Saturday, July 16, 2011

The Iro'm' Lady- A True Satyagrahi

11th September is a date that has gone down in world history as a day when humanity lost and terror won. It is a significant day in the discourse on terrorism. For the world it could be the crumbling of the twin tower in the terrorist attack in 2001, but for the 40 million people of the North-east India their democratic aspirations had also crumbled on the same day but almost half a century ago, when the President of India put his signature to the Armed Forces Special Powers (Assam and Manipur) Act (AFSPA) on September 11, 1958.
                       The bill was introduced as a temporary measure to contain the uprising in the Naga Hills, but five decades later a large part of the north east is still under the grip of the military rule. Thousands of lives have been extinguished in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions. Torture, rape, arbitrary detention, forced migration and displacement has become part of life. Of many such instances of repression and subjugation of the local people in the north east, the most notorious one is known as the Malom Massacre
                       On November 2, 2000, in Malom, a town in the Imphal Valley of Manipur, ten civilians were allegedly shot and killed by the Assam Rifles, one of the Indian Paramilitary forces operating in the state, while waiting at a bus stop. The next day's local newspapers published graphic pictures of the dead bodies, including one of a 62-year old woman, and 18-year old Sinam Chandramani, a 1988 National Child Bravery Award winner. It was then that a 28 year old female began to fast in protest of the killings, taking neither food nor water. It is 2011, and she is still continuing with her fast...!! She is Irom Chanu Sharmila, or the Iron Lady of Manipur as she is popularly known.


Anna Hazare fasted for four days and the nation stirred up into action to support his cause. Irom Sharmila has been fasting for the past 11 years and barely anyone knows about it! Why? Because Anna Hazare performed the stint in the heart of the capital city and Irom Sharmila has been struggling in a small room in Imphal, in the far forgotten north east state of Manipur (please do not confuse it with the cash rich education mecca of the super rich). For 10 years, she hasn't eaten anything but the Indian state has kept her alive on a cocktail of vitamins and nutrients, and also arrested her on numerous accounts under IPC section 309, which states that a person who "attempts to commit suicide" is punishable "with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year. She is force-fed twice a day through her nose, and this has been going on for the past seven years! The offence of ‘attempt to suicide’ is bailable and the maximum sentence cannot exceed one year. She refused to break her fast or seek bail. As is the pattern, she is released by the court on completion of one year and is re-arrested with 2-3 days of her release under same charges...
              So why did it take so long for media to take notice of this super human effort of a woman, whose resilience moves you, considering the sheer magnitude of what she is single-handedly trying to achieve. It has much to do with the fact that corruption as a broad subject is easier understood by the Indian middle class than an obscure martial law that is perceived to have no bearing on the lives of the majority of people. As it was fashionable to be patriotic during the Kargil war, it is now fashionable to be fighters against corruption! While Anna Hazare became the centre of media attention immediately or rather before he started the fast, and celebrities conveniently grabbed the opportunity to hog some more limelight and media sympathy, Irom Sharmila's struggle came to light only in 2004. But no one came ahead to support her, not a single candlelight walk by the rich and the affluent of India nor the usual media hype. Just because she belongs from a state which is ‘not a part of mainland India’...? 

Sharmila does not seem to be edging anywhere close to her demand, but she surely has lost much in the interim. Keeping aside the health issues, it has been reported that her brother lost a government job because he chose to remain on her side, the family had to go bankrupt. Irom Sakhi’s (Sharmila’s mother) has never met her daughter since she blessed her on the momentous day when she undertook her fast...Irom Sharmila continued to fast under arrest while India carried on elections and cricket. Had Anna Hazare too been on fast during the World Cup, I am sure the media would have blissfully ignored him. Timing, it seems, is very important in politics and media...Except for a customary and superficial mention every now and then, the entire Indian media still ignores her. Why? Because it is unpatriotic to question the army or criticize it, even though it may be as corrupt as our politicians and even more brutal sometimes. A government bullying the citizens of an entire state with its army is worse than corruption. And this has been going on in the North-east irrespective of that party holds power in Delhi. 
            For the past few months, a sort of revolution has been building up against corruption. But Irom Sharmila's silent protest has gone unnoticed. Is it because she is challenging the constitution and not the politician, the favourite whipping boy for the media since ages? Are we waiting for another martyr like Swami Nigamananda, who died after a 114-day hunger strike in Haridwar, demanding immediate stopping of quarrying in the river Ganga. A certain Baba Ramdev, with hugely political ambitions beyond his expertise of yoga promptly makes headlines while a woman fasting for the past 11 years goes unnoticed. Is this our idea of justice? There is a very famous proverb that justice delayed is justice denied, and its high time that Irom Sharmila gets her part of justice, something that she deserved long long time back... 

