Irom Chanu Sharmila Explained

Irom Chanu Sharmila
Birth Date:14 March 1972
Birth Place:Kongpal, Imphal, Manipur, India
Children:Nix Shakhi and Autumn Tara
Occupation:Civil rights activist, political activist, poet
Parents:Irom c Nanda (father)
Irom Ongbi Sakhi (mother)
Awards:Gwangju Prize for Human Rights
Nationality:Indian
Known For:Hunger strike against Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act

Irom Chanu Sharmila (born 14 March 1972), also known as the "Iron Lady of Manipur" or "Mengoubi" ("the fair one")[1] is an Indian civil rights activist, political activist, and poet from the Indian state of Manipur, which is located on the north-eastern side of India. In November 2000, she began a hunger strike for abolishing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958. After 16 years, she ended her fast in 2016, after being nasally force-fed for over 500 weeks in custody. Therefore, she has been viewed as the world's longest hunger striker. Amnesty International has declared her as a prisoner of conscience.

Early life

Born on 14 March 1972 in Imphal[2] to Nanda who worked as an attendant in the state veterinary hospital, and Sakhi, a housewife. Sharmila was the ninth child, and her mother was 44 years when she gave birth to her. Her mother had problems with breastfeeding her, and she was suckled by women in the neighbourhood. As an average student, Sharmila would stay aloof from most of the 17-member strong joint family that she grew up with.[3]

She completed high school studies in 1991. She took short-term courses in shorthand, typing, tailoring, and journalism. Interested in human rights, she worked with different organisations and groups to gain field exposure and grounded understanding of abuse in Manipur.

Activism

In September 2000, she applied for a month-long internship with Human Rights Alert (HRA), a non-governmental organisation working in Manipur, documenting human rights violations for legal advocacy and international mobilisation. On 2 October, she joined the organisation at the age of 28 and assisted Babloo Loitongbam, lawyer and founder of the organisation.

After attending an orientation workshop and reading international protocols and conventions on human rights and India's commitments to these, she proceeded to documenting human rights abuse in Manipur. She became part of HRA's preparatory committee for a citizen's inquiry on the impact of AFSPA. The inquiry was headed by Hosbet Suresh, former judge of the Bombay High Court. During the process, Sharmila spoke to survivors of gang rapes, and parents and children of people killed by the Indian armed and paramilitary forces. These cases received protection against prosecution through Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.

The "Malom massacre" inspired her decision to go on a hunger strike. On 2 November 2000, in Malom, a town in the Imphal Valley of Manipur, ten civilians were shot and killed while waiting at a bus stop.[4] [5] It was allegedly committed by the Assam Rifles, one of the Indian Paramilitary forces operating in the state.[6] [7] The victims included Leisangbam Ibetombi, a 62-year-old woman, and 18-year-old Sinam Chandramani, a 1998 National Bravery Award winner. On 5 November, Sharmila sat under a shelter near the site of the killings with a placard, announcing she was fasting until Afspa was repealed. A crowd quickly formed around her. “Before sunset, people were sitting with me,” she recalls. “But a little later, they all, one after another, excused themselves and left me behind.”

Fast

Sharmila, who was 28 at the time of Malom Massacre, began to fast in protest.[8] Her primary demand to the Indian government has been the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).[8] She began her fast in Malom on 5 November 2000, and vowed not to eat, drink, comb her hair or look in a mirror until AFSPA was repealed.[9]

Three days after she began her strike, she was arrested by the police and charged with an "attempt to commit suicide",[10] which was unlawful under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at that time, and was later transferred to judicial custody. Her health deteriorated rapidly, and nasogastric intubation was forced on her from 21 November in order to keep her alive while under arrest.[11] [9]

Sharmila has been regularly released and re-arrested every year since her hunger strike began.[12]

By 2004, Sharmila had become an "icon of public resistance."[6] Following her procedural release on 2 October 2006 Sharmila went to Raj Ghat, New Delhi, which she said was "to pay floral tribute to my idol, Mahatma Gandhi." Later that evening, Sharmila headed for Jantar Mantar for a protest demonstration where she was joined by students, human rights activists and other concerned citizens.On 6 October, she was re-arrested by the Delhi police for attempting suicide and was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where she wrote letters to the Prime Minister, the President, and the Home Minister.[8] At this time, she met and won the support of Nobel-laureate Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel Laureate and human rights activist, who promised to take up Sharmila's cause at the United Nations Human Rights Council.[8]

