Goa, Daman and Diu Liberation Day[2] is observed on December 19 every year in Goa, India.[3][4] The Goa Liberation Day is celebrated in commemoration of the Indian armed forces annexingPortuguese-ruled Goa in 1961,[5] after which India was free of any European rule.[6][7]
Background
2011 Indian postage stamp dedicated to the golden jubilee of Goa Liberation
Goa was annexed by the Indian Army on 19 December 1961 after 451 years of Portuguese rule.[8] The movement for independence in the 19th century in India had a smaller impact in Goa as well, with a few residents of participating in Satyagraha up to the 1960s. Portugal did not grant Goa independence or let Goa join India at the same time as the majority of the subcontinent granted by the British in 1947[a], stating that Goa was culturally and religiously distinct from the rest of India and that Goa was a part of Portugal proper rather than a colony.[9] India didn't take any military action then, as it was more concerned with integrating the Princely States. The Indian government asked Portugal to open negotiations in 1950, but after Portugal refused to respond to subsequent aide-mémoires in regards to Goa India withdrew its diplomatic mission to Portugal on 11 June 1953.[10] India invaded and annexed Goa in late December 1961.
Observance
Various programmes organised across Goa to mark the Goa Liberation Day.[11] In 2021, the observance consisted of a women's parliament and a youth parliament and Narendra Modi inaugurated new projects like the Super Specialty Block at the Goa Medical College and Hospital, the renovated Fort Aguada Jail Museum in North Goa, Aviation Skill Development Center at Mopa Airport, the Gas-insulated Substation at Dabolim-Navelim, Margao, and the New South Goa District Hospital.[12]
