Was Floriano Vaz a "martyr"? Many sources claimed that Floriano was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Some of the people who were involved and some who knew what happened said that they were unware what went wrong on that day in Margoa. If I remember right, the police blamed some miscreants for inciting violence and, hence, the police force resorted to firing. I am not sure if I read somewhere that Floriano was chased to his house and shot at. Perhaps those with better memory can shed light on this issue. However, since he got killed by a police bullet, it served well for the Konknni protagonist to make him the poster boy of the Konknni movement. Even today, those who were in the Konkani movement don't speak openly for fear that they would be targets of the Pro-Konknni groups. This unfortunate incident or accident, if some are believed, put pressure on the government as the killing added further momemtum to the agitation. Just as it may true in some cases of freedom fighters who were only freedom shourters, Or perhaps, some of them may have just thrown a stone from a safe distance. Floriano was perhaps an unwilling participant. During riots, particularly the famous 1992 Los Angeles riots, many blacks got killed not for their role in the anti-police agitation but for looting. These killed youths were portrayed as those who died for a cause. The riots were sparked after the police who beat up Rodney King, a black man, were found not guilty. I know that an award has been instituted in Floriano's name and, I believe, some compensation was paid to the family. The Floriano case deserve careful study in the context of the Official Recognition for Konkani movement.
Eugene Correia