Annexation of Goa

India’s December 1961 military operation took control of Portuguese-ruled Goa, Daman, and Diu, ending Portuguese rule there and incorporating the territories into India.

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Operation Vijay: The Indian armed forces operation that captured Goa, Daman, and Diu in December 1961. Its land, air, and naval actions carried out the takeover.
Portuguese India: Portugal’s colonial possessions on the Indian subcontinent, including Goa, Daman, and Diu. These territories formed the colonial domain India sought to end.
Goa, Daman and Diu: A former Portuguese-administered territory that became a union territory of India in 1961. The three territories were the immediate objects of the takeover.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli liberation: The 1954 removal of Portuguese authority from the enclaves of Dadra and Nagar Haveli by local forces. It ended Portuguese control elsewhere in India through a different sequence than Goa’s 1961 campaign.
Indian Army: The land-warfare branch of India’s armed forces. Army units advanced into Goa and secured its principal settlements.
Goa under Portuguese rule: The period of Portuguese political control in Goa, lasting from 1510 to 1961. Centuries of Portuguese rule made Goa the central site of the dispute.
Goa Opinion Poll: A 1967 referendum in which Goa’s electorate chose not to merge with Maharashtra. It established Goa’s distinct political identity after incorporation into India.
French India: France’s former colonial possessions in India, transferred to Indian control between 1950 and 1954. French territories were integrated mainly through negotiation rather than a large military operation.
Indian Air Force: India’s military aviation service, responsible for air operations and air defense. Air strikes targeted Portuguese military infrastructure during the campaign.
Portuguese Estado Novo: Portugal’s authoritarian regime, established in 1933 and lasting until 1974. Its government rejected decolonization and treated Goa as an integral part of Portugal.