Diu ( / d ə ˈ m ɑː n ... ˈ d iː uː / ; locally )
858-410: A retreat, making their way through the Indian forces, with their armoured cars firing ahead to cover the withdrawal of the personnel carrier vehicles. This unit relocated by ferry further south to the capital city of Panaji. At 13:30, just after the retreat of the 2nd EREC, the Portuguese destroyed the bridge at Banastarim, cutting off all road links to Panaji. By 17:45, the forces of the 1st EREC and
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#1732858181584936-448: A total of 3,995 men, including 810 native (Indo-Portuguese) soldiers, many of whom had little military training and were utilised primarily for security and anti-extremist operations. These forces were divided amongst the three Portuguese enclaves in India. The Portuguese Army units in Goa included four motorised reconnaissance squadrons, eight rifle companies ( caçadores ), two artillery batteries and an engineer detachment. In addition to
1014-535: Is a union territory in northwestern India . With an area of 112 km (43 sq mi), it was the smallest administrative subdivision of India on the mainland. The territory comprised two districts, Daman and Diu island , geographically separated by the Gulf of Khambat . The state of Gujarat and the Arabian Sea bordered the territory. A Portuguese colony since the 1500s, the territories were taken by India with
1092-648: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Operation Vijay (1961) The Annexation of Goa was the process in which the Republic of India annexed the Portuguese State of India , the then Portuguese Indian territories of Goa, Daman and Diu , starting with the armed action carried out by the Indian Armed Forces in December 1961. In India, this action
1170-555: Is referred to as the " Liberation of Goa ". In Portugal , it is referred to as the " Invasion of Goa ". Jawaharlal Nehru had hoped that the popular movement in Goa and the pressure of world public opinion would force the Portuguese Goan authorities to grant it independence, but without success; consequently, Krishna Menon suggested taking Goa by force. The operation was code named Operation Vijay (meaning "Victory" in Sanskrit) by
1248-600: The Annexation of Goa in 1961. Daman and Diu were administered as part of the union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu between 1961 and 1987. After the Goa Opinion Poll , they became a separate union territory. In 2019, legislation was passed to merge the union territory of Daman and Diu with its neighbouring union territory, Dadra and Nagar Haveli , to form the new union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu with effect from 26 January 2020. For over 450 years,
1326-456: The Indian 7th Cavalry . At 09:00, these Portuguese troops reported that Indian troops had already covered half the distance to the town of Ponda. By 10:00, Portuguese forces of the 1st EREC, faced with the advancing 2nd Sikh Light Infantry, began a south-bound withdrawal to the town of Mapuca where, by 12:00, they came under the risk of being surrounded by Indian forces. At 12:30, the 1st EREC began
1404-655: The Rajput Regiment and the 5th battalion of the Madras Regiment . Meanwhile, the Commander-in-Chief of India's Western Air Command , Air Vice Marshal Erlic Pinto , was appointed as the commander of all air resources assigned to the operations in Goa. Air resources for the assault on Goa were concentrated in the bases at Pune and Sambra ( Belgaum ). The mandate handed to Pinto by the Indian Air Command
1482-562: The State of India . Goa, Daman and Diu covered an area of around 1,540 square miles (4,000 km ) and held a population of 637,591. The Goan diaspora was estimated at 175,000 (about 100,000 within the Indian Union, mainly in Bombay). Religious distribution was 61% Hindu, 37% Christian (mostly Catholic) and 2% Muslim. The economy was primarily based on agriculture, although the 1940s and 1950s saw
1560-459: The 2011 census, Daman and Diu had a literacy rate of 87.1%, higher than the national average of 74.04%. Male and female literacy rates are 91.5 and 79.5 per cent respectively. The lowest female-to-male ratio in India (618 females per thousand males) was recorded in Daman and Diu. The Daman district, with a sex ratio of 533:1000 (F:M), is among the lowest of all the districts. Hinduism is the most common religion in Daman and Diu. Muslims are also now
1638-557: The 20th century was pioneered by Tristão de Bragança Cunha , a French-educated Goan engineer who founded the Goa Congress Committee in Portuguese India in 1928. Cunha released a booklet called 'Four hundred years of Foreign Rule', and a pamphlet, 'Denationalisation of Goa', intended to sensitise Goans to the oppression of Portuguese rule. Messages of solidarity were received by the Goa Congress Committee from leading figures in
