Prasanta Mazumdar By

Irom Sharmila to end her 16-year-old fast on August 9.

Sharmila wants to contest in upcoming Manipur elections.

She wants to resolve issues by contesting the elections.

Sharmila’s move seen as big setback for anti-AFSPA cause in Manipur.

GUWAHATI: Dealing a body blow to the movement against Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), Manipur rights activist Irom Sharmila Chanu on Tuesday announced that she would end her 16-year-long indefinite hunger strike on August 9, get married and contest next year’s Assembly elections in the State. The 44-year-old activist, hailed as “Iron Lady”, made the announcement outside a local court in Imphal. She is taken to the court every fortnight to mark her attendance.

Sharmila did not reveal who she would marry but she has been in a relationship with Goa-born UK national Desmond Coutinho for the past decade. Fifty-three-year-old Coutinho is a writer and activist. Her aides told Express that she would contest the polls as an Independent. She had turned down an offer from the Aam Aadmi Party in 2014 to contest the Lok Sabha elections on its ticket.

Sharmila’s decision is being seen as a huge setback to the movement for the repeal of AFSPA, dubbed as “draconian” by rights activists. The Act, which is in force in large parts of the Northeast and Kashmir, gives security forces sweeping powers to search and shoot on sight. For years, she has been one of the strongest voices against the Act.

Her family members said they have gracefully accepted her decision. “These are her decisions and we respect them. When she had begun her fast 16 years ago, it was her decision and we didn’t interfere,” Sharmila’s brother Singhajit told Express. Asked about Coutinho, he said, “She never discussed anything about him with us but she can marry whosoever she wants.”

Rights activist Babloo Loitongbam described Sharmila’s decision as “shocking”. “We don’t know the exact motive and circumstances which made her take the decisions. She is in the 16th year of her struggle and the Central government has failed to accede to her demand. So, even if she continues the movement, say for another five years, it is unlikely to change things,” he said.

Sharmila had begun her fast on November 2, 2000, at Malom, around 7 km from Imphal, after 10 civilians, waiting at a bus stop, were shot dead allegedly by Assam Rifles personnel. The victims included a 62-year-old woman and a 1988 National Child Bravery Award winner.

Then 28, Sharmila began her fast hours after the incident in protest. She was arrested three days later and charged with “attempt to commit suicide”. As her health deteriorated while under arrest, nasogastric intubation was forced on her to keep her alive. She has been released every year and re-arrested a day later for going ahead with her fast.

All you need to know about the Iron Lady of Manipur

Nearly 16 years after Irom Sharmila started her hunger strike to protest against the misuse of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA), she has now decided to end her fast on August 9, and contest the assembly elections in Manipur next year. Here’s a look at the Iron Lady and her cause.

Who is Irom Sharmila?

Often called the 'Iron Lady of Manipur', Irom Chanu Sharmila is a civil rights and political activist known for the hunger strike she began in the year 2000 against the misuse of AFSPA by the military forces. Born in 1972, she is the youngest of nine siblings who grew up in Manipur. She gave up her dreams of becoming a doctor and decided to fight against the human rights violation in Manipur. Irom Sharmila has the distinction of being the world's longest hunger striker, keeping steadfastly to her cause. READ MORE

(With inputs from ANI)