24 Hours after being freed, Irom Sharmila in custody, again
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 13 2012: Barely 24 hours after being freed, Irom Sharmila has been re-arrested under IPC Section 309 on the charge of attempting to commit suicide.

Sharmila, re-arrested under the same charge last year, was freed yesterday afternoon after serving conviction term of one year in judicial custody before she was re-arrested this afternoon.

Sharmila who has been demanding repeal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act was arrested again and again for the last 11 years on the same charge of attempting to commit suicide.

Sharmila was released from the security ward of JNIMS at about 4 pm of March 12 .

Soon after stepping outside JNIMS, Sharmila went to the site nearby the hospital where many womenfolk have been on relay hunger strike under the banner "Repeal AFSPA, Save Sharmila" and continued her unparalleled struggle.

There Sharmila questioned how long the annual ritual of being freed and arrested carry on.

She also conveyed dismay at the manner how a human being is treated in such inhuman manner.

"The Government may re-arrest and free me a thousand times but I will continue my struggle until victory is achieved", Sharmila stated.

Sharmila's elder brother Irom Singhajit stated the State was denigrating the people's struggle by releasing and re-arresting her sister repeatedly for the last 11 years.

Congress party has completed 10 years in power and the same party is again returning to power.

However, Chief Minister O Ibobi could not take any decision independently.

He was doing only what the Centre instructed him.

The Government of Manipur is only a puppet of New Delhi and it does not have any intention to repeal AFSPA.

It is matter of grave concern that the State Government has the audacity not to pay any attention to Sharmila's 11 year old struggle and the people's movement against the draconian Act, Singhajit said.

Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had conceded that AFSPA was a draconian Act and the Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee had recommended for scrapping AFSPA but the Government has no capacity to repeal the infamous Act, he lamented.

Sharmila Kanba Lup convenor Keisham Taruni decried that Ministers and MLAs have little empathy for Sharmila and the people, and they do not have any will to work towards scrapping the Act.

Before she was arrested, Sharmila had a brief meeting with students of Ideal Blind School Takyelpat during which she read out a three-paged poem to the visually impaired students.

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