Despite sacrificing her 16 years to the longest ever fast for Manipur, the human rights activist Irom Chanu Sharmila has been facing protest in her home state from local women organisations that accused her of letting them down by breaking the fast. Security sources keeping a close watch on Ms Sharmila’s security said that soon after her release from judicial custody on Tuesday, Ms Sharmila was taken to the residence of former health director Dr.Th. Suresh of Keishamthong Laisom Leirak by the police.
Ms Sharmila has already announced that she would neither return home nor meet her mother as she is yet achieve her goal of getting Afspa repealed. The ‘Iron Lady’ of Manipur released by a court on Tuesday in Imphal on a personal bond and assurance to break her 16-year old fast demanding repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (Afspa) in Manipur. She reasserted that she wants to contest the Manipur election as an independent candidate. “If I become chief minister, the first thing I will do is to remove the AFSPA,” she said.
What is AFSPA?
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act provides the forces the cover to kill without being dragged before the law for each act of killing in the way of legitimate duty, and provides the sanction in order that such killings may be deemed not to be murder.
Currently applicable in
Jammu and Kashmir
Manipur
States from where it has been lifted
Punjab
Tripura
It Was first enacted in 1958
