He needs to show some concern for her struggle against AFSPA, say her aides
Kunal Majumder
New Delhi
Support to Anna Hazare’s movement against corruption will not be unconditional, a close aide of Manipuri-activist Irom Sharmila told TEHELKA. Sharmila in her earlier statement had supported Hazare’s method of protest but she is still to decide if she is going support his cause. Team Anna had sent feelers to Sharmila's supporters seeking support, her aides confirmed. “Though the method is same, the causes are entirely different,” said Sharmila’s aide. “While we are sympathetic to Anna’s fight against corruption, he needs to show some concern for our struggle against AFSPA.” He pointed out there can be no blanket support. Sharmila’s final decision is expected tomorrow.
Sharmila, 38, who is under house arrest at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Imphal, has been on a fast for the past ten years demanding a repeal of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) from North East. The AFSPA, has been imposed in Manipur since 1961 and most of the Northeast since 1972, allows Armed Forces wide powers to shoot, arrest and search. By the government’s own admission, more than 20,000 people have ‘disappeared’ in Manipur since then. In Jammu & Kashmir, where AFSPA has been in force since 1990, activists claim that between 8,000 and 10,000 people have disappeared in the custody of army, paramilitary forces and the police.
Perhaps if Anna’s protest had been here in Manipur, the response would not have been so vigorous: Irom Sharmila
As thousands back Anna Hazare’s protest against the Jan Lokpal Bill draft, the theatre of action remains the national Capital. In the periphery of this vast country, another Gandhian has been on fast for 10 years. Irom Sharmila continues her fast to compel the Centre to withdraw Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). In this exclusive interview to Ratnadip Choudhury, she speaks her heart out on how the protest against AFSPA needs the support of the entire nation.
Irom Sharmila
Anna Hazare, another believer in non-violence is fasting as a means of protest…
I have heard of Anna Hazare’s protest. Non-violence, taught to us by the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi, is the only means to achieve solutions. It is really good that the nation has woken up to corruption and the protest is centred at New Delhi so the lawmakers will be able to understand the intensity. We also once tried to take our fight to New Delhi by staging protests at Jantar Mantar but we did not get support from the rest of the nation, perhaps because AFSPA only affects the Northeast and Jammu & Kashmir. But the country should take it as an issue concerning the nation. We are protesting here at Imphal and New Delhi is far—perhaps if Anna’s protest had been here in Manipur, the response would not have been so vigorous. The Centre has never tried to lend an ear to our cause, the national media barring a few has not been sensitive to Northeast, and this is a symbolic example of discrimination.
You have been on hunger strike for 10 years. What inspires you to carry on?
My crusade is to awaken the slumbering minds of our society. My own conscience is the sole infallible inspiration to carry on this lone fight. And there is the constant support of the people.
The Guwahati High Court has asked the Manipur government to act upon the probe report on the 2004 rape and murder of Thangjam Manorama Devi. Do you feel justice will be delivered?
In my lifetime, I have never seen the punishing of any criminal who commit horrendous acts like the brutal killing of Manorama and Luningla Elizabeth after gangrapes or of the SDO Kishen by our concerned administrators. There is no justice in Manipur. And yet I am positive.
Now a nationwide campaign has been launched in your support. How do you see this development?
The support for my cause is a symbol of God's vigilance for a human being's spiritual fight for justice to mankind. If you believe in the creator of the universe with devotion, please go against the prejudicial perception of others as inferior or superior in accordance with their caste, colour, appearance or language. Discrimination is the main factor of growing insurgency.
Fake encounters and fake surrenders continue unabated in Manipur. In the recent past, TEHELKA has unearthed many such stories. Where lies the problem?
The anti-terrorism drive is emboldened by the black law AFSPA. Our legislators embolden it via bribery. The draconian law has given them licence to kill at will.
In Manipur there is a tendency to put the blame squarely on security forces for any conflict. What about the accountability of the administration and legislators?
During to their incorrigible conduct, security forces well deserve the blame for any conflict in Manipur. But in truth, our social conflicts stem from corruption which is the root cause of all evil deeds. Not only politicians but each and every department's top officials take bribes from each and every job-seeking applicant, excluding dear ones and close relatives.
With elections round the corner in Manipur, do you think the AFSPA issue will unnerve politicians?
A poverty-stricken society like the Manipuris would easily be persuaded as usual by seasoned, brazen politicians who have been doling out dirty money for securing votes long before the election comes. The AFSPA issue will be effective only when voters wake to self-realisation, to make a difference in our society. But that’s a long way off.
Ratnadip Choudhury is a Principal Correspondent with Tehelka. ratnadip@tehelka.com
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