India seizes Goa from Portugal. The Portuguese set up a base in Goa, which was called Goa Dourada, or Golden Goa, to control the spice trade. When India became independent in 1947, Goa remained under Portuguese control. The Indian government insisted that Goa be turned over to India but Portugal refused. The Portuguese lodged a complaint against India in the International Court of Justice at The Hague. The final judgement on this case, given in 1960, held that the Portuguese had a right to the enclaves, but that India equally had a right to deny Portugal access to the enclaves over Goan territory. Finally, Indian troops crossed the border into Goa in an operation named ‘Operation Vijay', the move involved sustained land, sea, and air strikes for more than 36 hours; it resulted in the unconditional surrender of Portuguese forces. Goa was admitted to Indian statehood in 1987. __