In 2011, she invited anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare to visit Manipur,[13] and Hazare sent two representatives to meet with her.[14]

In September 2011, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) (CPI ML) openly stated its support for her and for repeal of AFSPA, calling for nationwide agitation.[15]

Following that in October 2011, the Manipur Pradesh All India Trinamool Congress announced their support for Sharmila and called on party chief Mamata Banerjee to help repeal the AFSPA.[16] Then in November, at the end of the eleventh year of her fast, Sharmila again called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to repeal the law.[17] On 3 November 100 women formed a human chain in Ambari to show support for Sharmila, while other civil society groups staged a 24-hour fast in a show of solidarity.[18]

In 2011 the Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign (SSSC) was launched to highlight Sharmila's struggle[19] and in December 2011, Pune University announced a scholarship program for 39 female Manipuri students to take degree courses in honour of Irom Sharmila Chanu's 39 years of age.[20]

She only met her mother once during the fast, as she believed that seeing her mother's anguish might have broken her resolve. She said "The day AFSPA is repealed I will eat rice from my mother's hand."[21] [22]

On 28 March 2016, she was released from judicial custody as charges against her were rejected by a local court in Imphal.[23] Sharmila kept her vow of neither entering her house nor meeting her mother until the government repeals AFSPA and went to continue her fast at Shahid Minar, Imphal on the same day of her release.[24] She was again arrested by the police under the same charge of attempt to commit suicide by means of indefinite fast.

End of the fast

On 26 July 2016, Irom Sharmila, who had been on a hunger strike since 2000, announced that she would end her fast on 9 August 2017. She also announced that she would contest the next state elections in Manipur.[25] [26]

The objective of her fast and entering politics is to fight for the removal of AFSPA as she has asserted "I will join politics and my fight will continue."[27]

International attention

Sharmila was awarded the 2007 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, which is given to "an outstanding person or group, active in the promotion and advocacy of Peace, Democracy and Human Rights".[28] She shared the award with Lenin Raghuvanshi of People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights, a northeastern Indian human rights organisation.[28]

In 2009, she was awarded the first Mayilamma Award of the Mayilamma Foundation "for achievement of her nonviolent struggle in Manipur".[29]

In 2010, she won a lifetime achievement award from the Asian Human Rights Commission.[30] Later that year, she won the Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize of the Indian Institute of Planning and Management, which came with a cash award of 5,100,000 rupees,[31] and the Sarva Gunah Sampannah "Award for Peace and Harmony" from the Signature Training Centre.[32]

In 2013, Amnesty International declared her a Prisoner of conscience, and said she "is being held solely for a peaceful expression of her beliefs."[33] The influence made by Irom Sharmila is often considered as powerful as the influences by personalities in the past and present.[34]

Subsequent work

In October 2016, she launched a political party named Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance to contest two Assembly constituencies of Khurai and Khangabok. Khangabok is the home constituency of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.[35] [36] [37] [38] In the 2017 Manipur Legislative Assembly election, the winner in Thoubal, Ibobi Singh, received 18,649 and Sharmila received 90 votes;[39] the fewest of the five candidates.[40]

In 2019, after the death of Gauri Lankesh, Sharmila criticized the NDA government, accusing it of disregarding people's sentiments when making policy decisions. In an interview with The Economic Times, she mentioned that she was no more interested in politics as she already experienced electoral politics and the dirtiness involved in the process.[41]

After the MHA tweeted removal of the AFSPA from swathes of the North East the Chief Minister of Manipur called for a day of celebration to which he would invite Irom Sharmila as a guest.[42]

In popular culture

Deepti Priya Mehrotra's Burning Bright: Irom Sharmila and the Struggle for Peace in Manipur details Sharmila's life and the political background of her fast.[43] IronIrom: Two Journeys : Where the Abnormal is Normal (2012, with Minnie Vaid and Tayenjam Bijoykumar Singh)

