War against AFSPA: Why not talk to Irom Sharmila instead of detaining her?

Even before the joy of being released from custody after 14 long years had sunk in, the Iron Lady of Manipur or Mengoubi (“the fair one” in Manipuri) Irom Sharmila Chanu is back behind the iron grills again.

Sharmila was set free by a Manipur court on Wednesday, which had decriminalised her protest against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, or AFSPA, due to lack of substantial evidence. Soon after TV footage beamed live visuals of the 42-year-old frail Manipuri woman being forcibly lifted and carried away by posse of women cops, the sense of hope that had sprung in the last 48 hours evaporated quickly.

Binalakshmi Nepram, founder of the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network and secretary general of Control Arms Foundation of India said she did not approve of the latest action taken by the state government although she expressed concern about Sharmila’s poor health condition.

“I met her yesterday and I was very worried about her health. The court had clearly said that what she was doing is not illegal. The re-arrest shows the Manipur government is not willing to resolve this issue in a democratic way. Although the state is maintaining that she is under detention I am wondering how they are treating her inside the hospital. The state has shown its high-handedness again. Ideally there should have been a negotiation between the state government, Centre and Sharmila herself,” Nepram told Firstpost.

“You may be the State but you cannot force anyone to eat or not to eat. This is an individual choice. This is a political fight. If the Manipur government is so concerned about Sharmila they should repeal the act. They should arrange for an interlocutor to talk to her. We condemn the action of the Manipur government as it is not in favour of dialogue. The policewomen who were picking her up nearly disrobed her while she and her mother screamed and protested desperately. This was a really draconian way to handle the situation. It is really sad. India does not bother about North East India. No one seems to be understanding the problem at all. I have seen her fighting for the cause with such conviction that I have never seen anywhere else in the world,” she said.

Meanwhile Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam who found himself at the centre of a storm of protest, immediately went into damage control mode,  saying that the state had only acted with a view to ‘protecting’ Sharmila.

“We are taking care of her life. The condition of her health is not good. There are so many black sheep in the society. We are ensuring her safety. If somebody comes and does something wrong to her, the state would be responsible. But she should also urge all stakeholders to follow the principles of non-violence,” Gaikhangam told CNN-IBN in Imphal. The reference to all “stakeholders” by the deputy chief minister also included the underground elements as it was because of them AFSPA had to be imposed. Although deputy chief minister denied that Sharmila was arrested again, cops on the ground gave a different account.

“A fresh case has been registered under Section 309 for attempt to commit suicide against Irom Sharmila. She is in the custody of the Parampat police station. She was taken to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital for health check up. She will produced before a court and police will seek her remand,” Manipur Police sub-inspector M Conqueror Singh told Firstpost from Imphal.

The state government is finding itself in a peculiar situation as it is responsible for her health but she is refusing to be force-fed. “I will not take any force feed this time. I will not allow any medical set up. I don’t feel hungry. What I feel is an emptiness,” Sharmila had told CNN-IBN on Thursday . Even in the last 48 hours after her release before being re-arrested she did not take a morsel of food or a sip of water. It is largely believed that her falling health condition due to the absence of nasal-feed (force feed) in the last 48 hours alarmed the state government and it was forced to take her into custody again.

Sharmila had began her fast on 2 November 2000 and she already holds the record for “the world’s longest hunger striker”. Sharmila had started her fast in protest against the Malom massacre in Manipur’s Imphal Valley where the Assam Rifles had allegedly shot dead 10 civilians while they were waiting at a bus stop. The victims of the massacre included 62-year-old woman Leisangbam Ibetombi and 18-year-old Sinam Chandramani, a 1988 National Child Bravery Award winner.

Manipur has been under AFSPA since 11 September 1958 which empowers the armed forces to operate without any fear of legal protocol and at will. The law has been termed “draconian” as the military is automatically absolved of human rights violations if any, during the conduct of their duty.

Among the key points of AFSPA are that the law allows security personnel to open fire to kill after supplying ‘adequate’ warning, destroy any arms and ammunition dump, to arrest anyone without a warrant, enter and search any premise for raids. There are numerous instances where the armed forces have used excessive force against innocent or weaker targets committing many human rights violations in the process. But they remain shielded under the AFSPA hence no action can be taken against the erring personnel. The area where AFSPA is invoked is officially declared a disturbed area. All the seven states of North East India—Arunchal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura—are covered by AFSPA. Jammu and Kashmir is also under AFSPA. The impunity under AFSPA has also increased the tally of extra-judicial killings alarmingly in Manipur and elsewhere over the years.

“The Manipur government should immediately convene the state Assembly on an emergency basis and pass a resolution urging the Centre to repeal AFSPA from the state immediately. This would automatically ensure that the army would be withdrawn from counter-insurgency operations. The struggle is not of Irom Sharmila or of Manipur alone. It is for the entire North East. AFSPA is a blot on the Indian democracy. This is a British-made law which has been forced upon our own citizens and has lasted till now for over 60 years. Everyone should understand that being anti-AFSPA is not being anti-Indian. Sharmila is the foremost Gandhian that I have ever seen in my life. Women groups will soon protest against the state action,” Nepram said.

The re-arrest of the civil rights and political activist has already sent ripples in the political circle of the state and the BJP was quick to attack the Congress.

“The Congress government in the state has shown no interest in withdrawing the inhuman Act. Now they have re-arrested Sharmila who was against this Act. We condemn the state government for its action. We will be taking out protests against the government,” BJP secretary in Manipur L Basanta Sharma told Firstpost from Imphal.

The BJP leader said that the party state unit is keen to get the Act repealed and has already approached the Centre for the same.

“The Congress government in Manipur must understand our case is not similar to Jammu and Kashmir. There the armed forces are fighting militants that are being sponsored by Pakistan. In our case, we are fighting against our own people. J&K is tackling problems that are external but our problems are internal. Keeping that in mind, we have impressed upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider repealing of the Act in Manipur. We hope that it may be done in six months,” Sharma said.

If that happens, Manipur will breathe free after six decades, Sharmila will eat again and there will be a tsunami of Modi wave in the small state of North East India. Game for that, Mr PM?