March on
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: October 21 2011 -

Jan Karwan, from Srinagar to Imphal for Repeal AFSPA at New Delhi :: October 19 2011

After 11 long years of fast, which went unnoticed in the rest of the country for most part, there seems to be an awakening of sorts among the many organizations and individuals based in different parts of the country and even outside to the significance of Irom Sharmila's struggle.

Who will not be moved and awe struck by her super human struggle, her determination, her commitment to her goal, her sacrifice, once they come to know about it. For many right thinking persons in different parts of this country who have waged their own struggle on various issues, her struggle was bound to find some resonance.

Among other things, the lack of support from all these organizations and individuals all these years can be attributed to the marginalization of her struggle by the mainstream media.

This meant many in this country had no inkling about her unparalleled fast, nor about the issue she was fighting for. This changed to a great extend when Anna Hazare went on a fast against corruption and for the enactment of the Jan Lokpal by the Parliament.

Anna Hazare and his team managed to strike a chord with a large section of the nation's population, and within a short span managed to command a huge following.

The mainstream media, especially the electronic media saw the 'news worthiness' of the movement and jumped on the van wagon, more or less became a part of the movement itself, competing to outdo each other in giving this movement the most extensive and exhaustive coverage. While doing so, they found they could no longer ignore the struggle for Irom Sharmila.

For here was someone who has been fasting for more than a decade which was completely ignored while Anna Hazare's few days of fast was a 24X7 affair.

Though the issues are different and the mainstream media would never go all hog for an issue like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1954 (AFSPA) as they did with the anti corruption struggle, all the same, her struggle also became some sort of a footnote to the coverage of Anna's struggle.

Social commentators and 'experts' on TV channels started talking about her decade long fast and the Armed forces Special Powers Act. This helped spread information and awareness which resulted in many organisations and individuals from other parts of the country coming forward to lend support to her movement.

A Delhi-based civil society orgainsation the National Alliance for Peoples' Movement (NAPM) launched a nationwide signature campaign from October 2 in all major state capitals and cities of India which will go on till December with an objective to spread awareness on Irom Sharmila's struggle and to generate public support for "Save Sharmila" campaign.

The Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign, SSSC led by noted social activist Medha Patkar began a march from Srinagar to Imphal.

The march besides expressing solidarity aims to bring the demand for the repeal of AFSPA in focus. People like Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Pandey has stepped out to carry forward Sharmila's struggle because he believes AFSPA is responsible for the suffering of huge sections of people in the north east and Kashmir. Organizations like NAPM, Asha Parivar, Mission Bhartiyam, Mahila Chetna Kendra, Yuva Koshish, Khudai Khidmatgar, Manushi, Sadbhavna Mission, We the Common People, SAMAR, La Mashale, SIO, Asian Centre of Social Studies are part of this campaign.

But as the number of people supporting Sharmila struggle swelled, people who oppose the repeal of AFSPA have also come to the fore trying to thwart the movement. Two days back an organization by the name of 'Aam Hindustani' attacked the 'Save Democracy Repeal AFSPA (Group)' volunteers in Delhi.

Such people represent the fringe right wing elements who are extremely intolerant of any views save its own. They do not understand the implications of Acts like AFSPA 1958, nor will they ever try to understand. But the volunteers of the march, we are sure, will not be discouraged by such bullying tactics and will continue to spread awareness about Sharmila's struggle and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958.

One recent positive development has been the pronouncement of National Human Rights Commission Chairperson Justice KG Balakrishnan that the Commission will look into the issue of repeal of AFSPA.

This is an acknowledgement of the strong sentiment against the Act, exemplified Sharmila's 11 years long fast as well as the controversial nature of this very Act. The ongoing campaign will further strengthen the case for the repeal of this controversial Act which have encouraged human rights violations by security forces on many instances.