Ojas S V, a theater artist from Pune, performed a mono-play titled Le Mashale ("Take the Torch"), based on Irom Sharmila's life and struggle. It is an adaptation of Meira Paibi (Women bearing torches), a drama written by Malayalam playwright Civic Chandran. The play was performed at several venues in several Indian states.[44] [45]

Personal life

On Thursday 17 August 2017, Irom Sharmila Chanu married her British partner Desmond Anthony Bellarnine Coutinho in Kodaikanal, a hill station in Tamil Nadu.[46] On Sunday 12 May 2019, at the age of 47, she gave birth to twin daughters in Bengaluru, Karnataka, named Nix Shakhi and Autumn Tara.[47] [48] [49]

See also

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Spot the Difference: Hazare vs. Irom Sharmila . Rituparna . Chatterjee . 20 April 2011 . Sinlung . 30 April 2011 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110809045748/http://www.sinlung.com/2011/04/spot-difference-hazare-vs-irom-sharmila.html . 9 August 2011 .
  2. Book: Mehrotra, Deepti Priya . Burning Bright: Irom Sharmila and the Struggle for Peace in Manipur . Penguin Books India . 2012 . 9788184751536 . New Delhi . The Making of an Activist.
  3. News: Sethi . Nitin . July 30, 2016 . Irom Sharmila: Born again . Business Standard.
  4. Web site: AFSPA and Unsolved massacres in Manipur . Anjuman Ara Begum . 3 November 2010 . Twocircles . 11 January 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110111064705/http://twocircles.net/2010nov03/afspa_and_unsolved_massacres_manipur.html . live . 21 October 2012.
  5. News: Malom Massacre horror relived 13 years later . Imphal Free Press . 2 November 2013 . Imphal Free Press . 17 October 2018 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131112012649/http://kanglaonline.com/2013/11/malom-massacre-horror-relived-13-years-later/ . 12 November 2013 .
  6. News: Torchbearers for Victims in a Violent Land . Nilanjana S. Roy . 5 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220605050259/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/world/asia/09iht-letter09.html?_r=1& . 8 February 2011 . The New York Times . 8 May 2011 . dead .
  7. Web site: Why Malom is a big reason for Manipur anger against Army Act . Rahul Pathak . 6 August 2004 . The Indian Express . 8 May 2011 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170817153357/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/assembly-elections/manipur/news/irom-sharmila-suffers-defeat-gets-only-90-votes/articleshow/57601062.cms . 17 August 2017 .
  8. Web site: Irom and the Iron in India's Soul . Shoma Chaudhury . 5 December 2009 . Tehelka . 8 May 2011 . 16 March 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110316064741/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?filename=Ne051209irom_and.asp . dead .
  9. Book: Mehrotra. Deepti Priya. Burning bright : Irom Sharmila and the struggle for peace in Manipur. 2009. Penguin Books India. New Delhi. 9780143103691. 2009.
  10. News: Bagchi. Suvojit. Manipur woman's marathon fast. 11 November 2013. BBC News, Manipur. 19 September 2006. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20131112014339/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5348414.stm. 12 November 2013.
  11. News: A decade of starvation for Irom Sharmila . Andrew . Buncombe . 4 May 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130504210337/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-decade-of-starvation-for-irom-sharmila-2124608.html . 4 November 2010 . The Independent . 8 May 2011 . dead .
  12. News: Manipur Fasting Woman Re-arrested . 9 March 2009 . BBC News . 8 May 2011 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110412004649/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7932116.stm . 12 April 2011 .
  13. Web site: Irom Sharmila urges Anna to visit Manipur . Vidya Subramaniam . Vidya Subramaniam . 28 August 2011 . The Hindu . 12 November 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131112012712/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2403845.ece . 21 October 2012 . dead .
  14. Web site: Highlights of Anna Hazare's interview to NDTV . 13 September 2011 . NDTV . 20 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131020061024/http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/highlights-of-anna-hazare-s-interview-to-ndtv-133365 . 21 October 2012 . dead .
  15. News: CPI (ML) to show solidarity to Sharmila with nation-wide agitation . 29 September 2011 . Imphal Free Press via Kanglaonline . 18 December 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121218002745/http://kanglaonline.com/2011/09/cpi-ml-to-show-solidarity-to-sharmila-with-nationwide-agitation/ . 21 October 2012 . dead .
