The São Jacinto Island is around a kilometre in diameter and is home to around 200 people. The rocky island was once home to a lighthouse and contains no agricultural land besides coconut groves. Villagers said they will unfurl the national flag on their own on Independence Day.
The Indian Navy’s initiative to hoist a national flag on the Island of São Jacinto, near the port town of Vasco da Gama in Goa, to celebrate the 75th Independence Day faced resistance from locals who said they were suspicious of government and military authorities’ motives. While the navy cancelled the event, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said his government will deal with “anti-India” activities with an iron fist.
The navy said that the event, now cancelled, was part of the ministry of defence’s initiative to unfurl the national flag in islands across the nation between 13 and 15 Aug, 21 under the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations to mark the 75th Independence Day.
“…A team from Goa Naval Area visited islands of Goa including Sao Jacinto Island as part of this pan India initiative,” a statement by the navy said, adding, “However, the plan at Jacinto Island had to be cancelled as the same was objected to by the residents. This initiative was taken nationwide to instil a sense of patriotism and celebrate the run up to the 75th year of independence,” the statement said.
Earlier, the villagers of the island said they were not opposed to hoisting of the national flag but would rather do it themselves since they feared that the navy or the Central authorities could end up “capturing” their island. Former Goa revenue minister and state Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president José Philip D’Souza said they won’t let the flag hoisting event go ahead.
“Navy’s officers came here and said they will be holding a flag hoisting ceremony here for Independence Day celebrations. We only wish to state, be it the navy, the government, or any private company, we are not authorising anyone to come here and do this. We are together in this,” D’Souza said.
“If it is in their minds, the mind of the navy or the Central government to come here and ‘capture’ this island, then we will not allow it,” D’Souza added.
The São Jacinto Island is around a kilometre in diameter and is home to around 200 people. The rocky island was once home to a lighthouse and contains no agricultural land besides coconut groves. Villagers said they will unfurl the national flag on their own on Independence Day.
“Flag hoisting needs to be done on August 15, and we the villagers will do it under the guidance of village elders,” Custodio D’Souza, a resident, said.
Meanwhile, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant accused the islanders of anti-India activities and promised to deal with them with an iron fist.
“It is unfortunate and shameful that some individuals at St Jacinto Island have objected to the hoisting of the national flag by the Indian Navy on the occasion of India’s Independence Day. I condemn this and want to state on record that my government will not tolerate such acts,” Sawant tweeted on Saturday.
“I have requested the Indian Navy to go ahead with their original plan and have assured [them of] full cooperation from Goa Police. These attempts at anti-India activities shall be dealt with an iron fist. It will always be ‘Nation First’,” Sawant added.
Goa has a love-hate relationship with the navy in the state due to a couple of issues including its alleged ‘takeover’ of the Island of Anjediva, off the coast of Karwar, that was once a part of Goa but became off-limits for locals, wishing to pray at the Island’s two churches, after the navy occupied it for strategic reasons. The two historical churches were built by the Portuguese who occupied the island in 1506 and surrendered it in 1961, 48-hours after mainland Goa was surrendered to India.
Devotees are especially peeved that they are denied even nominal attendance at the two churches even on the occasion of the religious feasts. The people of Goa, especially those from the southernmost taluka bordering Karnataka, used to religiously make the pilgrimage to the island twice a year to celebrate the feast until 2004.
