Irom Chanu Sharmila to call off 16-year-old hunger strike, contest polls

On Tuesday morning, the most prominent face of Manipur, a frail woman, walked out of a court in Imphal to announce a decision that would soon cause a huge stir.

Irom Chanu Sharmila, 44, who has been on fast since 2000, told reporters in Imphal that she will not be continuing with her hunger strike once she comes out of prison on August 9. Instead, she will continue her struggle from a different turf – on the floor of the Assembly – for which she will contest the upcoming Manipur elections.

Irom, who has to make an appearance in the court every fortnight, soon made her way back to the security ward of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), away from the hornet's nest she had just stirred.

In 2000, when a contingent of army men of the Assam Rifles gunned down 10 civilians in a bus stand in Malom, Irom decided that she will not let any morsel of food enter her body, comb her hair or look into the mirror until the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is repealed.

Three days after she announced her fast, Irom was booked under section 309 of the IPC, and arrested. She was kept in jail for a while, and soon moved to the security ward of the JNIMS due to health concerns.

Since then, she has been arrested over a dozen times. In March this year, she was, however, acquitted in a case of attempt to suicide when she was booked for fast until death she undertook at the Jantar Mantar.

Confidante and fellow revolutionary of the Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign (SSSC) Babloo Loitongbam said that Irom did not brief her family or her friends about her decision.

"We were not consulted, but the conversation has been going on for some time. She was tired that nothing was moving, and if nothing happened in 15 years, things will not move in the next year or five," said Babloo.

Babloo informs that Irom was particular that she contest the elections as an independent candidate. "If the Manipur Assembly takes a decision to ask for the removal of AFSPA, we could emulate what happened in Nagaland," said Babloo. "It is her choice now."

Early this year, speaking to dna, Irom spoke of her relationship with Goa-based Desmond Coutinho, and how she was disappointed with Manipur for "blaming the misgivings of the movement" on them.

"I don't see my fasting as a punishment; it is my duty," Irom had said then. "I, too, am part of contemporary Manipuri society, so why should they isolate me; celebrate me and sing my glories but behave like I have passed away."

Babloo said that Irom has given the prime of her life to the struggle, and it is completely her decision now. "She's the most potent symbol of the movement against AFSPA and without her we may be without a face," said Babloo. He said that at the moment, people are absorbing the news, and reflecting on the course of action ahead.

The SSSC members will meet on Wednesday to deliberate on what next. "We don't know how will Irom's body react medically to food, and what does it mean for the movement. We will also have to consider how the military, the civil society groups, and the government react. A lot of work needs to be done," said Babloo.