  16. News: Mamata's help sought for raising voice against AFSPA . 17 October 2011 . https://archive.today/20120718180427/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-17/india/30289358_1_sharmila-chanu-afspa-full-support . 18 July 2012 . . dead .
  17. News: PM should realize I am struggling for people: Irom . 4 November 2011 . Times News Network . 20 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131020061034/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-04/guwahati/30358807_1_irom-sharmila-chanu-jawaharlal-nehru-institute-prime-minister . 21 October 2012 . . dead .
  18. News: Civil society groups in state back Irom's cause . Times News Network . 3 November 2011 . 20 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131020061040/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-03/guwahati/30354514_1_irom-sharmila-chanu-military-act-village-near-imphal-airport . . dead .
  19. Web site: 'Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign' launched. https://web.archive.org/web/20121108092911/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/save-sharmila-solidarity-campaign-launched/article2506988.ece. dead. 2 October 2011. 8 November 2012. www.thehindu.com.
  20. News: Scholarship for Manipuri girl students in Sharmila's honour . 10 December 2011 . 16 July 2012 . https://archive.today/20120716044503/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-10/guwahati/30501580_1_girl-students-sharmila-scholarship . . dead .
  21. A Life-Affirming Fast. Economic & Political Weekly. 23 March 2013.
  22. Sarkar. S.. The Iron Lady of Manipur. Indian Journal of Gender Studies. 18 January 2013. 20. 1. 147–151. 10.1177/0971521512465965. 147673483.
  23. Web site: Irom Sharmila Released: Latest News, Photos, Videos on Irom Sharmila Released - NDTV.COM. NDTV.com. 16 March 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160320105300/http://www.ndtv.com/topic/irom-sharmila-released. 20 March 2016.
  24. Web site: 3 March 2016 . Irom Sharmila re-arrested after resuming hunger strike over Afspa repeal . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160327115940/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/irom-sharmila-re-arrested-after-resuming-hunger-strike-over-afspa-repeal/story-uLPBMWG4XafmRq2entR3gK.html . 27 March 2016 . 16 March 2016 . Hindustan Times.
  25. Web site: Live Updates, News, Headlines, Videos And More. https://web.archive.org/web/20160624191921/http://www.newindianexpress.com/. dead. The New Indian. Express. 24 June 2016. The New Indian Express.
  26. News: Irom Sharmila: India activist to end fast after 16 years. 27 July 2016. BBC. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160729053552/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36894139. 29 July 2016.
  27. Web site: Irom Sharmila to end her fast of 16 years; will fight polls . 11 August 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160821063236/http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/irom-sharmila-to-end-her-fast-of-16-years-will-fight-polls/271530.html . 21 August 2016 .
  28. Web site: Gwangju Prize for Human Rights . 18 May Memorial Foundation . 24 April 2011 . 19 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121019191458/http://eng.518.org/ease/gallery.es?mid=a50301010200&bid=0033&v_type=SK3&b_list=10&act=view&list_no=4&nPage=1&vlist_no_npage=0&keyField=&keyWord=&orderby=REG_DATE . dead .
  29. Web site: Kerala activists promise support to Irom Sharmila . Sobhapati Samom . 1 March 2010 . Assam Tribune . 20 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131020061054/http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=mar0210/oth05 . 22 October 2012 . dead .
  30. Web site: Human rights defender awarded for lifetime achievement . 29 January 2010 . Asian Human Rights Commission . 3 December 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121203081205/http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-017-2010 . 22 October 2012 . dead .
  31. Web site: Irom Sharmila awarded Rabindranath Tagore peace award . 12 September 2010 . dnaindia.com . 6 August 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120806212006/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_irom-sharmila-awarded-rabindranath-tagore-peace-award_1436798 . 21 October 2012 . dead .
  32. Web site: Sharmila Conferred Peace Award . 27 December 2010 . manipuronline.com . 27 May 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120527204042/http://manipuronline.com/headlines/sharmila-conferred-peace-award/2010/12/27 . 22 October 2012 . dead .
  33. News: Manash Pratim Gohai . Irom Sharmila Chanu must be immediately released, Amnesty India says . Times of India. 2 October 2013 . 8 November 2013 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20131002051805/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Irom-Sharmila-Chanu-must-be-immediately-released-Amnesty-India-says/articleshow/23391105.cms . 2 October 2013 .