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#17328581815841716-543: The 50th Para Brigade was charged with merely assisting the main thrust conducted by the 17th Infantry, its units moved rapidly across minefields, roadblocks and four riverine obstacles to be the first to reach Panaji. Hostilities at Goa began at 09:45 on 17 December 1961, when a unit of Indian troops attacked and occupied the town of Maulinguém in the north east, killing two Portuguese soldiers. The Portuguese 2nd EREC ( esquadrão de reconhecimento — reconnaissance squadron), stationed near Maulinguém, asked for permission to engage
1794-602: The 9th Caçadores Company of the Portuguese Battlegroup North had completed their ferry crossing of the Mandovi River to Panaji, just minutes ahead of the arrival of the Indian armoured forces. The Indian tanks had reached Betim, just across the Mandovi River from Panaji, without encountering any opposition. The 2nd Sikh Light Infantry joined it by 21:00, crossing over mines and demolished bridges en route. In
1872-733: The Azad Gomantak Dal (Free Goa Party) and the United Front of Goans (UFG) conducted violent attacks aimed at weakening Portuguese rule in Goa. The Indian government supported the establishment of armed groups like the Azad Gomantak Dal, giving them full financial, logistic and armament support. The armed groups acted from bases situated in Indian territory and under cover of Indian police forces. The Indian government—through these armed groups—attempted to destroy economic targets, telegraph and telephone lines, road, water and rail transport, in order to impede economic activity and create conditions for
1950-514: The Goan airline Portuguese India Airlines . The Indians claimed that the Portuguese had a squadron of F-86 Sabres stationed at Dabolim Airport —which later turned out to be false intelligence. Air defence was limited to a few obsolete anti-aircraft guns manned by two artillery units who had been smuggled into Goa disguised as football teams. The military buildup created panic amongst Europeans in Goa, who were desperate to evacuate their families before
2028-473: The Gujarati-speaking Damaniya sub-caste. Along with Gujarati, Hindi and English are also widely used. Daman and Diu were once part of a combined union territory along with Goa (a Konkani-speaking region) before Goa became a state in 1987. The use of Portuguese, which was the territory's official language during the colonial period, is in decline and relegated to home use. It is also used as
2106-533: The INS Beas , undertook linear patrolling of the Goa coast at a distance of 8 miles (13 km). By 8 December, the Indian Air Force had commenced baiting missions and fly-bys to lure out Portuguese air defences and fighters. On 17 December, a tactical reconnaissance flight conducted by Squadron Leader I. S. Loughran in a Vampire NF54 Night Fighter over Dabolim Airport in Goa was met with five rounds fired from
2184-470: The Indian Armed Forces. It involved air, sea and land strikes for over 36 hours, and was a decisive victory for India, ending 451 years of rule by Portugal over its remaining exclaves in India . The engagement lasted two days, and twenty-two Indians and thirty Portuguese were killed in the fighting. The brief conflict drew a mixture of worldwide praise and condemnation. In India, the action was seen as
2262-533: The Indian Army were ordered to advance into Goa to capture Panaji and Mormugão. The main thrust on Panaji was to be made by the 50th Para Brigade Group , led by Brigadier Sagat Singh from the north. Another thrust was to be carried out by 63rd Indian Infantry Brigade from the east. A deceptive thrust , in company strength, was to be made from the south along the Majali-Canacona-Margao axis. Although
2340-623: The Indian National Congress and Cunha was selected as its first President. In June 1946, Ram Manohar Lohia, an Indian Socialist leader, entered Goa on a visit to his friend, Juliao Menezes , a nationalist leader, who had founded the Gomantak Praja Mandal in Bombay and edited the weekly newspaper Gomantak . Cunha and other leaders were also with him. Ram Manohar Lohia advocated the use of non-violent Gandhian techniques to oppose
2418-456: The Indian government its influence in Latin America to bring pressure on the Portuguese to relieve tensions. Meanwhile, Krishna Menon , India's defence minister and head of India's UN delegation, stated in no uncertain terms that India had not "abjured the use of force" in Goa. The US ambassador to India, John Kenneth Galbraith , requested the Indian government on several occasions to resolve
Operation Vijay - Misplaced Pages Continue
2496-580: The Indian government, Lieutenant-General Chaudhari of the Indian Army 's Southern Command fielded the 17th Infantry Division commanded by Major General K. P. Candeth and the 50th Parachute Brigade commanded by Brigadier Sagat Singh . The assault on the enclave of Daman was assigned to the 1st battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry while the operations in Diu were assigned to the 20th battalion of
2574-521: The Indian independence movement including Rajendra Prasad , Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose . On 12 October 1938, Cunha with other members of the Goa Congress Committee met Subhas Chandra Bose, the President of the Indian National Congress , and on his advice, opened a Branch Office of the Goa Congress Committee at 21, Dalal Street, Bombay . The Goa Congress was also made affiliate to
