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{{Short description|Indian IPS officer (born 1928)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Prabhakar Sinari
| image = Prabhakar Sinari.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Sinari in 2017
| birth_name = Prabhakar Vitthal Prabhu Sinari
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1928|11|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Ribandar]], [[Tiswadi taluka]], [[Portuguese Goa]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nickname = [[Che Guevara]] of Goa
| spouse = Vilasini
| children =
| occupation = [[Indian Police Service|IPS]] officer
| organisation = [[Azad Gomantak Dal]]
| years_active =
| known_for = {{plainlist |
* [[Liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli]]
* Former assistant director of the [[R&AW]]
}}
| movement = [[Goa Liberation Movement]]
| alma_mater =
| notable_works = ''From Darkness to Dawn''
| awards = Tamrapatra Award
}}
'''Prabhakar Vitthal Prabhu Sinari''' (born 23 November 1928) is an Indian freedom fighter, [[Indian Police Service|IPS]] officer, former Inspector General of Police and former assistant director of the [[R&AW]]. A founding member of the [[Azad Gomantak Dal]], he was part of the [[Liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli]]. After the [[Liberation of Goa]], he became its first IPS officer and later became [[Goa]]'s [[Inspector General of Police (India)|Inspector General of Police]] and then the assistant director of the R&AW.

== Early and personal life ==
Prabhakar Vitthal Prabhu Sinari was born on 23 November<ref name="ShirodkarWho86">{{Cite book |last=Shirodkar |first=Pandurang Purushottam |author-link=Pandurang Purushottam Shirodkar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISScyAEACAAJ |title=Who's Who of Freedom Fighters, Goa, Daman, and Diu |date=1986 |publisher=Goa Gazetteer Department, Government of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman, and Diu |volume=1 |pages=333–335}}</ref> 1928<ref name="RoadMalkarnekarToI21">{{Cite news |last=Malkarnekar |first=Gauree |date=2021-12-19 |title=Revolutionaries take the road less travelled |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/revolutionaries-take-the-road-less-travelled/articleshow/88366797.cms |access-date=2025-02-08 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>{{efn|Aged 93 in 2021–22}} in [[Ribandar]], [[Tiswadi taluka]], [[Portuguese Goa]], to Vitthal Purushottam Prabhu Sinari. He completed his education with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree. From a young age, he became involved in the freedom movement, actively participating in activities since 1946.<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" /> Sinari's brothers, Purushottam and Dinkar, were also active in the Goa liberation movement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Purushottam Vitthal Prabhu Sinari |url=https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/unsung-heroes-detail.htm?4176 |access-date=9 February 2025 |website=Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav}}</ref>

Sinari is married to Vilasini and lives in [[Caranzalem]] as of 2021.<ref name="RoadMalkarnekarToI21" />

== Goa Liberation Movement ==
Sinari was an active participant in Goa's struggle for liberation from Portuguese rule. He organized processions, rallies, and public campaigns, often affixing posters to promote the movement. He was arrested on three occasions, during which he faced physical abuse, including having his head shaved as a punitive measure.<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" />

Aged 15 in June 1946, then a student at the Escola Moderna, Sinari was encouraged by a schoolteacher, Sadanand Apu Manapat, to join a peaceful protest against the arrest of [[Ram Manohar Lohia]], amidst the events of [[Goa Revolution Day]]. However, the peaceful protestors were brutally attacked by the Portuguese police, convincing the young Sinari that the Portuguese only understood aggression.<ref name="KulkarniUprisingDadra24">{{Cite book |last=Kulkarni |first=Neelesh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Wk_EQAAQBAJ |title=Uprising: The Liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli |date=2024 |publisher=Westland Non-Fiction |isbn=978-93-6045-865-2 |language=en}}</ref>

Sinari became a founding member of the [[Azad Gomantak Dal]] (AGD), which broke away from the peaceful National Congress Goa (NCG) on 18 June 1947.<ref name="KulkarniUprisingDadra24" /> Sinari and six other young men—[[Dattatraya Deshpande]], Jaiwant Kunde, Tukaram Kankonkar, Betu Naik, Narayan Naik, and leader [[Vishwanath Lawande]]—pledged to liberate Goa through [[guerrilla tactics]].<ref name="RoadMalkarnekarToI21" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Prabhune-Nayak |first=Manaswini |date=19 December 2017 |title=गोवा राज्य दिन : भारताला स्वातंत्र्य मिळाल्यानंतरही गोवा मुक्त व्हायला 14 वर्षं का लागली? |trans-title=Goa Liberation Day: Why Did Goa Take 14 Years to Gain Independence After India? |url=https://www.bbc.com/marathi/india-42403310 |access-date=2025-02-09 |work=BBC News मराठी |language=mr}}</ref>

In July 1947, AGD attempted to attack and steal from the Portuguese treasury, Fazenda, in [[Mapusa]]. The only sentry guarding the Fazenda managed to defeat them, resulting in one Portuguese policeman being badly injured. Following this, the AGD unsuccessfully tried to rob bags of a cash from an officer of the Portuguese overseas bank, [[Banco Nacional Ultramarino]], while in a bus at [[Porvorim]]. These actions led to increased persecution by Portuguese authorities.<ref name="HappyMalkarnekarToI22">{{Cite news |last=Malkarnekar |first=Gauree |date=2022-08-15 |title='We were happy with the freedom, but no one could celebrate in Goa' |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/we-were-happy-with-the-freedom-but-no-one-could-celebrate-in-goa/articleshow/93564896.cms |access-date=2025-02-08 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

