Sixteen years after starting her path-setting hunger strike demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Manipur's "Iron Lady" Irom Chanu Sharmila has decided to end her fast on August 9 and contest assembly elections as an Independent candidate.
The 44-year-old iconic rights activist, who has been forcibly fed through a nasal tube since 2000, said she would join politics as she no longer believes that her fast will lead to the repeal of the "draconian" AFSPA.
"I will end my fast on August 9 and contest elections on an independent ticket," Sharmila told the media after coming out of a local court here where she is facing a trial for attempting suicide.
"I will join politics and my fight will continue," Sharmila, who has refused to eat or drink anything since November, 2000 and is forcibly fed through a nasal tube in Imphal's Jawahar Lal Nehru Hospital, a special ward of which acts as her prison.
Assembly elections in Manipur are scheduled early next year. In the past, many political leaders have met Sharmila and tried to cajole her into joining politics but she has rejected all offers.
She also expressed her desire to get married after coming out of prison on August 9. The civil rights activist is known to have a boyfriend, a British national of Indian origin.
The sudden decision of civil rights activist Irom Sharmila to end her 16-year-old hunger strike against AFSPA next month has taken everyone by surprise including her associates and family members
Irom's elder brother Singhajit, who has been with her throughout her struggle said he never knew she was going to terminate her fast.
Sharmila's long-time associate Babloo Loitongbam, Director of NGO Human Rights Alert Manipur, said he too was taken by surprise but can understand the reason behind her decision.
Nobody is sure what prompted her to take the decision. Her associates say her British boyfriend may have played a crucial role in ensuring that she breaks her fast.