2652-587: The Indian police forces on 11 August 1954. Portugal appealed to the International Court of Justice , which, in a decision dated 12 April 1960, stated that Portugal had sovereign rights over the territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli but India had the right to deny passage to armed personnel of Portugal over Indian territories. Therefore, the Portuguese authorities could not legally pass through Indian territory. On receiving Krishna Menon's order to initiate military action and capture of all occupied territories for
2730-474: The Indians, but permission was refused at about 13:45. During the afternoon of the 17th, the Portuguese command issued instructions that all orders to defending troops would be issued directly by headquarters, bypassing the local command outposts. This led to confusion in the chain of command. At 02:00 on 18 December, the 2nd EREC was sent to the town of Doromagogo to support the withdrawal of police forces present in
2808-624: The Portuguese authorities markedly strengthened the garrison of Portuguese India, with units and personnel sent from the Metropole and from the Portuguese African provinces of Angola and Mozambique . The Portuguese forces were organised as the Armed Forces of the State of India (FAEI, Forças Armadas do Estado da Índia ), under a unified command headed by General Paulo Bénard Guedes , who combined
2886-536: The Portuguese forces in India suffering a sharp reduction to about 3,300 soldiers. Faced with this reduced force strength, the strategy employed to defend Goa against an Indian invasion was based on the Plano Sentinela (Sentinel Plan), which divided the territory into four defence sectors (North, Center, South and Mormugão), and the Plano de Barragens (Barrage Plan), which envisaged the demolition of all bridges to delay
2964-625: The Portuguese government gave provisional military status to the PEI and the Fiscal Guard, placing them under the command of the FAEI. The security forces were also divided amongst the three districts and were mostly made up of Indo-Portuguese policemen and guards. Different sources indicate between 900 and 1400 men as the total effective strength of these forces at the time of the invasion. The Portuguese Air Force did not have any presence in Portuguese India, with
3042-434: The Portuguese military presence there from almost nothing to 12,000 men. Other sources state that, at the end of 1955, Portuguese forces in India represented a total of around 8,000 men (Europeans, Africans and Indians), including 7,000 in the land forces, 250 in the naval forces, 600 in the police and 250 in the Fiscal Guard, split between the districts of Goa, Daman and Diu. Following the annexation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli,
3120-535: The Under Secretary of State of the Army, Francisco da Costa Gomes , stated the necessity to reinforce the Portuguese military presence in that African territory, partly at the expense of the military presence in Goa, where the then existing 7,500 men were too many just to deal with anti-Portuguese actions, and too few to face an Indian invasion, which, if it were to occur, would have to be handled by other means. This led to
3198-695: The United Front of Goans, the National Movement Liberation Organisation, the Communist Party of India , the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Azad Gomantak Dal, with the support of Indian Police forces, began to launch assaults against Dadra and Nagar Haveli. On the night of 22 July, UFG forces stormed the small Dadra police station, killing Police Sergeant Aniceto do Rosário and Constable António Fernandes, who resisted
Operation Vijay - Misplaced Pages Continue
3276-541: The absence of orders, the unit stayed at Betim for the night. At 20:00, a Goan by the name of Gregório Magno Antão crossed the Mandovi River from Panaji and delivered a ceasefire offer letter from Major Acácio Tenreiro of the Portuguese Army to Major Shivdev Singh Sidhu, the commanding officer of the Indian 7th Cavalry camped there. The letter read: "The Military Commander of the City of Goa states that he wishes to parley with
3354-426: The area, and were attacked by Indian Army units on their return journey. At 04:00, the Indian assault commenced with artillery bombardment on Portuguese positions south of Maulinguém, launched on the basis of the false intelligence that the Portuguese had stationed heavy battle tanks in the area. By 04:30, Bicholim was under fire. At 04:40, the Portuguese forces destroyed the bridge at Bicholim and followed this with
3432-606: The attack. On 28 July, RSS forces took Naroli police station. Meanwhile, the Portuguese authorities asked the Indian Government for permission to cross the Indian territory with reinforcements to Dadra and Nagar Haveli, but no permission was given. Surrounded and prevented from receiving reinforcements by the Indian authorities, the Portuguese Administrator and police forces in Nagar Haveli eventually surrendered to
