I really need these things to happen ~ Irom Chanu Sharmila, Socio-Political and Civil Rights Activist

Born in 1942, Irom Chanu Sharmila is a Political and Civil Rights Activist and the youngest of her nine siblings; November 4, 2000, the Iron Lady of Manipur embarked on a sixteen-year-long hunger-strike to end the domination of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Manipur and various other areas of the North-East.

The AFSPA, 1958 is an Indian Parliamentary Act that grants powers of control to the Armed Forces in areas deemed “disturbed”; according to The Disturbed Areas (Special Court) Act, 1976: “Once declared disturbed, the areas have to maintain a status-quo for the next three months.” Over the decade, India saw AFSPA’s spread to the Seven North-Eastern Sister States and at present, is active in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur (excluding Imphal Municipal council Area), Changland, Longding and Tirap districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

This draconian act spread like wildfire across India and so did its atrocities. Armed forces, wielded their exceptional potentialities on the ordinary citizens with sheer ruthlessness and utmost sadism. On 11th July 1987, Operation Blue Bird was launched in Manipur in which at least thirty villages were coated in Human Rights violations. In an investigation, it was discovered that thousands of houses were burnt, people killed and women tortured; some cases even reported fake encounters that were carried out by these forces. The AFSPA has been predominant in Nagaland for decades altogether; it was not withdrawn even after the signing of a framework agreement in 2015, between Naga insurgent group leader Thuingaleng Muivah and Government official R.N. Ravi in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This framework agreement came after more than eighty rounds of negotiations over a period of eighteen years.

Also Read: Section 370 – History

It was the 1st of November, 2000 in Malom, a small Imphal Valley town, when the Assam Rifles (an Indian Parliamentary force active in Manipur) opened fire on few innocent civilians who were waiting to board the bus — this unannounced and sudden shooting allegedly killed ten civilians, sparking off controversy in the already “disturbed” State. Although the Assam Rifles claimed to have “accidentally” killed the citizens in a cross-fire with insurgents, witnesses present on spot responded otherwise. This “Malom Massacre” infuriated ordinary citizens and pushed Irom Sharmila to start-off her Historic Fast: unmatched to any other form of rebel; on 4th November Sharmila launched her hunger strike and simultaneously on 6th of the same month she was arrested on grounds of “attempt to commit suicide”, an act unlawful under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code. Irom’s determination came with the cost of her health which began to deteriorate — the police then had to use a Ryle’s tube to keep her alive.

In 2004, Manorama was picked up late one night by the Assam Rifles for questioning, however, she never returned home. Her dead body was found near a field with bullet shots inside her vagina; it was alleged that this young lady was raped and then murdered. The Manipur streets were colored in outcry — The Meiira Pabi (Torch Bearers), with banners that said ‘Indian Army Raped Us’ did a naked march outside the historic Kangla Fort used by the military. It was in 2005 that the Jeevan Reddy Commission proposed a repeal of AFSPA, which was never made public and by 2011 many Human Rights Organizations started ‘Save Sharmila’ Campaigns to throw light on her efforts, with an objective to support her. The Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign (SSSC), knew to go against the AFSPA was to go against the country and thus they applied on Humanitarian grounds for its recall. The Campaign developed through the years and hosted talk shows, meetings, walks, programs to spread awareness. As the issue started gaining media attention, people pushed the NRHC to conduct a visit in Manipur and carry out a meeting with Irom Sharmila; however, in an RTI issued by the SSSC, it was revealed that despite repeated pleading, the Northeast Regional Honors Council had not put in an effort to address the problem.

After the brutal Nirbhaya incident in New Delhi (2012), a Justice Verma Committee was formed to discuss women safety issues and solutions. The said committee in their report zeroed in on AFSPA and stated that atrocities committed by army personnel should come under the purview of prosecution and that they should not be granted benefits — however, this report was rejected by the Indian Government. In 2005, Sharmila visited Delhi to participate in a hunger strike where she was arrested yet again on grounds of ‘Attempt to Commit Suicide’; although she was released then, the fiery lady had to appear in front of courts several times before finally in 2015 the Government decided to free her off all charges.

On the 8th of July, 2019 in an interim hearing, the Supreme Court spoke of the AFSPA calling it a failure in Democracy. The court sought an investigation into various cases and said “It does not matter whether the victim was a common person or a militant or a terrorist, nor does it matter whether the aggressor was a common person or the state. The law is the same for both and is equally applicable to both… This is the requirement of a Democracy and the requirement of preservation of the rule of law and the preservation of individual liberties”. This Historic eighty-five-page judgment brought tears of joy and the SSSC considered this verdict to be a partial victory.

Also Read: Article 370 – Seventy Years of Politics

Irom announced on the 9th of August the end of her hunger strike, she wished to get married and start a political journey as an individual candidate. Sharmila stated she was a “prisoner of conscience”, she said: “I have to change my strategy. Some people are seeing me as a strange woman because I want to join politics. They say politics is dirty, but so is society. I want to stand in the elections against the Government. The Government has not been listening to our voices and has been suppressing the movement.” Upon asked why she decided to quit the fast, Sharmila said she wants to try a different form of agitation — “I have been fasting for sixteen years and I have not got anything from it yet” she added. However, it is astonishing to note the public reaction; those who at one point supported the ‘Iron Lady’, immediately turned against her — she was disowned by her family and various pressure groups were unhappy with the decision. It was as if, the respect she had earned in the past sixteen years evaporated into thin air; as if all her hard work meant nothing and all the efforts she put in had gone to vain.

At present Irom Sharmila is forty-seven, married and the mother of two; with Nagaland being declared a “disturbed state” for six more months, the Mengoubi or “fair lady”, as she is popularly called, continues to fight against the AFSPA: in a battle more difficult than ever.