By Iboyaima Laithangbam
The fast-unto-death by Irom Sharmila demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 from Manipur will complete 10 years on November 4 this year. The Peace Foundation Manipur will honour her by observing a six-day function.
At a function at the Press Club here on Sunday, the Foundation announced that the “100-day countdown” had begun. In the next 100 days, there will be various programmes such as cultural conclaves, public meetings, literary and artistic activities, people's rallies and poster campaign to highlight her sacrifice and indomitable spirit. The programme will conclude with a “festival of hope, justice and peace” on November 6.
The government is spending over Rs. 50,000 a month on her medication and security arrangements. As she needed constant medical attention and supervision by nurses, she was shifted to the J.N. Hospital after declaring one room as a sub jail.
The law under which she is detained permits the authority to keep her in custody for one year at a go.
Every year, she was released and the officials hoped that she would go home and start leading a normal life. But she continued her fast in the offices of women vigilantes. After some hours, the police were constrained to re-arrest Sharmila, owing to her condition.
For her unique and selfless campaign, Ms. Sharmila had been honoured by the Asian Human Rights Organisation, South Korea, by being conferred the Gwangju award 2007. The Kerala-based Myilamma Foundation also honoured her with the “Myilamma Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award 2009” on February 24, 2009.
Ms. Sharmila whose deteriorating health is causing concern among the doctors spends her time writing poems and articles for the local newspapers. She had firmly turned down appeals from Prime Ministers worldwide and many other leaders to end her fast.
She resolutely says that she will not take anything including water until the AFSPA is repealed. She longs to meet her ailing mother, she told some of her visitors.
Panel for repeal
In the backdrop of Ms. Sharmila's fast and growing demands from the people to repeal it, the Union government had set up the Justice Reddy Commission of Inquiry to look into the advisability of repealing or continuing the AFSPA in the insurgency-affected States. It had recommended repeal of the AFSPA since the existing laws were powerful enough to deal with the militancy. The report has not been acted on so far.
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