Panaji, Aug 1 (UNI) Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said that families of 30 martyr’s from more than 20 states and 41 from Goa who had participated in ‘Satyagraha’ held on 15 August 1955 to liberate Goa, will be given ‘Certificate of Honour’ on Independence day. “These freedom fighters who came from other states along with our Goans developed pressure on the central government and hence ‘Operation Vijaya’ was launched, which gave us liberation,” Sawant said during a press conference.
“We can’t forget the sacrifice of these freedom fighters who came to Goa to fight against the Portuguese and around 30 of them were shot dead by the Portuguese,” Sawant said. In June, Sawant laid the foundation stone for upgrading the martyrs memorial in the memory of Hirve Guruji and Sheshnath Wadekar at Terekhol (Tiracol) fort in North Goa. They both hailed from Maharashtra and were shot dead by the Portuguese for unfurling the national flag on the fort on August 15, 1955.
