FREEDOM FIGHTERS OR CHORS/CRIMIDORS? By A Veronica Fernandes, Kuwait

In Bardez, Siolim and Tivim were the main bastions of freedom movement and freedom fighters. These freedom fighters were Christians and Hindus while Muslims were not known to belong to this category even though there may be some.

Very many Hindu freedom fighters were fanatic Hindus and their involvement in freedom movement was only to turn Goa into a Hindu Raj because many of them were under the impression that Jai “Hind” means Jai “Hindu” Raj. This ignoramus never knew how the word “Hind” originated. For them Hind means Hindu. Hence, their involvement in freedom movement. Mohan Ranade the Marathi Teacher at Verem, Bardez, before attacking the Betim Police Outpost around 1959 has vowed to turn Goa into a Hindu Raj according to information received that time.

He was not an original Goan. Like many of the Marathi Masters coming from the other side of the border he also was a Ghantti. He no doubt conducted a very daring operation where one Goan “soldad” was killed and one Paklo soldad was injured but finally Ranade was shot, caught and sent to Portugal to serve his long term prison sentence. Every Christian got himself involved in freedom movement purely for the sake of freedom for Goa from Portuguese rule. There was no religious fanaticism in his involvement in freedom movement. Some of the freedom fighters from Tivim were distributing small Holy Pictures of Our Lady of Perpetual Succuor with the statements on the back side saying “Portugal Quit Goa”, “Goa belongs to Goans and not to Portugal”, these freedom fighters were all Christians and they were distributing these holy pictures to the devotees coming to Tivim for the Wednesdays Novenas, of course clandestinely.

Many of the Muslim Palestinians who are fighting for independent Palestine are doing so to promote their religious fanaticism while all the Palestinian Christians who are fighting to drive Jews out of their land are doing so only for the love of freedom for them. To convert Palestine into a theocratic state is not the goal of Christian Palestinians. There is lot of similarities between Muslim Palestinians and Goan Hindu freedom fighters as indicated above.

Along with many of the Goan Hindu freedom fighters, Christian freedom fighters also jointly conducted operation “Chorio” and operation “Crimi”. In the name of freedom movement these “chors” and “crimidors” went on rampage of robbing and killing innocent Goans in Goa. So much so, freedom fighters finally became synonymous with robbers and criminals in Goa even though there were so many freedom fighters with clean record of their discipline. Everything worst in Goan society that time was associated withfreedom fighters. In Assagao Bardez, Goa, there was one Venkatesh who was the owner of one Taverna. He was the main mastermind behind sheltering the “chor and crimidor” freedom fighters. Under his direction very many of the dirty operations were conducted by some of the so called freedom fighters. Venkatesh was very good associate of Shirodkar the first Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly. Both of them were strong allies of MGP and many of the MGP associates were of dirty character. In Siolim the local Regidor was mercilessly tortured and killed by the criminals in the name of freedom movement. The Regidor was killed not because he was Regidor appointed by the Portuguese Government but because of settling of personal dispute. The Regidor was not a Portuguese Paklo but a Goan. Those so called freedom fighters had no marbles in their pants to kill Portuguese Pakles andPortuguese Officers. These so called Goan Freedom Fighters were killing and robbing Goans only because Goans were on weaker side while Portuguese were armed. These freedom fighters even robbed Salgaocars.

In Siolim Soddiem there was one “Casador” Manuel Santan. He had one servant at his residence. Because he robbed something from Manuel Santan’s house, he was thrown out. In order to take revenge, he joined a group of “Chor and Crimidors” who in the name of freedom movement started looting and killing Goans. They were so deadly that they really terrified Siolim and surrounding areas. One fine afternoon they attached Manuel Santan’s Residence and took away from him both his Guns which he was using as“Casador” to kill “Randukor” in deep mountains in that locality. His sacked servant knew that his former boss had two Guns which finally the “chor” freedom fighters started using to kill more Goans and not Pakles. These type of gangs mushroomed all over Goa, they did not want Portuguese to leave Goa because they wanted to loot and acquire illicit wealth by robbing rich Goans. Portuguese stay in Goa was a blessing for them because Portuguese rule allowed them to rob Goans and make more and more money in the name of freedom movement. After Portuguese ouster these freedom fighters fell on the road in financial misery.

