Goa publicising wrong Treaty of Surrender doc

PTI, PANAJI | 05 July 2011 13:54 IST

Treaty of Surrender of Goa by Portugal

The original historic `treaty of surrender’ signed between Indian Army and Portugal Government while liberating Goa, 50 years back, is not with the state government, who are publicising the `letters during surrender’ as the treaty, historians claimed today.

In what could be startling revelation, the historians, who researched the incidents during December 19, 1961, when Goa was liberated after 450 years of Portuguese rule, have said that the original treaty remains to be out of bound of state government.

Sanjiv Sardesai, a historian, said that the original copy is with the Indian Army’s 2STC office in Panaji displayed on the wall. “What we are showing to the public as treaty of surrender is not the original one,” he said.

He pointed out that state government’s official diary has printed an unsigned letter by then Portuguese Chief Commandant of Armed Forces General Manuel Antonio Vassalo e Silva as the treaty.

The confusion over the treaty continues as another different letter in Portuguese signed by Silva is displayed in the Goa state Museum’s gallery on `Goa Freedom Struggle.’

Sardesai said that the actually original treaty has signatures of Major General K P Candeth, who led Operation Vijay to liberate Goa and Silva, who was commandant of armed forces of states of Portuguese India. “It is in Portuguese and same text is translated in English below it,” he explained.

Another historian, Rohit Falgaonkar, said that `the original copy should have been displayed in the Goa state museum so that the people know about it.’

Falgaonkar said that state government should do activities that would bring people closer to the history of the state.

Director of Goa State Museum, Radha Bhave, said that the copy on display was a facsimile from the book on a freedom struggle, which was put as an exhibit since 2004.

“If there is an original copy available, which is different from that, we will surely try to procure it,” she said.

The confusion about the events preceding Goa’s liberation has also percolated to the students. As per the Secondary School Certification examination book `History of Goa’, the treaty was signed between both the parties below the headlights of car of the Governor.

“The document of surrender was signed at 7.30 p.m. on a street at Vasco-da-Gama under headlights of the Car of Portuguese Governor General and submitted to Brig, K S Dhillon,” the para in the book reads.

Sardesai, pointing out at the original treaty, has said that it was signed in Panaji city and that too at 8.30 p.m.


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Previous Comments

does anyone know history in goa?none ! after anant kakba priyolkar and dr.pissurlekar ,who is there.?some of these new breed of so called historians,i mean, the self declared ones,the standard has detiorated..hence these type of grave mistakes.there was one more historian from belganv.who used to visit merces to meet Mr.mohandas kamat ,the civil engineer.but engineer has moved to st.cruz.we used to enjoy their conversation about history,but not any more.

- pedru peixote, merces | 08 th July 2011 20:47

 

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