Ahead of Goa Liberation Day, SCD College alumni urges citizens to remember sacrifice of 2 heroes from Ludhiana

With the nation set to celebrate Goa Liberation Day on December 19, the alumni of SCD College feel that the sacrifices of two heroes from Ludhiana should not be forgotten by the country.

Every year, the alumni of SCD Government College pay tribute to Major Shiv Dev Singh Sidhu and Captain Vijay Sehgal on Goa Liberation Day and feel that the state and central governments should pay tribute to the martyrs in Punjab as well as in Goa, so the younger generation can draw inspiration from their sacrifice.

Sharing details, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal, who is Major Sidhu’s nephew, said that his uncle and Captain Sehgal were alums of SCD College.

“Born in Sidhwan Khurd on July 2, 1926, my maternal uncle was exceptionally good at studies. The family thought that will pursue medicine and become a doctor. He went to the government college in Ludhiana for further education. As luck would have it, a British officer and his team came to the college to give motivational lectures and recruit young men as officers in the British Army,” said Grewal.

He added that after attending a two-year educational and training programme at the King George School in Jullundur (Jalandhar), Sidhu was inducted as an officer and commissioned into the 7th Light Cavalry and married in 1951.

In 1961, the government of India decided to liberate Goa from the Portuguese and the 7th Light Cavalry was one of the units which moved there to take part in Operation Vijay. On December 18, 1961, Major Sidhu and Captain Sehgal and some personnel approached Fort Aguada to free political prisoners. The Portuguese were well entrenched and not willing to give up and used heavy firearms to prevent any entry into the fort premises and both Captain Sehgal and Major Sidhu lost their lives in the firefight.

“The nation must remember that this holiday destination of India came at a price of blood and valour. It’s an important part of the glorious Indian military history, which must not get buried for future generations,” co-ordinator of SCD alumni association Brij Bhushan Goyal said.