I still remember how my mother used to put us to sleep in the name of freedom fighters saying “cholat-cholat, nidonk vochat veiguim na tor freedom fighters etelet tumkam marpak”. Even young girls were frightened in the name of freedom fighters saying “behave well otherwise freedom fighters will come to rape you” and those so called freedom fighters were capable of doing any type of wrong because they belonged to that dirty class. This was the fear complex the so called freedom fighters created into our minds and hearts. At Parra while going to Anjuna Zor, the so called freedom fighters made their citadel at the hill top and theirbusiness was not to fight Portuguese but to rob the innocent Goans and passersby on the road. When they were doing too much of robberies and harassment for the locals, one Goan Baker originally from Majorda the strong citadel of Goan Bakers, from the nearby place complained to the Portuguese Police and when these so called freedom fighters came to know of this, they went to his house and with a gun point cut his tongue only, of course with all the cruelties at their disposal, cruel people they were. These freedom fighters in particular and all the freedom fighters in general were hard hearted people, of course with the exception of few. Most of the cruelties in Goa against Goans were committed by the so called freedom fighters. Generally speaking one has to be very hard person to involve in freedom movement. The late Goan singer Souza Giao from Calangute once told me that Goan freedom fighters are mostly “bamtte”. And of course many of them were real “Bamtte” and because they were such they allowed unwanted persons to infiltrate into their ranks. In Goa after the ouster of Portuguese, freedom fighters and freedom movement was associated with Hindus only and even all the new entrants into this fold are all Hindus. Those who think freedom movement was the monopoly of Hindus only are sadly mistaken.

Francis Luis Gomes the great Goan who campaigned for the freedom for Goa and even for India from the foreign soil was not a Hindu. My neighbours in Candolim Pintos Vaddo who created Pinto’s revolution were not Hindus. I who assisted my father in “Sankou Modd” operation in Candolim at a very young age am not a Hindu. Likewise innumerable Christians took part in Goa’s freedom movement but felt shy of accepting any rewards because they did not want to make their sacrifices like purchasable commodities. As for me I would never make my fight and sacrifices for the cause of Goa as purchasable commodity and as such I would never accept any material reward like Tamrapatra or pension. Ouster of Portuguese from Goan soil would be my reward, my pension and my Tamrapatra.

As a matter of interest under my initiative and leadership during the invasion period of Kuwait, we Kuwait evacuees organized a big movement in Goa where public rallies and meetings were held in Panjim. This was the big booster for the cause of Kuwait’s freedom and at that time this movement had great significance. This movement in Goa created international impact thru the publicity it got from CNN. Within a short period I became a hero, my name went far and wide. After the liberation of Kuwait the highest authority of the State of Kuwait asked me what I want for the great work I did along with my Goan brothers and sisters for the cause of Kuwait. Taking into consideration the principle involved in my efforts in raising Kuwait’s issue in India and knowing that my efforts for the cause of Kuwait was to see Kuwait liberated from Iraqi invasion and not to gain material benefits for me because my efforts were not compensatable by material rewards, I replied, “I ONLY WANT PEACE, STABILITY, PROSPERITY AND SECURITY FOR KUWAIT”.

I did not ask any material and personal benefits even though some of my colleagues disagreed with me because their attitude is like that of Goan freedom fighters – Money and Tamrapatras. Tamrapatras of some of the freedom fighters emit odour of robberies and crimes. Many top-top Kuwaitis also volunteered to help me in many respects to enhance my current standard even by providing me with lucrative jobs even at KOC but I politely turned down their doles because what I did for Kuwait it was out of ideology and not to gain personal benefits. The victory of my ideology itself is my reward.Liberation of Kuwait is the real victory, that's all.

While concluding I demand apology from the Freedom Fighters Association in Goa for the robberies, murders and other dirty acts the rascal freedom fighters have committed in Goa in the name of freedom movement. Worst of the crimes and brutalities against Goans during the Portuguese regime were committed not by Portuguese soldads and Agente Monteiro but by the “Chor” and “Crimidor” freedom fighters.