RAPE OF GOAN WOMEN by A. Veronica Fernandes

The raping took place in Goa during the annexation of Goa by the Bharati Army is hundred percent correct though I dont have all the records and statistics in my hand now to give. Because of the fear of more raping see below what our village Pe. Vigar did to prevent raping of our village girls by the Bharati soldiers:

I was an student of Parochial School in the mornings and in the afternoon Portuguese School. In Parochial School I was studying Konkani and Music and as a music student and member of our village Choir, I was selected to be a member of "Anj" singer during the Salves (Novenas) for 8 days for the feast of Nossa Senhora de Esperance - Our Patron Saint -. The feast was as normal fixed on the last Sunday of December that was on 28th December of that year if I am not mistaken. When on 19th December of that year in 1961 Indian Army marched over Goa and annexed it, lot of stories started pouring in Goa that Indian Armymen raped our innocent Goan girls mostly Christians only. I still remember if I am not mistaken how a young girl between Betim and Pilerne was while walking on the interior road and seen by the Indian armymen lifted her phycially and raped continuously by number of Indian soldiers. The girl then left alone, taken to hospital where while she was given medication pleaded with Goan doctors to give her poisonour injection and kill her because she will not be able to bear the shame to live anymore a decent life. Elesewhere in Cortalim constituency one Indian soldier entered the Goan bar where he saw a girl and demanded to have sex with her. When she refused he threw an explosive and destroyed a portion of their bar. Besides these there are number of such stories and not fictions committed by brute Indian millitary, mainly sardarjis. And why anyone should not believe these stories when everyone knows what Indian millitary did in Bangladesh after defeating Pakistan in that war inspite of strong warning by the then chief of Indian Army Gen. Manekshaw now Field Marshal.

Now coming back to our Village Pe. Vigar's action. His name was Pe. Nicholau Noronhna from Margao. He was involved in writing for Avida during the Portuguese time and intellectually very great but anti-Portuguese. When his writings found unpalatable to Portuguese regime in Goa, he from earlier posting was trasnferred to our village as village Pevigar as a sing of demotion and humiliation. Earlier his posting was not in the Church but much higher than that of a Pevigar. On the day of the surrendering of Goa to Bharat, the same Pe. Vigar on Candolim Tinto gave a small speech in praise of the Bharat Government and even said "henceforth, now, everything will be good in Goa for the good of the Goans because Bharati Government is better than the previous Government". Incidentally all who applauded him at that moment were only the Hindus who were elevated by the speech of Christian Pevigar. Those time Hindus many of them ignorant thought that India means Hindu Raj and only Hindus will rein supreme in Goa and Christians will be treated as Jews in Naziland.

So, our Village Pe. Vigar a staunch supporter of Bharat after hearing and noticing all the news of raping done by Indian Armymen in many parts of Goa finally decided, of course very disappointinly to stop having evening daily novenas - Salves because whole day Indian Armymen were passing thru the road touching the Church, going from Panjim to Aguada. There was a fear that while our females going to Church in evenings attending the Salves might be taken on gun point by the Indian brute Armymen and rape them. This was the fear of Pe. Vigar and village elders who all stopped the novenas in the evenings for some time and restarted only 4 days before the feast and too only with the assurance of top Indian millitary man from Aguada who assured Pe. Vigar that nothing untoward will happen to the village Christian girls.

From the above, I am sure Goans will be convinced that raping had taken place in Goa during the march of Indian Army over my and your beloved Goa which is suffering too much since 1961. Our culture, tradition, history and very good way of disciplined life is on the way of eradication because illegitimate and rubbish culture is pouring in Goa and this degrades yours and mine. People should have awakened long time back to raise your voice on this. Only few people like me are raising our voices and exposing misdeeds of the mischief makers while others are only keeping silence saying "Goem gelem, adlem Goem kobar zalem". Expatriate Goans especially holding foreign passports and residing in the West have got up very late and that many of them are existing and thinking of Goa I came to know only with the advent of electronics media. Do something to save Goa from extinction.

Educate the people so that they especially western Goans do something for their motherland. They must protect and save their anchestral houses, properties and other things lying in Goa otherwise everything will fall into the hands of non-Goans. Simply writings in cyber will not help. Some concrete actions are required to save Goan lands from going into the hands of non-Goans. This is just one way of protecting Goa. Let us see what you and we can do for this.