Long before it became part of India, a small pocket of western India stayed under Portuguese rule for seven years after the country's own independence in 1947. That changed on August 2, 1954, when Portuguese control over Dadra and Nagar Haveli finally ended following a prolonged struggle.
Why This Region Stayed Under Foreign Rule Even After 1947
When India gained independence from the British in 1947, most of the country came together under one flag. Goa, Daman, Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, however, remained under Portuguese control as colonial territories, sitting within India's geographic boundaries but outside its political control.
Tribals And Volunteers Joined Forces To End Portuguese Rule
Local tribal communities led the movement to free Dadra and Nagar Haveli. They were joined by the Azad Goa Movement, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Azad Gomantak Dal, who together organised resistance against the Portuguese administration and eventually forced the foreign rulers out.
During this period, the Gomantak Sena took down the Portuguese flag and hoisted the Indian tricolour, a symbolically significant moment in the liberation struggle. A Pune based lawyer named Ranade also played an important role in the Goa revolution, which had a bearing on the freedom struggle in the neighbouring Portuguese territories.
The Region's One Day 'Prime Minister'
Amid the efforts to merge the territory with India, one local figure briefly took charge as the administrative head of Dadra and Nagar Haveli for just a single day, a role later remembered as the region's one day Prime Minister. It remains one of the lesser known episodes of the liberation period.
Seven Years Of Self Rule By The People
Portuguese rule ended on August 2, 1954, but Dadra and Nagar Haveli did not immediately merge with India. Instead, for the next seven years, local residents governed themselves through a system called the Varishtha Panchayat, or senior council. It was an unusual interim period in which the territory was neither under Portuguese control nor formally part of India.
August 11, 1961: Officially Part Of India
After seven years of self-governance, Dadra and Nagar Haveli was officially merged into India on August 11, 1961. With that, the region became a full part of the Indian union, and the temporary administration run through the Varishtha Panchayat came to an end.