Sinari was known for his use of guerrilla tactics and leadership in armed operations, earning him the nickname "[[Che Guevara]] of Goa" for his revolutionary activities and strategic acumen.<ref name="CheNT17">{{Cite news |date=2017-12-11 |title=Che Guevara of Goa: Prabhakar Sinari |url=https://www.navhindtimes.in/2017/12/11/opinions/opinion/che-guevara-of-goa-prabhakar-sinari/ |access-date=2025-02-08 |work=The Navhind Times}}</ref>

Sinari was arrested for his involvement in these revolutionary actions. Following a trial by the Portuguese Tribunal Militar Territorial, he was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment. While in detention, he endured [[solitary confinement]], inhumane treatment, and torture for refusing to recognize or respect the [[Portuguese flag]].<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" />

Fearing his impending deportation, Sinari escaped from prison in Panaji in October 1952, four years after his imprisonment. In his previous attempt, he had tried to jump over the fifty-metre-high wall of the jail at [[Reis Magos Fort]], but misjudged the fall and was recaptured and tortured. He was also later denied permission to attend his father's funeral. Over the next few days, he made his way across [[Taleigão]], [[Ribandar]] and finally to Poira, near the Indian border. From there, he crossed the border in the jungle and reached Maneri village. From there, he went to [[Belgaum]], where the AGD had an office. Inspired by his presence there, the volunteers planned for the liberation of [[Nagar Haveli]].<ref name="KulkarniUprisingDadra24" />

Sinari later founded an offshoot of the AGD called the Rancour Patriótica.<ref name="FaleiroGoa1961">{{Cite book |last=Faleiro |first=Valmiki |author-link=Valmiki Faleiro |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GYLyEAAAQBAJ |title=Goa, 1961: The Complete Story of Nationalism and Integration |date=2023-07-24 |publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited |isbn=978-93-5708-175-7 |pages=78-79 |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref>

== Leadership in armed operations ==
Sinari became the leader of the Northern Command, orchestrating several armed attacks against Portuguese authorities. Notable actions under his leadership included:
* The attack on the Ravan police outpost in Satari on 19 March 1955.<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" />
* The damage inflicted on a railway engine at Caranzol on 16 April 1955.<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" />
* The raid on the Salem customs post in Pernem, resulting in the seizure of arms on 26 May 1955.<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" />

He also led significant operations, including dynamiting the Shirgaon mines in October 1955 and launching a series of coordinated assaults on police outposts across Goa. These actions escalated between 1956 and 1957, with notable incidents such as:
* The February 1956 attack on the Ravan police outpost, resulting in the deaths of two policemen.<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" />
* The March 1956 raid on a trolley carrying money, which included the killing of a guard.<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" />
* The destruction of a police van transporting arms in March 1956.<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" />

Sinari also organized attacks on mines and police outposts in late 1957, under a newly formed organization based in Belgaum.<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" />

The Portuguese authorities declared a reward of ₹1 lakh for Sinari, dead or alive, and made several attempts to capture or eliminate him, including employing mercenaries. Despite being injured multiple times in armed encounters, he remained committed to the cause of Goa's liberation.<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" />

== Post-Liberation of Goa ==

After the [[Liberation of Goa]], Sinari was awarded the Tamrapatra by the Central Government for his contributions to the freedom struggle. His associates included notable people like [[Vishwanath Lawande]], [[Dattatraya Deshpande]], Narayan Hari Naik, Mukund Kamat Dhakankar, [[Mohan Ranade]], and others.<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" />

In 2017, Sinari published a book detailing his 16-year involvement in the Goa Liberation Movement, providing a factual account of his participation as a freedom fighter. The book is titled, ''From Darkness to Dawn''.<ref name="SaluteHerald17">{{Cite web |date=2017-12-19 |title=THE SINARI SALUTE TO FREEDOM FIGHTERS |url=https://www.heraldgoa.in/cafe/the-sinari-salute-to-freedom-fighters/124247 |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=Herald Goa |language=en}}</ref>

Sinari later pursued a career as an [[Indian Police Service]] (IPS) officer, continuing his commitment to public service.<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" /> He is considered as Goa's first IPS officer, and then became the [[Inspector General of Police (India)|Inspector General of Police]] (IGP) for Goa.<ref name="SaluteHerald17" /> He later went on to become the assistant director of the [[R&AW]], through which he was responsible for the security of then [[Prime Minister of India]], [[Indira Gandhi]].<ref name="RoadMalkarnekarToI21" /> He also had an important role against the insurgency in Punjab.<ref name="KulkarniUprisingDadra24" />

==Awards and accolades==
Sinari was awarded the Tamrapatra by the [[Government of India]].<ref name="ShirodkarWho86" />

In 2020, a photo panel featuring Sinari's life and career was set up at the GRP Camp of the Goa Police.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-06-09 |title=SP proposes to include 'Golden Chapter of Goa's Liberation' in PTS syllabus |url=https://www.heraldgoa.in/Goa/SP-proposes-to-include-%E2%80%98Golden-Chapter-of-Goa%E2%80%99s-Liberation%E2%80%99-in-PTS-syllabus/161595 |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Herald Goa |language=en}}</ref>

==Works==
* ''From Darkness to Dawn'' (2017)

==Notes==
{{Notes}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinari, Prabhakar}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Goa liberation activists]]
[[Category:People from North Goa district]]
[[Category:People from Portuguese India]]
[[Category:Indian Police Service officers]]
[[Category:People of the Research & Analysis Wing]]
[[Category:1928 births]]

Prabhakar Sinari - Revision history

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