3510-410: The civil role of Governor-General with the military role of Commander-in-Chief. Guedes ended his commission in 1958, with General Vassalo e Silva being appointed to replace him in both the civil and military roles. The Portuguese government and military commands were, however, well aware that even with this effort to strengthen the garrison of Goa, the Portuguese forces would never be sufficient to face
3588-642: The coastal enclaves of Daman ( Portuguese : Damão) and Diu on the Arabian Sea coast were part of Portuguese India , along with Goa and Dadra and Nagar Haveli . Goa, Daman and Diu were incorporated into the Republic of India on 19 December 1961, by military conquest . Portugal did not recognise the Indian annexation of these territories until the Carnation Revolution of 1974. The territory has also been ruled by Kolis . The territory of Goa, Daman and Diu
3666-435: The commander of the army of the Indian Union with respect to the surrender. Under these conditions, the Portuguese troops must immediately cease fire and the Indian troops do likewise in order to prevent the slaughter of the population and the destruction of the city." The same night Major Shivdev Singh Sidhu with a force of the 7th Cavalry decided to take Fort Aguada and obtain its surrender, after receiving information that
3744-460: The commencement of hostilities. On 9 December, the vessel India arrived at Goa's Mormugão port en route to Lisbon from Timor . Despite orders from the Portuguese government in Lisbon not to allow anyone to embark on this vessel, Governor General Manuel Vassalo e Silva allowed 700 Portuguese civilians of European origin to board the ship and flee Goa. The ship had capacity for only 380 passengers, and
3822-406: The day after the Indian invasion. Portuguese military preparations began in 1954, following the Indian economic blockade, the beginning of the anti-Portuguese attacks in Goa and the annexation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Three light infantry battalions (one each sent from Portugal, Angola and Mozambique) and support units were transported to Goa, reinforcing a locally raised battalion and increasing
3900-417: The deaths of between 21 and 30 people. The news of the incident built public opinion in India against the presence of the Portuguese in Goa. On 1 September 1955, India shut its consul office in Goa. In 1956, the Portuguese ambassador to France, Marcello Mathias, along with Portuguese Prime Minister António de Oliveira Salazar , argued in favour of a referendum in Goa to determine its future. This proposal
3978-519: The destruction of the bridges at Chapora in Colvale and at Assonora at 05:00. On the morning of 18 December, the 50th Para Brigade of the Indian Army moved into Goa in three columns. At 05:30, Portuguese troops left their barracks at Ponda in central Goa and marched towards the town of Usgão, in the direction of the advancing eastern column of the Indian 2nd Para Maratha, which was under the command of Major Dalip Singh Jind and included M4 Sherman tanks of
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#17328581815844056-534: The detention of 70 protesters in the 'temporary jails' and another 8 arrests. Few of the adivasi fisherfolk were rehoused whilst most languished traumatised and homeless on the streets near the rubble of their razed homes. In December 2019, the Parliament of India passed legislation to merge Daman and Diu with the nearby union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to create a new union territory to be known as Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu . According to
4134-522: The exception of a single officer with the role of air adviser in the office of the Commander-in-Chief. On 16 December, the Portuguese Air Force was placed on alert to transport ten tonnes of anti-tank grenades in two Douglas DC-6 aircraft from Montijo Air Base in Portugal to Goa to assist in its defence. When the Portuguese Air Force was unable to obtain stopover facilities at any air base along
4212-413: The exclaves and the coastal territory of Daman had to be made by crossing about 20 kilometres (12 mi) of Indian territory. Dadra and Nagar Haveli did not have any Portuguese military garrison, but only police forces. The Indian government started to develop isolation actions against Dadra and Nagar Haveli already in 1952, including the creation of impediments to the transit of persons and goods between
4290-547: The freedom fighters of Azad Gomantak Dal (AGD) were not Goans. Many had fought in the British Army , under General Montgomery , against the Germans ." On 27 February 1950, the government of India asked the Portuguese government to open negotiations about the future of Portuguese colonies in India. Portugal asserted that its territory on the Indian subcontinent was not a colony but part of metropolitan Portugal and hence its transfer
