The 1982 Vasco riots were supposedly sparked by a letter addressed to a high-ranking Mormugao Port Authority (MPT) official sent from New Delhi to hire 12 Keralites. Unfortunately, the letter was intercepted and it’s contents made known, leading to the first-ever riots in liberated Goa.

However, there’s more to that story. According to later reports, the riots were caused primarily by protests against the reported eviction of residents from MPT-owned land, which led to subsequent violent clashes that snowballed into anti-outsider protests.

The resulting feeling of being overwhelmed by the indiscriminate entry of non-Goans into Goa led to a movement for special status, which sought protection for Goa under Article 371 of the Constitution of India, in line with the laws applicable to the North Eastern states and Article 35A (now deleted) of the Constitution. Goans wanted to insulate themselves from the influx of non-Goans.