IRON LADY OF MANIPUR & HER FAST

 

IRON LADY OF MANIPUR & HER FAST.

SARASIJ MAJUMDER

 

Irom Sharmila Chanu was born on March 14, 1972, in the village of Kongpal Khaidem Leikai, Porompat, located in the Imphal East District of Manipur, India.

Family Background &Parents: She was born to Irom Chanu Nanda, an attendant at the state veterinary hospital, and Irom Sakhi, a homemaker. Her father was highly respected locally for his dedication to curing neighbourhood animals, inspiring Sharmila's lifelong love for animals and nature.

Siblings: She was the youngest of nine children in a modest Meitei family. Her mother was 44 years old when she gave birth to her.

Childhood & Personality:

Social Disposition: Growing up within a massive 17-member joint family, Sharmila was an average student who frequently preferred to stay quiet and aloof from the household bustle.

The "Fair One": Her distinct appearance earned her the childhood nickname "Mengoubi," a Manipuri term translating to "the fair one".

Early Education: Her father insisted his children walk roughly two kilometres every day to a school with better teachers rather than attending the closest government facility. She completed her high school education in 1991.

Path to Activism & Academic Pivot: Sharmila initially dreamed of becoming a doctor, but she shifted her focus after struggling to pass her Class XII examinations.

Skill Building: Instead of pursuing a traditional degree, she took short-term practical courses in shorthand, typing, tailoring, and journalism.

Manipur—1970--1990

The specific social and political climate of Manipur during Irom Sharmila’s childhood (the 1970s and 1980s) was defined by armed insurgency, military saturation, and severe civil unrest.

The Rise of Armed Insurgency & Secessionist Movements: Following Manipur's integration into India in 1949, deep-seated political resentment grew, culminating in the late 1970s with the rise of various armed secessionist groups.

Key Factions: Groups like the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) were formed during this exact era, aiming to establish an independent state.

 

Urban Warfare: Ambushes on security forces and assassinations of state officials became a regular occurrence across both the Imphal Valley and the surrounding hill districts.

 Legal Saturation and AFSPA--Disturbed Area Declaration: In response to escalating violence, the central government declared the entire valley a "disturbed area" in September 1980.

Imposition of AFSPA: This declaration formally brought the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) into full effect across Manipur.

 Military Immunity: Armed forces were granted sweeping legal powers to shoot on suspicion, arrest citizens without warrants, and conduct searches without notice, all while possessing total immunity from prosecution.

Normalization of a Police State--Curfews and Checkpoints: Sharmila's childhood was marked by sudden, indefinite state-wide curfews and ubiquitous military checkpoints that severely restricted daily movement.

Cordon-and-Search Operations: Known locally as "Operation Grouping", entire neighbourhoods—including Sharmila's village of Kongpal—were routinely cordoned off by soldiers forcing all residents out of their homes for identity verification.

 Atmosphere of Fear: Public spaces emptied by sunset, and the psychological stress of arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial encounters became a normal backdrop for children growing up in the 1980s.

The Emergence of Grassroots Resistance--The Meira Paibis: In response to widespread military excesses and a Severe Drug Epidemic among Youth, local Meitei women formed the Meira Paibis (Torch Bearers) in the late 1970s.

Community Sentinels: These women patrolled neighbourhoods at night with bamboo torches to protect youths from military arrest and counter substance abuse, creating a powerful blueprint of female-led nonviolent resistance that directly influenced Sharmila.

GROWING OF SHARMILA:

Childhood: Growing up within a massive 17-member joint family, Sharmila was an average student who frequently preferred to stay quiet and aloof from the household bustle.

The "Fair One": Her distinct appearance earned her the childhood nickname "Mengoubi," a Manipuri term translating to "the fair one".

Early Education: Her father insisted his children walk roughly two kilometres every day to a school with better teachers rather than attending the closest government facility. She completed her high school education in 1991.

Path to Activism & Academic Pivot: Sharmila initially dreamed of becoming a doctor, but she shifted her focus after struggling to pass her Class XII examinations.

Skill Building: Instead of pursuing a traditional degree, she took short-term practical courses in shorthand, typing, tailoring, and journalism.

Exposing to Abuse: Before beginning her historic fast, she worked as an intern with Human Rights Alert, a local human rights group in Imphal. In this role, she travelled around the state to document human rights violations, interviewing women who had survived military assaults and families who had lost children to systemic violence.

Ultimately she decided to protest against GOI, and Military actions by a HUNGER STRIKE!

She began her fast on November 5, 2000, in protest of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). This act provides the Indian military with sweeping powers and legal immunity in designated "disturbed areas." Her protest was sparked by the Malom Massacre just three days prior, where Assam Rifles personnel allegedly shot and killed ten persons at a bus stop. During her fast, Sharmila refused to consume food or water, leading to her repeated arrest by state authorities. To keep her alive, she was routinely detained in judicial custody and force-fed through a nasogastric tube. Her demands—the complete repeal of AFSPA in Manipur and the Northeast—gained international attention. Amnesty International declared her a "prisoner of conscience," and she received multiple human rights awards alongside a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. On August 9, 2016, after more than 16 years (5,793 days), Sharmila ended her fast, declaring she would shift her fight to the political arena. She formed her own political party, the People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA), to contest the 2017 Manipur Legislative Assembly elections. However, the transition into electoral politics was difficult; her campaign did not garner the expected public support, and she lost the election by a wide margin. Following the election defeat, Sharmila stepped away from active politics. She married her long-time partner Desmond Coutinho in 2017, and subsequently moved away from Manipur to start a family, settling in southern India. Although AFSPA remains a contentious issue in parts of the region, Irom Sharmila's 16-year nonviolent resistance remains a significant chapter in India's human rights history, ensuring global awareness of the human cost of military conflict in the Northeast.

WHAT EMERGE?

Present GOI has a tested BLUE PRINT on how to handle Fast of Wangchuk, & HC also advised Government to ensure that Wangchuk’s live is not endangered by FAST. And Wangchuk also has a blue print on how to live a life after FAST fails. Only difference—he is already married, and older!

And GOI shall bottled him up till Monsoon Session of Parliament is over at Safdarjung Hospital.

CJP members can be handled best by BRUTE FORCE they deserve for their secret agenda hatched in USA, and supported by, may be CHINA!