Evelyn Siqueira
Goa Revolution Day is also called Kranti Din. On this day, in 1946, the people of Goa started a mass revolution to oust the Portuguese regime from Goa.
The first non-violent civil disobedience protest in Goa took place on June 18, 1946, in Margao town, South Goa.
The movement was started by Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and Dr Julião Menezes. Lohia hailed from Uttar Pradesh, while Menezes was from Assolna.
They crossed paths at Berlin University, in Germany, in the 1930s. Lohia returned to India after completing his PhD in 1933, while Menezes returned after completing his MD in 1938.
On June 18, 1946, Dr Lohia along with Dr Julião entered Margao square in a horse carriage. The two were later arrested. Both were sentenced to time in the Aguada Jail (Fortaleza da Aguada).
A life-size monument of Dr Lohia has been erected at the Aguada jail complex.
Dr Menezes has written a book Goa’s Freedom Struggle (1947).