4368-524: The government. On 18 June 1946, now celebrated as Goa Revolution Day , the Portuguese government disrupted a protest against the suspension of civil liberties in Panaji (then spelt 'Panjim') organised by Lohia, Cunha and others including Purushottam Kakodkar and Laxmikant Bhembre in defiance of a ban on public gatherings, and arrested them. There were intermittent mass demonstrations from June to November. In addition to non-violent protests, armed groups such as
4446-516: The invading army, as well as the mining of approach roads and beaches. Defence units were organised as four battlegroups ( agrupamentos ), with one assigned to each sector and tasked with slowing the progress of an invading force. Then-Captain Carlos Azaredo, who was stationed in Goa at the time of hostilities, described the Plano Sentinela in the Portuguese newspaper Expresso on 8 December 2001 as "a totally unrealistic and unachievable plan, which
4524-471: The issue peacefully through mediation and consensus rather than armed conflict. On 24 November 1961, Sabarmati , a passenger boat passing between the Indian port of Kochi and the Portuguese-held island of Anjidiv , was fired upon by Portuguese ground troops, resulting in the death of a passenger and injuries to the chief engineer . The action was precipitated by Portuguese fears that the boat carried
4602-466: The light aircraft carrier Vikrant ; a Mine Sweeping Group consisting of mine sweepers including Karwar , Kakinada , Cannonore and Bimlipatan , and a Support Group which consisted of Dharini . In March 1960, Portuguese Defence Minister General Júlio Botelho Moniz told Prime Minister Salazar that a sustained Portuguese campaign against decolonisation would create for the army "a suicide mission in which we could not succeed". His opinion
4680-583: The military forces, the Portuguese defences counted on the civil internal security forces of Portuguese India. These included the State of India Police (PEI, Polícia do Estado da Índia ), a general police corps modelled after the Portuguese Public Security Police ; the Fiscal Guard ( Guarda Fiscal ), responsible for Customs enforcement and border protection; and the Rural Guard ( Guarda Rural ), game wardens. In 1958, as an emergency measure,
4758-422: The possibility of truce or of Portuguese prisoners, as there will be no surrender rendered because I feel that our soldiers and sailors can be either victorious or dead." Salazar asked Vassalo e Silva to hold out for at least eight days, within which time he hoped to gather international support against the Indian invasion. Vassalo e Silva disobeyed Salazar to avoid the unnecessary loss of human lives and surrendered
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#17328581815844836-427: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Operation Vijay . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Vijay&oldid=1219853838 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
4914-613: The same year, India instituted sanctions on Portugal with the aim of the annexation of Goa into India; the sanction would remain until 1961. Meanwhile, the Indian Union of Dockers had, in 1954, instituted a boycott on shipping to Portuguese India. Between 22 July and 2 August 1954, armed activists attacked and forced the surrender of Portuguese forces stationed in Dadra and Nagar Haveli. On 15 August 1955, 3,000–5,000 unarmed Indian activists attempted to enter Goa at six locations and were violently repulsed by Portuguese police officers, resulting in
4992-488: The second-largest religious group in the territory, followed by the indigenous Christians. The Catholic Christians of Daman and Diu are pastorally served by the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman , which has its see in Goa, the primatial see of India. Languages of Daman and Diu (2011) Gujarati was the mother tongue of most of the territory's population, as they belong to
5070-583: The time of invasion was the sloop NRP Afonso de Albuquerque . It was armed with four 120 mm guns capable of two shots per minute, and four automatic rapid-firing guns. In addition to the sloop, the Portuguese Naval Forces had three light patrol boats ( lanchas de fiscalização ), each armed with a 20 mm Oerlikon gun, one based in each of Goa, Daman and Diu. There were also five merchant marine ships in Goa. An attempt by Portugal to send naval warships to Goa to reinforce its marine defences
5148-424: The two landlocked enclaves and Daman; the use of these economic warfare tactics by India caused a deep economic depression in Goa with subsequent hardship for the inhabitants and, in attempt to remedy the situation and with land travel precluded, Salazar established a new airline to communicate the enclaves of Portuguese India with its ports. In July 1954, pro-Indian forces, including members of organisations like
5226-517: The use of loudspeakers across the entire and ordered the conversion of Government High School, Bhimpore and the Government Sarvottam High School, Moti Daman into 'temporary jails'. This was in response to a land ownership dispute between the local indigenous fishing community and the local administration that had confiscated their land and bulldozed their homes. The ensuing 2019 Daman Indigenous Land Clearing Protests resulted with
