Goa, Daman and Diu was a union territory of the Republic of India established in 1961 following the annexation of Portuguese India, with Maj Gen K P Candeth as its first Military Governor. The Goa portion of the territory was granted full statehood within the Indian union on 30 May 1987, Daman and Diu remained a separate territory until December 2019, when it was merged with Dadra and Nagar Haveli and is today the territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
Image: Shashikala Kakodkar
Image: Pratapsingh Rane
The Annexation of Goa was the process in which the Republic of India annexed the 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 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.
A Canberra bomber of the Indian Air Force. The Indian Air Force used 20 small and lightweight Canberra bombers.
The NRP Afonso de Albuquerque
A MD450 Ouragan on display at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History (Brussels, Belgium). Similar aircraft in service with the Indian Air Force, locally known as Toofani, formed the backbone of the air strikes on Diu.