SHASHWAT GUPTA RAY
While the role of the Hin du and Catholic elites during the 400-year Portuguese era in Goa is well known, not much information is available about the role Muslims played during this period. However, compelling findings have surfaced through the research of veteran historian and academi cian Dr Sharmila Pais, revealing the presence of Muslims in military ser vice, trade and even politics. “From my recent research on the historical contributions of the Muslim community in Goa during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, I have found that this subject is largely unexamined in Goan histori ography, which typically focuses on Hindu and Catholic elites. Although little has been discovered about them thus far, my recent research has uncovered new information on this subject,” said Dr Pais, Associate Professor of History at St Xavier’s College, Mapusa. Dr Pais’ research has uncovered references to Muslim contingents and local militias in Ponda and South Goa who served the Portu guese loyally. “Notably, archival evidence sug gests these groups were led by Muslim corporals and served as a vital support system for the re gime during periods of constant conflict. This indicates a level of trust and integration into the colonial mili tary apparatus that has not been previously documented,” she said. Beyond military service, she identified significant involvement in trade, commerce and governance.
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There are references from the 19th century indi cating that members of the Muslim community were active in trade and commerce, owning businesses such as bicycle shops and functioning as “minor cap italists”. “Furthermore, there is evidence of Muslim partici pation in elections documented after 1910. In 1955, the first and only Muslim candidate before Liberation, Kazi Muhammad Mustafá, was elected to the Legislative Council after Por tugal was declared a Republic,” the senior historian said. In 1910, Portugal was declared a republic and, consequently, Goa came under Republican rule. To download the admit card, candidates need to vis it neet.nta.nic.in and click on the ‘NEET UG 2026 Ad mit Card’ link on the homepage.
They must then enter their application number, date of birth or password, and the security captcha before submitting the details. The admit card will appear on the screen and should be downloaded and printed for future reference. The NTA has advised candidates to regularly check the official website for updates regarding the re-ex amination and subsequent result announcements. COP ON DUTY KILLED IN BAGA HIT-AND-RUN The impact of the collision left Gawade with severe head injuries. However, he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment. Police identified the driver of the car as Sajid Sheikh, a resident of Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Sheikh allegedly abandoned the vehicle and fled immediately after the accident. He remained untraceable till late Sunday. Investigators subsequently tracked down the own er of the car and summoned him to the Calangute po lice station for questioning on Sunday afternoon. Calangute police have registered a case and further investigation is in progress to trace the absconding driver and ascertain the circumstances leading to the crash.
SAILORS’ DEATHS: ‘OBEDIENT SERVANT’: CONGRESS SLAMS MODI OVER US REMARKS The attack comes ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s scheduled meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in France this week. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused Modi of acting like an “obedient servant” of the United States. In a post on X, Gandhi said that even days after three Indian sailors were killed in American attacks, there had been neither regret nor an apology from Washington. “On the contrary, the US continues to issue orders,” Gandhi said, referring to recent American statements that any violation of its blockade in the Strait of Hor muz and illicit transport of Iranian oil would not be tolerated. “A sovereign nation would never tolerate such lan guage. But our compromised PM? Silent. He listens like an obedient servant and complies with the or ders,” Gandhi said. In another post, Gandhi referred to the death of an Indian national due to medical complications aboard a vessel docked at Duqm Port in Oman, alleging that under a “compromised PM”, Indian citizens were be ing abandoned abroad. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also ques tioned the prime minister’s silence, noting that three days had passed since the deaths of the sailors with out a public statement or condolence message from Modi. “The nation was waiting for it, Modi ji,” Kharge said. He alleged that the prime minister had “belittled” India’s global standing and sovereignty and accused the government of surrendering national interests on a daily basis while masking it under the “Vishwaguru” narrative. “India used to be a Vishwaguru when it maintained its strategic autonomy and followed the policy of Non-Alignment,” Kharge said, adding that Indian lives could not be treated as an afterthought in matters of foreign policy. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra described the Modi government’s silence as “shame ful”, saying the US had resorted to the language of threats and commands instead of expressing regret over the deaths. “It is imperative to firmly convey to the US that In dia is a sovereign and independent nation capable of defending its sovereignty,” she said.
Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh questioned whether Modi would raise India’s strong est condemnation over the sailors’ deaths and the “threatening and really unacceptable” language alleg edly used by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dur ing his conversation with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on June 12. Ramesh also demanded that India defer the visit of the US Trade Representative and renewed the Con gress’ attack on the proposed India-US trade deal, al leging that it threatened the interests of Indian farm ers and industries. “Any self-respecting nation will do more than mere phone calls and press statements to defend its sover eignty against bullies,” he said. Joining the criticism of Washington, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called the United States an “insen sitive friend” for failing to express regret over the deaths of the Indian sailors despite being India’s stra tegic partner. The former diplomat said he was “deeply shocked” by the US statement because it contained “no expres sion of regret or condolence” for the loss of innocent Indian lives. “How can a friend and strategic partner be so deep ly insensitive?” Tharoor asked, while questioning why non-lethal means could not have been used to stop commercial vessels that allegedly failed to com ply with US orders. “Is it not possible to disable a ship’s propulsion or steering without firing missiles targeted to kill civil ian crew members?” he asked.
Tharoor also pointed out that practically every merchant vessel navigating Gulf waters has Indi an crew members and asked whether all such ships were now considered fair game for US attacks. “This approach is unacceptable, and I hope S Jais hankar had said so to Marco Rubio,” he said. At least three foreign tankers with Indian crew members — MT Marivex, Settlebello and Jalveer — have reportedly come under attack by the US Navy in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz in the past week. NEW RESEARCH UNEARTHS MUSLIMS’ ROLE IN GOA’S COLONIAL PAST There are references from the 19th century indi cating that members of the Muslim community were active in trade and commerce, owning businesses such as bicycle shops and functioning as “minor cap italists”. “Furthermore, there is evidence of Muslim partici pation in elections documented after 1910. In 1955, the first and only Muslim candidate before Liberation, This phase was marked by significant changes and reforms. “Following the military coup of 1926, Portugal entered a new phase of authoritarian rule. Thus, the first Republican phase in Goa lasted from 1910 to 1925, while the second extended from 1926 to 1961,” she said.
Dr Pais’ doctoral work, The Encounter with the Ballot in Colonial Goa (1822-1961), also shows that while elections in Goa date back to the 1820s, a visible Muslim presence in the electoral process is primarily documented from the 20th century onwards. “Although this does not necessarily imply their absence in earlier periods, there is currently a lack of archival evidence to confirm their participation prior to this time,” Dr Pais said. These findings suggest that the perceived absence of Muslim contribu tions is likely the result of an incomplete historical record rather than an actual lack of presence. “I plan to investigate archival records further to connect these missing threads in Goan history. This topic requires more research to draw defin itive conclusions. I am eager to continue this work and am confident that more details will come to light,” she said.