5304-527: The way because most countries, including Pakistan, denied passage of Portuguese military aircraft, the mission was passed to the Portuguese international civilian airline TAP , which offered a Lockheed Constellation (registration CS-TLA) on charter. However, when permission to transport weapons through Karachi was denied by the Pakistani government , the Constellation landed in Goa at 18:00 on 17 December with
5382-450: Was administered as a single union territory until 30 May 1987, when Goa was granted statehood, leaving Daman and Diu as a separate union territory. Each enclave constituted one of the union territory's two districts . Daman and Diu are approximately 650 kilometres away from each other by road. On 3 November 2019, Daman Collector Rakesh Minhas issued a Section 144 order banning peaceful assembly of four or more persons, slogan-shouting and
5460-465: Was brought to the UN security council, it could expect no support from the US delegation. The hostilities between India and Portugal started seven years before the annexation of Goa, when Dadra and Nagar Haveli were invaded and occupied by pro-Indian forces with the support of the Indian authorities. Dadra and Nagar Haveli were two Portuguese landlocked exclaves of the Daman district , totally surrounded by Indian territory. The connection between
5538-416: Was filled to its limits, with evacuees occupying even the toilets. On arranging this evacuation of women and children, Vassalo e Silva remarked to the press, "If necessary, we will die here." Evacuation of European civilians continued by air even after the commencement of Indian air strikes. Indian reconnaissance operations had commenced on 1 December, when two Leopard class frigates , the INS Betwa and
5616-571: Was foiled when President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt denied the ships access to the Suez Canal . Portuguese ground defences were organised as the Land Forces of the State of India (FTEI, Forças Terrestres do Estado da Índia ), under the Portuguese Army 's Independent Territorial Command of India, headed by Brigadier António José Martins Leitão. At the time of the invasion, they consisted of
5694-634: Was however rejected by the Ministers for Defence and Foreign Affairs. The demand for a referendum was repeated by presidential candidate General Humberto Delgado in 1957. Prime Minister Salazar, alarmed by India's hinted threats at armed action against Portugal's presence in Goa, first asked the United Kingdom to mediate, then protested through Brazil and eventually asked the United Nations Security Council to intervene. Mexico offered
5772-520: Was listed out as follows: The Indian Navy deployed two warships—the INS Rajput , an 'R' Class destroyer, and INS Kirpan , a Blackwood class anti-submarine frigate—off the coast of Goa. The actual attack on Goa was delegated to four task groups: a Surface Action Group comprising five ships: Mysore , Trishul , Betwa , Beas and Kaveri ; a Carrier Group of five ships: Delhi , Kuthar , Kirpan , Khukri and Rajput centred on
5850-532: Was non-negotiable, and that India had no rights to this territory because the Republic of India did not exist at the time when Goa came under Portuguese rule. When the Portuguese government refused to respond to subsequent aide-mémoires in this regard, the Indian government, on 11 June 1953, withdrew its diplomatic mission from Lisbon. By 1954, the Republic of India instituted visa restrictions on travel from Goa to India which paralysed transport between Goa and other exclaves like Daman, Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli. In
5928-611: Was quite incomplete. It was based on exchange of ground with time. But, for this purpose, portable communication equipment was necessary." The plans to mine roads and beaches were also unviable because of an insufficient quantity of mines. The naval component of the FAEI were the Naval Forces of the State of India (FNEI, Forças Navais do Estado da Índia ), headed by the Naval Commander of Goa, Commodore Raúl Viegas Ventura. The only significant Portuguese Navy warship present in Goa at
6006-595: Was replaced by civilian government when the Lieutenant Governor nominated an informal Consultative Council of 29 nominated members to assist him in the administration of the territory. After India's independence from the British Empire in August 1947, Portugal continued to hold a handful of exclaves on the Indian subcontinent—the districts of Goa , Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli —collectively known as
6084-400: Was shared by Army Minister Colonel Afonso Magalhães de Almeida Fernandes , by the Army under secretary of State Lieutenant-Colonel Francisco da Costa Gomes and by other top officers. Ignoring this advice, Salazar sent a message to Governor General Manuel António Vassalo e Silva in Goa on 14 December, in which he ordered the Portuguese forces in Goa to fight to the last man: "Do not expect
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