# Goa Joined India After 36-Hour Operation Vijay in 1961

2026-08-14T07:54:42+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

Goa was not part of British India and remained under Portuguese rule when India became independent in 1947. Portugal had established control there in 1510. After years of failed diplomacy and a local freedom movement, India launched Operation Vijay on December 17-18, 1961. The Army, Navy and Air Force advanced into Goa, Daman and Diu, and Portuguese Governor General Manuel António Vassalo e Silva signed the surrender instrument on December 19. The campaign lasted about 36 hours and ended more than four centuries of Portuguese rule. Goa became a Union Territory before attaining full statehood on May 30, 1987.

## Coverage

- timesnownews.com <https://www.timesnownews.com/travel/independence-day-special-the-only-indian-state-which-was-never-under-british-rule-and-was-liberated-in-a-36-hour-military-operation-article-155611095>
- businesstoday.in <https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/india-got-independence-in-1947-this-state-got-it-14-years-later-after-a-military-operation-heres-why-549421-2026-08-15?utm_source=rssfeed>

Tags: colonialism, Goa Liberation Day, Indian independence, Operation Vijay, Portuguese India
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