GOA - LIBERATION

 19   December 1961 - GOA’S LIBERATION – AFTER 451 YEARS

       On 19 December 1961, the Indian Army attained its first major military victory when it liberated Goa from Portuguese rule. This two day campaign terminated 451 years of foreign occupation and incorporated Goa, Daman and Diu into the Indian Republic.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach India when Vasco Da Gama landed on our shores in 1498. They were also the last to leave. Even after Independence they held on to their enclaves in Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli - collectively called Estado da India. Resistance to Portuguese rule had begun way back in 1926 and had picked up momentum after 1947. The Government of India formally entered negotiations to end Portuguese colonization of India – proposals which Portugal rejected outright. Diplomatic talks reached an impasse and at the same time public opinion to integrate Goa with India began intensifying.

 The first major spark came on 15 August 1955, when Portuguese police fired on unarmed Indian activists killing 30. Then on 24 November 1961, Portuguese troops fired on the passenger ship ‘MV Sabarmati’ – mistaking it for a landing vessel – and killed two crew members. That was the final straw. On 10 Dec, Nehru defied world opinion and gave the go-ahead for military operations to liberate Goa.

The military plan involved a three pronged advance with 17 Infantry Division, 1 Armoured Division  and 50 Independent Para Brigade advancing from the North from Maharashtra into Goa. 63 Infantry Brigade was to advance from the East while a diversionary attack was launched from the South. Simultaneously, the enclaves of Daman were to be captured by one battalion (1 MARATHA LIGHT INFANTRY) and Diu was to be taken by 20 RAJPUT and 5 MADRAS. The IAF and the navy too had major roles to play. Fighter bombers would soften the targets and also deny the only airbase of Dabolim. Five battleships were to attack from the sea and an aircraft carrier group under the venerable INS VIKRANT was out on patrol 75 kilometers off the coast to stave off any maritime challenge.

Portugal had built up their military strength and inducted three battalions (one each from Portugal, Angola and Mozambique) with supporting units to challenge any military adventure. Two artillery units had also been recently inducted, smuggled in the guise of football teams. No fighter aircraft were available, but the coast was defended by strong coastal batteries with the naval warship ‘Afonso de Albuquerque’ and three patrol vessels guarding the port of Mormugao. It was a strong force, but inadequate for the task at hand. The strategy was to delay the advancing Indians for 7 -10 days, and prevent them from entering their capital Panaji. That would give time for international pressure to be applied.

Hostilities began on 17 December when an Indian unit clashed with a Portuguese reconnaissance squadron along the northern frontier. The skirmish ended with the Portuguese forces withdrawing pre-maturely destroying bridges and culverts along the way and this set the tone for the engagements to come. The next day – 18 December 1961, the main attack went in at 0400 and the Indians attacked along three prongs in the wake of intensive air and naval bombardment.

Indian troops advancing to
cheering crowds         

The main offensive moved in to Goa from the North. 50 Independent Para Brigade, which was initially allotted a supporting role, took the lead and moved with three prongs of a battalion each, racing southwards. Supported by tanks they moved rapidly and by midday had virtually covered half the distance to Panaji. Their advance was met with cheering crowds and more often than not, the Portuguese withdrew – disregarding their orders to fight to the last.  The Indians closed in towards Panaji and reached the banks of the Mandhovi River – the major waterway separating the town from the mainland – only to see the only bridge on the river, demolished by retreating Portuguese troops literally minutes before their arrival. The advance to Panaji was halted for the night and Indian soldier closed in. for what was to be the major battle of the campaign.

         

Abandoned Portuguese post

In the East, 63 Infantry Brigade advanced in three prongs, wading through rivers and streams as they made their way inwards. The attacks by a single company of 4 Rajput in the South had helped create confusion in the minds of the Portuguese as to the strength and direction of the Indian thrust lines. The Eastern and Southern prongs met near Margao around 1530 on 18 December and were now ready to march towards Panaji where the main battle was to be fought. Simultaneously the attacks on Daman and Diu went in and both enclaves were captured on the first day itself. 

As the land offensive moved in, the IAF launched three raids on Dabolim Airbase, using Canberras and Hunters, which damaged the runway and ensured that no reinforcements could land by air. The navy closed in on  Mormugao harbor which was strongly defended by coastal batteries and the warship ‘NRP Afonso de Albuquerque’. At around nine in the morning, three Indian frigates led by INS BETWA attacked the ‘Afonso’ which responded with heavy gunfire of its 120 mm guns. In a naval battle lasting three hours, the ‘Afonso’ was repeatedly hit and sustained serious damage to its propulsion system. Stricken and out of control, the warship ran aground and the remnants of the crew put up a  white flag and surrendered. Independent India’s first naval battle came to a close.

The ‘Afonso’

By morning on 19 December, Indian troops had concentrated around Panaji and Vasco da Gama. Indian tanks of 7 Cavalry and troops of 2 Sikh Light Infantry crossed the Mandhovi River and approached Panaji, capturing Fort Aguada, the seat of resistance. Around 2000 Portuguese troops had fallen back to Panaji and as per the latest communique received from Portugal, they were to fight to the last there. They were to also adopt a ‘scorched earth’ policy and destroy Goa before it fell into Indian hands. Fortunately the Governor General Manuel de Silva, disregarded these orders as ‘un sacrificio inutil’ (a useless sacrifice) and surrendered at 2030 hours the same day. In a formal ceremony, the Instrument of Surrender was signed and Goa and all Portuguese territories came back into Indian hands. 4668 Portuguese personnel were taken prisoner in a war which cost 22 Indian and 30 Portuguese lives. The two day campaign brought an end to 451 years of European occupation of Indian soil.

Surrender Ceremony

But this easy victory had its flip side. It gave India’s political and military leadership an inflated view of our military capabilities. The shortcomings that this victory glossed over would be rudely exposed just a year down the line as the Chinese waves crashed over the Himalayas in the 1962 Indo-China War.