Sixteen years after she started a hunger strike to repeal AFSPA from the state, Irom Sharmila Chanu, popularly known as the Iron Lady of Manipur, Tuesday became a free woman.
Sitting in the courtyard outside the special ward of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), where she has lived as an undertrial prisoner this entire time, Sharmila took a dab of honey to end her fast at 4.25 pm.
But the day ended on a bitter note, with residents of a colony where she had gone to stay turning her away, and a temple reportedly refusing to take responsibility for her.
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At a press conference during the day, Sharmila said, “My love life is my personal life. That is my right to choose. It is only natural. I have ended my fast today because I want power, I want to be able to have the power to repeal AFSPA from Manipur. I want to become the Chief Minister of Manipur to be able to do this.”
Breaking her fast in front of national and international media, Sharmila was handed a 100 ml bottle of Dabur honey by her attending doctor. The honey was put in her right hand, which had begun to tremble. She stared at it for some time, before breaking down.
Weeping inconsolably, Sharmila bent her head twice to taste the honey, but was unable to do so. Then, with her left index finger, she took a dab and tasted it. She cringed, then said, “I will never forget the taste of that.”
This is the first time in 16 years that anything has passed Sharmila’s mouth. In her room at the special ward, she has been force fed through a Ryles tube. At the Cheirap court on Tuesday morning, and later when she came out for the press conference, Sharmila did not have the Ryles tube attached to her nose. Over the years, the tube, just like Sharmila, has become a symbol of Manipur’s resistance against AFSPA and the militarisation of the state. She has been force fed juices and baby food such as Cerelac through her nose.
“In Manipur, there is no real democracy. Politics is so dirty here and everyone knows it. Manipuri society is also involved in this dirtiness but no one accepts it. That’s the problem. I am not restricted to this state or nation. I am the embodiment of revolution. I want to become the Chief Minister so I can change society here,” said Sharmila.
Earlier in court, Sharmila had said that she wanted to contest the upcoming elections against incumbent Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh from his constituency. “I will contest as an independent candidate. If parties want to approach me, let them approach. In the meanwhile, I invite at least 20 other independent candidates to fight the elections alongside me so that together we can defeat Ibobi Singh and remove the present government,” she said. “I know nothing about politics and I have always been academically weak. But I will share my power.”
Source:-indiaexpress
Viewmore:-Punjab Mobile Number Database
Sitting in the courtyard outside the special ward of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), where she has lived as an undertrial prisoner this entire time, Sharmila took a dab of honey to end her fast at 4.25 pm.
But the day ended on a bitter note, with residents of a colony where she had gone to stay turning her away, and a temple reportedly refusing to take responsibility for her.
×
At a press conference during the day, Sharmila said, “My love life is my personal life. That is my right to choose. It is only natural. I have ended my fast today because I want power, I want to be able to have the power to repeal AFSPA from Manipur. I want to become the Chief Minister of Manipur to be able to do this.”
Breaking her fast in front of national and international media, Sharmila was handed a 100 ml bottle of Dabur honey by her attending doctor. The honey was put in her right hand, which had begun to tremble. She stared at it for some time, before breaking down.
Weeping inconsolably, Sharmila bent her head twice to taste the honey, but was unable to do so. Then, with her left index finger, she took a dab and tasted it. She cringed, then said, “I will never forget the taste of that.”
This is the first time in 16 years that anything has passed Sharmila’s mouth. In her room at the special ward, she has been force fed through a Ryles tube. At the Cheirap court on Tuesday morning, and later when she came out for the press conference, Sharmila did not have the Ryles tube attached to her nose. Over the years, the tube, just like Sharmila, has become a symbol of Manipur’s resistance against AFSPA and the militarisation of the state. She has been force fed juices and baby food such as Cerelac through her nose.
“In Manipur, there is no real democracy. Politics is so dirty here and everyone knows it. Manipuri society is also involved in this dirtiness but no one accepts it. That’s the problem. I am not restricted to this state or nation. I am the embodiment of revolution. I want to become the Chief Minister so I can change society here,” said Sharmila.
Earlier in court, Sharmila had said that she wanted to contest the upcoming elections against incumbent Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh from his constituency. “I will contest as an independent candidate. If parties want to approach me, let them approach. In the meanwhile, I invite at least 20 other independent candidates to fight the elections alongside me so that together we can defeat Ibobi Singh and remove the present government,” she said. “I know nothing about politics and I have always been academically weak. But I will share my power.”
Source:-indiaexpress
Viewmore:-Punjab Mobile Number Database