KOLKATA: The Centre may have remained indifferent to the demands of Irom Sharmila, but the Iron Lady's voice and cause seems to have reached the Kerala coast.
On Saturday, Kovilam Trust bestowed the Kovilam Smaraka Activist Indian National Award to Sharmila who has been fasting for nearly 12 years now in demand for repeal of the Arms Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA). Since Sharmila could not be in the city due to legal problems, the award was received by her elder brother Irom Singhajit on her behalf.
But Singhajit later returned the award to the trust saying that it was to honour his sister's resolution, who has decided not to accept any award or recognition from any individual or organisation till her demands are met.
"It is a proud moment to receive such an award. But I would request the Kovilam Trust to keep the award in its safe custody and hand it over to Sharmila when she is comes out free from the judicial custody," said Singhajit.
He added that Sharmila had expressed this wish during a meeting when she was produced in the court on October 9. The Iron Lady has been on fast since November 2000 after some civilians were shot dead allegedly by Assam Rifle personnel in Malom village of Manipur. Her non-violent protest against AFSPA has made her an iconic figure.
"Seldom do we come across an activist with such determination and courage. Sharmila is an emblem of courage. If Tagore was alive, he would have been so proud of Sharmila. So would have been the departed great men who had fought for the country and for truth," said Mahasweta Devi.
The activist writer who handed over the award was not allowed to meet Sharmila when she had gone calling on the firebrand activist in Imphal in 2009. Mahasweta revealed that she would be writing on Sharmila and her crusade.
According to Singhajit, Sharmila meditates and does yoga for almost four hours everyday in the hospital. That perhaps has prevented her from diverting her mind to other things around her, he said. At present, Sharmila is confined in a room in Imphal's JN Hospital where she is forcibly nasal fed. She is produced in the court every 15 days for extension of the judicial custody.
"AFSPA was initially imposed in some disturbed areas of Nagaland about 55 years ago. It was supposed to be for a limited period and for some particular areas. Instead, it has now been imposed in other parts of the country too. The UN has already said that this draconian law cannot exist in a democracy. Sharmila has been fighting for scrapping of the law for almost 12 years," said human rights activist Babloo Loitongbam.
Even family members do no have access to Sharmila. They have to obtain permission from the state home department at least a month in advance to meet her in the hospital. When asked, documentary filmmaker Josy Joseph expressed dissatisfaction at the kind of treatment doled out to northeast India by the mainstream media.
"All major newspaper houses have a Guwahati edition. Though all news reports reach their respective head quarters, it bounces back to the Guwahati edition. Sharmila has been fighting for years now, but there isn't any pressure as people in mainland India hardly get to know the true picture in northeast India," said Joseph.
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