<p>Veteran freedom fighter Mohan Ranade, who also participated in the Goa liberation movement, died at a Pune-based hospital in neighbouring Maharashtra on Tuesday morning, a family source said.<br /><br />He was 90.<br /><br />Ranade had been ailing since some time and undergoing treatment at the hospital where he breathed his last around 5.30 am, his friend and Goa-based historian Sanjiv Sardesai told reporters here.<br /><br />Ranade was arrested by Portuguese police in 1955 and incarcerated at the Fort of Caxias near Lisbon in Portugal where he was kept in solitary confinement for six years.<br /><br />Goa got liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961 and Ranade was released in January 1969, after having spent 14 years in prison.<br /><br />Born in 1929 at Sangli in Maharashtra, Ranade was inspired by freedom fighters like Ganesh Damodar Savarkar and Vinayak Savarkar.<br /><br />He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2001.<br /><br />Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant condoled Ranade's death and lauded his sacrifices for the state's liberation.<br /><br />"Deeply saddened by the passing away of Shri Mohan Ranade, a fearless freedom fighter who fought for the liberation of Goa. His sacrifices and struggles for Goa will never be forgotten," Sawant said in a tweet.<br /><br />Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai also expressed his grief over Ranade's demise.<br /><br />"RIP Padmashri Mohan Ranade. One of the key figures in Goa's liberation. Someone who spent 14 years in Portuguese prisons including 6 years in solitary confinement. History says his release was due to the intervention of the Pope at the prodding of former Tamil Nadu CM Annadurai," he tweeted.<br /><br />Ranade's wife died some years back and the couple did not have children, his friend added.</p>
<p>Veteran freedom fighter Mohan Ranade, who also participated in the Goa liberation movement, died at a Pune-based hospital in neighbouring Maharashtra on Tuesday morning, a family source said.<br /><br />He was 90.<br /><br />Ranade had been ailing since some time and undergoing treatment at the hospital where he breathed his last around 5.30 am, his friend and Goa-based historian Sanjiv Sardesai told reporters here.<br /><br />Ranade was arrested by Portuguese police in 1955 and incarcerated at the Fort of Caxias near Lisbon in Portugal where he was kept in solitary confinement for six years.<br /><br />Goa got liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961 and Ranade was released in January 1969, after having spent 14 years in prison.<br /><br />Born in 1929 at Sangli in Maharashtra, Ranade was inspired by freedom fighters like Ganesh Damodar Savarkar and Vinayak Savarkar.<br /><br />He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2001.<br /><br />Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant condoled Ranade's death and lauded his sacrifices for the state's liberation.<br /><br />"Deeply saddened by the passing away of Shri Mohan Ranade, a fearless freedom fighter who fought for the liberation of Goa. His sacrifices and struggles for Goa will never be forgotten," Sawant said in a tweet.<br /><br />Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai also expressed his grief over Ranade's demise.<br /><br />"RIP Padmashri Mohan Ranade. One of the key figures in Goa's liberation. Someone who spent 14 years in Portuguese prisons including 6 years in solitary confinement. History says his release was due to the intervention of the Pope at the prodding of former Tamil Nadu CM Annadurai," he tweeted.<br /><br />Ranade's wife died some years back and the couple did not have children, his friend added.</p>