The Iron lady of

Manipur

Presentation by BIOEYE

Objectives:

To educate everyone about Irom Sharmila and

her struggle for peace in North Eastern states

of India.

AFSPA act and its consequences in those

areas.

Hunger strike of Irom Sharmila to repeal the

AFSPA act.

Indian Army rescue operation at the

Uttarakhand tragedy

Indian army’s mission 26/11

Indian army at Kargil war

Introduction :

Born on : 14th March 1972.

Belongs to : Imphal, Manipur,

India.

Education : Upto 12th

Occupation : Civil rights activist,

Political activist

and Poet.

Marital status : Unmarried

Parents : Irom C Nanda

Irom Ongbi Sakhi

She was the youngest of all the nine children

born to Irom C Nanda and Irom Ongbi Sakhi.

The reasons for her struggle:

Ten civilians were allegedly shot and killed by the

Assam Rifles, one of the Indian Paramilitary

forces (AFSPA) operating in the state, while waiting at a

bus stop. This incident is called as the famous Malom

massacre happened in 2000.

The newspapers published the photos of a 62-year

old woman, Leisangbam Ibetomi, and 18-year old

Sinam Chandramani, a 1988 National Child Bravery

Award winner who were dead in this incident.

Armed Forces Special Powers Act.

Under section 4 (a) in 1958 it came into action.

Act’s objective: Army officers have legal

immunity for their actions.

There can be no prosecution, suit or any other

legal proceeding against anyone acting under

that law.

The Central Government assigned to all the North-

Eastern states of India known as the “Seven Sisters”,

which include the following Assam , Manipur , Tripura ,

Meghalaya , Arunachal Pradesh , Mizoram and Nagaland.

They assigned it particularly to these areas as they are

the “Disturbed areas” , or the “Dangerous areas” ,

declared by the Central government of India.

Rules assigned to the Army personnel

of AFSPA:

To arrest without a warrant anyone who has committed

cognizable offences or is reasonably suspected of having

done so and may use force if needed for the arrest.

To enter and search any premise in order to make such

arrests, or to recover any person wrongfully restrained or any

arms, ammunition or explosives and seize them.

Stop and search any vehicle or vessel reasonably

suspected to be carrying such persons or weapons.

The atrocities of AFSPA

The Act has been at the heart of concerns about human

rights violations in the regions of its enforcement , where

Arbitrary killings

Torture

Cruelty

Inhuman and inequitable

Degrading treatment and

Enforced disappearances have happened .

Women were kidnapped, raped and sexually abused.

Men were taken away and never returned home.

They were amputated .

People were made nude for the army’s entertainment

and were asked to dance and walk on the streets.

If they disobey their orders they would be shot dead.

Indian army in Manipur

The great “Hunger strike”

Irom started her strike on 2nd November 2000 to repeal

the AFSPA act.

She was arrested by the police on 6th November 2000

and was charged with an “attempt to commit suicide”.

“I love life. I don’t want to take my life. What I want is justice and

peace,” Ms. Sharmila replied. “I am protesting against AFSPA. If

AFSPA is repealed I will take food again.”

Her health deteriorated rapidly, and

she was forced to use nasogastric

intubation to keep alive while under

arrest.

Imphal free from AFSPA:

Chief Minister, O.Ibobi Singh announced to lift

AFSPA-Act 1958 from seven assembly

constituencies in greater Imphal (The capital city of

Manipur) area on 11 August, 2004.

Minutes after the announcement, Special Secretary

(Home) Government of Manipur, S.Dinokumar Singh

issued a notification for lifting the act from these

areas.

But, still some of the places were under this act for

which Irom was fighting to deliver their rights.

Continued Activism

In a protest demonstration, she was joined by

students, human rights activists at Jantar Mantar on 2nd

October 2006 , the day she was released from jail.

she was re-arrested by the police on 6th October 2006,

for attempting suicide and was taken to The All India

Institute of Medical Sciences (New Delhi) .

In 2011, she invited anti-corruption activist Anna

Hazare to visit Manipur, and he sent two

representatives to meet her because of his ill health.

Awards for her extraordinary

struggle

Nominated to Nobel Peace Prize by the North East Network

in 2005.

Recipient of “Gwangju Prize for Human Rights” in 2007.

“Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize” in 2010.

“Adivasi Ratna Award” in 2011.

Iron lady Irom Sharmila being presented the

“Signature Peace Award” by the team of

Signature Sarva Gunah Sampanna Awards

Selection Committee.

Campaigns supporting Sharmila’s

struggle

Save Sharmila Campaign, jointly launched by network of

various civil societies in India.

Just Peace Foundation, formed to promote the cause of

Irom Chanu Sharmila.

Work’s on her life

There were some important books written in support to

Irom Sharmila’s struggle like:

Deepti Priya Mehrotra's Burning Bright: Irom

Sharmila and the Struggle for Peace in Manipur”.

Minnie Vaid a filmmaker from Manipur wrote a book

named ,“Iron Irom Two Journeys- Where the abnormal

is normal”.

She herself wrote a long poem in protest against

the atrocities of Indian army in Manipur. She titled

the poem as “Birth”.

This was the conclusion part of the book written

by Minnie Vaid.

Poem written by Sharmila

“Wake up brothers and sisters

The savior of the nation

We have come out all the way

Knowing we all will die

Why the fear is

So shaky in the heart?

I am bidding farewell

Yet longing for life

Though birth is followed by death

So fond of to accomplice

My desired mission.”

Thank you