Irom Sharmila in Ripley's Believe It or Not !
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 08 2012:
Irom Sharmila Chanu's ongoing hunger strike for the last eleven years against the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has somewhat reached out to a larger audience with her lone struggle being featured in 'Ripley's Believe It or Not !' .
The franchise founded by Robert Ripley deals in bizarre events and items so unusual that readers are hard pressed to question the claims.
Just Peace Foundation (JPF) , a trust formed by a group of social and human rights defenders for the cause of Shamila's unrelenting struggle against the military Act , is the force behind incorporating Sharmila's struggle on the Ripley's website.
"After convening a meeting of all trustees of the foundation, we sent all dossiers of Sharmila's struggle to Lucas Stram, researcher of Ripley Entertainment in April first week," said Kshetrimayum Onil, a JPF trustee.
"After examining and cross checking our material, Sharmila was featured on Ripley's April 13 web edition ," he said.
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It displays the colour sketch of Irom with a very short history of Irom saying 'Irom Sharmila Chanu, an Indian political activist known as the ' Iron Lady of Manipur' has been on a continuous hunger strike since Nov 2 , 2000, to protest the Armed Forces (Speical Powers) Act, which dates back more than 50 years," Onil said.
Popularly known as Memngou to her family and locals, Sharmila (40) started her marathon a couple of days after Assam Rifles soldiers mowed down ten civilians including a National child bravery awardee in November, 2000 at Malom village in Imphal West.
She is being forced fed through her nose at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Science (Jnims) close to her Kongpal Kongkham Leikai residence in Imphal East.
Sharmila, who penned a series of poems on social aspects and human values, carries out daily Yoga workout at her 'prison room' .
Bending to growing public pressure, following the killing of Thangjam Manorama in custody by the Assam Rifles, the Congress-led Secular Progressive Front (SPF) Government, however, lifted the Military Act from seven Assembly segment within Imphal municipal areas in 2004 .