  34. Web site: Moving on leaving a mark. The Talking Stream. 16 March 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160308184524/http://www.thetalkingstream.com/sharmila-manipur/. 8 March 2016.
  35. News: The Assam Tribune Online. assamtribune.com. 18 October 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161116015051/http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=oct1916%2Foth050. 16 November 2016.
  36. News: TNN & Agencies. Irom Sharmila's new party: People's Resurgence Justice Alliance. The Times of India. 18 October 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161022062555/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Irom-Sharmilas-new-party-Peoples-Resurgence-Justice-Alliance/articleshow/54915182.cms. 22 October 2016.
  37. News: Irom Sharmila launches People's Resurgence Justice Alliance, to contest Manipur polls. The Indian Express. 18 October 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161115194317/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/irom-sharmila-launches-peoples-resurgence-justice-alliance-to-contest-manipur-polls-3089401/. 15 November 2016.
  38. News: Irom Sharmila Floats People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance Party in Manipur. News18. 18 October 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161115193703/http://www.news18.com/news/politics/rights-activist-irom-sharmila-floats-peoples-resurgence-and-justice-alliance-party-in-manipur-1302825.html. 15 November 2016.
  39. News: Irom Sharmila secures just 90 votes, loses to Manipur CM in Thoubal. IANS. The Hindu. 13 March 2017. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170817153357/http://www.thehindu.com/elections/manipur-2017/irom-sharmila-loses-to-manipur-cm-in-thoubal/article17446698.ece. 17 August 2017.
  40. Web site: Irom Sharmila suffers defeat, gets only 90 votes. 11 March 2017. Times of India. 11 March 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170817153357/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/assembly-elections/manipur/news/irom-sharmila-suffers-defeat-gets-only-90-votes/articleshow/57601062.cms. 17 August 2017.
  41. Web site: Centre should take people's opinion into account before making decisions: Irom Sharmila . PTI . 19 February 2019 . The Economic Times . 30 March 2019 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190330170237/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/centre-should-take-peoples-opinion-into-account-before-making-decisions-irom-sharmila/articleshow/68061990.cms . 30 March 2019 .
  42. Web site: AFSPA curtailed in Manipur: N Biren remembers Irom Sharmila's sacrifice. YouTube.
  43. Web site: Reluctant heroine: 'Burning Bright' by Deepti Priya Mehrotra . Laxmi Murthy . December 2009 . Himal South Asian . 20 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131020061115/http://www.himalmag.com/component/content/article/702-reluctant-heroine-burning-bright-by-deepti-priya-mehrotra.html . 21 October 2012 . dead .
  44. Web site: For a noble cause . T. Saravanan . 11 February 2011 . The Hindu . 13 February 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110213135054/http://www.thehindu.com/arts/theatre/article1407240.ece . 21 October 2012 . dead .
  45. News: Single act that captures a dozen wounds of Manipur . Shalini Umachandran . 12 February 2011 . 20 October 2013 . Times News Network . https://web.archive.org/web/20131020061122/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-12/chennai/28542440_1_irom-sharmila-manipur-imphal . 21 October 2012 . . dead .
  46. Web site: Irom Sharmila marries in Kodaikanal, sans family and fanfare . 18 August 2017 . The Hindu . 30 March 2019 .
  47. Web site: Irom Sharmila has twins on Mother's Day . Akhil Kadidal, DH News Service, Bengaluru . 13 May 2019 . Deccan Herald . 13 May 2019 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190513130149/https://www.deccanherald.com/city/life-in-bengaluru/irom-sharmila-has-twins-on-mother-s-day-733531.html . 13 May 2019 .
  48. Web site: On Mother's Day, twin girls for Irom Sharmila . 13 May 2019 . The Indian Express . 13 May 2019 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190513021443/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/on-mothers-day-twin-girls-for-irom-sharmila-5724379/ . 13 May 2019 .
  49. Web site: Irom Sharmila delivers twin girls in Bengaluru . 13 May 2019 . The Hindu . 13 May 2019 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190513084503/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/irom-sharmila-delivers-twin-girls-in-bengaluru/article27114623.ece . 13 May 2019 .

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