Social activist Irom Sharmila Chanu re-arrested in Manipur

The ‘Iron Lady’ celebrates her 40th birthday today. She has been released,freed and re-arrested from time to  time for the past 12 years on charges of attempt to commit  suicide,the maximum punishment for which can extend only up to one year. 

Immediately after her release on Tuesday she went to Sharmila Kanba Lup Shanglen’ (Save Sharmila office) near the  Jawaharlal Nehru hospital to continue her fast. 

She refused to be checked by police and government doctors  yesterday morning,sources said,adding that since her  condition was bad,she was re-arrested again last evening and  sent to security ward of the hospital which has been converted  into a jail for her and where she was fed through nose. 

Sharmila began her fast unto death,demanding repeal of  the AFSPA,after ten civilians were killed by Assam Rifles  personnel in an alleged encounter at Malom area near Imphal  airport in November 2000 and has been continuing her fast  since then to press her demand. 

Her elder brother and spokesman Irom Singhajit told  reporters yesterday that the government should ‘on trial  basis’ withdraw the AFSPA,imposed since 1980,from the state  and if the situation worsened due to activities of the 

insurgents,it could be re-imposed. 

Various social organisations alleged that hundreds of  innocents civilians have so far been killed by security forces in the name of tracking down insurgents in the state but they could not be tried in the court of law easily because of the provisions of the AFSPA.