Irom Sharmila Chanu needs no introduction to the people of Manipur, but yet she still remains that mystifying persona to many.
Hers has been a lone battle shorn of all the typical characteristics that the people of Manipur have become infamous for.
No dharna, no sit-in-protest, no protest rally and certainly no State wide general strike or bandh or economic blockade.
On the other hand her nearly six years of struggle has been quiet, dignified and at many point of time it seemed that she was about to disappear from public memory and attention.
This however has not dampened the spirit of this young woman for it is not recognition that drove her to launch her fast unto death agitation to demand the complete repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the soil of Manipur.
The stand against this controversial Act can broadly be seen through two spectrums. One is the public uproar and the subsequent demand to repeal the Act after the bullet riddled body of Th Manorama was discovered in the Summer of 2004.
The street protests that followed the recovery of the body of Manorama and the agitation spearheaded by the Apunba Lup to repeal the Act paralysed the State for days and Manipur was the destination of all the major news establishments located in different parts of the country. Those were heady days and it prompted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to personally visit the State and take stock of the situation.
The decision to form a Review Panel under Justice Reddy was taken and the same was repeated during a jam packed press conference held at the Banquet Hall of Raj Bhawan. This was the result of the street protest and the nude protest in front of the Assam Rifles at Kangla.
The Manorama episode happened in 2004, that is nearly four years after Irom Sharmila launched her fast unto death agitation.
It is a telling commentary that while the silent, dignified and never say die agitation of Sharmila has been going for nearly six years now, New Delhi has been conveniently looking the other way pretending that everything is fine, while on the other hand the street protests prompted the Prime Minister to fly down to Manipur and try to assuage the sentiments of the people.
This is where Delhi needs to seriously ask itself why it has remained immune to the gutsy stand taken up by Sharmila.
The comparison between the struggle taken up Sharmila and the days of street protests in 2004 is noto to belittle any one in favour of the other, but to draw the point how Delhi only reacts when there is a certain degree of violence or when the situation threatens to take a violent turn.
Today Sharmila has moved out from the dingy room of the security ward at JN Hospital to take her battle to New Delhi and while news agencies and establishments have been prompt in giving her coverage on the first day at the National capital, it remains to be seen how long their interest in the young girl will last.
Whatever the development in the days to come, we sincerely feel Sharmila has made her point and that is the human will is indomitable.
It is her guts and never say die approach to life and her mission that is inspiring.
For the Assam Rifles personnel who opened fire and killed the innocent civilians on November 2, 2000, we would like to inform that their bullets have given birth to a new heroine, Irom Chanu Sharmila.
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