Irom Chanu Sharmila also known as the “Iron Lady of Manipur” is an iconic activist who has been on a hunger strike against the atrocities committed by the army in Manipur. The 44-year-old who has been force-fed through a nasal tube for years at a prison hospital in Imphal, will finally be ending her fast.
Sharmila will now be taking a different route to achieving her goal, by contesting in elections as an independent candidate.
Back in 2000, the death of 10 people in firing by security forces led the Iron Lady to initiate her hunger strike. She demanded the revoking of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA that gives the army the power to carry out emergency procedures in the northeastern state.
Her announcement on 26th July regarding how she would end her fast and join politics came as a shock to her supporters.
Doctors say that Sharmila will have to be on a liquid diet for the next few days.
“A person who has not eaten solid food for 16 years cannot start it suddenly. She has to start slowly and gradually in small quantities,” said a doctor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital.
When the Iron Lady began her strike, she was arrested by the police and charged with an “attempt to commit suicide”, a chargeable offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at that time. After the arrest, her health deteriorated rapidly and she was force-fed through her nose to keep her alive. Since then, she has been regularly released and rearrested every year.
Sharmila has also spoken about her plans to marry a man, who she has spoke to only in letters. Desmond Coutinho, a Goa-based British citizen, began writing to Sharmila years ago.