“I am not important for this world, just like a worm that can be crushed.”- Amritapa Basu  


For details about the AFSPA, check link (2). For the exclusive interview of Irom Sharmila, see link (3). The report by Babloo Loitongbam can also be read for details of the insurgency in Manipur. The list of atrocities metted out to the local people is well documented in link (4).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irom_Chanu_Sharmila (1)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Forces_(Special_Powers)_Act,_1958 (2)
http://www.imow.org/wpp/stories/viewStory?storyId=1084 (3)
http://www.cpiml.org/liberation/year_2004/september/Manipur_Burning.htm (4)


3 comments:

  1. Babloo Longtoibam may be well versed in insurgency he also has two death threats out against Sharmila one via her brother Irom Singhajit. But what does insurgency mean in Manipur. Babloo is also the nephew of the DG Imphal Police. He had me arrested twice and interrogated by three SIB officers in a bid to prevent Sharms and me saying our farewells. Sharmila was awarded many millions in prize money over the years. She has never wanted money they used to allow her to give some away. Being a single meitei woman Babloo and his cronies found it easy to steal it from her first using her brother though I think they have removed him from the chain now. It's not an exclusive interview. There are many others you can find. Her biography in English is Burning Bright by Deepti Mehta. She had a small book of her poetry published for her by Zubaan Press last year Fragrance of Peace. Her fight is not against the constitution of the Republic of India but to uphold the constitution for all India's citizens. Nor has her protest gone unnoticed. There is a cabinet challenge to AF(SP)A to coincide with each new Indian Judicial Commission that recommends its repeal. The supporters include the PM Dr Singh who has said AF(SP)A needs to be reformed in order to make it more humane. He is supported by Sri P Chidambaram the Union Home Minister and Sri Moilly the Justice Minister who also chaired the second adminstrative reforms commission of 2007 one of whose recommendations was the repeal of AF(SP)A. The Army do object and they remain a powerful force in Indian politics. You need to respect this. Offer them something that does help them rather than this law which shames them and opens them to war crimes trials if they set foot in Europe. Offer them shiny new expensive platforms, tanks, helicopters. Immunity from war crimes is an illusion. Require of them to be professional.

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  2. cont And after the carrot this is India not Pakistan. The repeal of AF(SP)A should come with robust rules of engagement but no army can refuse to deploy if ordered to by the Government. I don't believe they would prefer a coup d'etat but if that is what is stopping repeal then the PM and his supporters don't run the country now anyway. It remains the official position of the Indian Government that AF(SP)A reform is being considered by the Cabinet. She will be victorious very soon now. Her brother is morally bankrupt in siding with gangsters and issuing death threats by way of honor killing against her. She remains great hearted and hopes that he will awaken before it is too late. Her mother saw her once when she was put in a ward at JNIMS and they told Sharms that her mother was dying did she want to see her. Some stories about her are made up. I never checked that one with her. My name is Desmond Coutinho deziecoutinho@yahoo.co.uk the man she has chosen to marry assuming Babloo Longtoibam also will not make good on his threats. Whether they are gangsters insurgents army paramilitary police or contractors. In order to live in Manipur we have to live in truth and reconciliation with these men. They are not monsters just greedy men. She has chosen a difficult path. AF(SP)A repeal is phase one. As soon as Manipuris see that they can effect changes in their lives if they are prepared to work selflessly, there is still hope. I would definitely keep aside the health issues. These are merely a plot by Babloo and some Manipuri gangsters to murder her and then blame the inaction of the Union Government as the reason for her death so that they can have another one of their uprisings. I checked in on the Manipuri press. The Government have spent another 63 Crore rupees trying to construct a road but it will never be built because the money will just get stolen. So far all they have managed is to rename the road. From Highway 39 to Highway 2. Perhaps it saves money when making maps and signs. I could go on about the problems of Manipur but as she is committed to staying there for its betterment and I am committed to staying with her. With her it's still worth it. She is pretty amazing. I've been trying to hire lawyers to challenge the blanket ban on visitors imposed by the Manipuri State, apparently it's illegal. It's not that easy to find a lawyer who'll take the case. You'd think it would be straightforward but no. I ramble now but yeah she will be victorious. I have certainly developed a manipuri paranoia. But if they really are trying to kill you is it still paranoia.

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  3. this one is really well-written chhutku..thanks for bringing this to relief!!

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