Irom Sharmila Chanu: Difference between revisions

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#REDIRECT [[Irom Chanu Sharmila]]
{{short description|Indian civil rights activist}}
{{Meitei name|Irom|Sharmila|[[Chanu (name suffix)|Chanu]]}}
{{COI|date=April 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name            = Irom Sharmila Chanu
| image          = Irom sharmila at calicut.jpg
| caption        = Irom Sharmila at a reception given by [[Solidarity Youth Movement]] to her in [[Kozhikode]]
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1972|3|14|df=y}}
| birth_place    = Kongpal, [[Imphal]], [[Manipur]], India
| spouse          = {{marriage|Desmond Anthony Bellarnine Coutinho|2017}}
| children        = Nix Shakhi and Autumn Tara
| occupation      = [[Civil rights]] [[activism|activist]], political [[activism|activist]], [[poet]]
| parents        = Irom c Nanda (father)<br />Irom Ongbi Sakhi (mother)
| awards          = [[Gwangju Prize for Human Rights]]
| known_for      = Hunger strike against [[Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act]]
| political_party = [[India Greens Party]]
}}
'''Irom Sharmila Chanu''' (born 14 March 1972), also known as the "'''Iron Lady of Manipur'''" or "'''Mengoubi'''" ("the fair one")<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sinlung.com/2011/04/spot-difference-hazare-vs-irom-sharmila.html |title=Spot the Difference: Hazare vs. Irom Sharmila |first=Rituparna |last=Chatterjee |date=20 April 2011 |publisher=Sinlung |access-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809045748/http://www.sinlung.com/2011/04/spot-difference-hazare-vs-irom-sharmila.html |archive-date=9 August 2011  }}</ref> is an Indian civil rights activist and poet from the state of [[Manipur]]. In 2000, she began a [[hunger strike]] to abolish the [[Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act|Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958]]. She ended her intermittent fast in 2016, after being force-fed for over 500 weeks in custody. [[Amnesty International]] has declared her a [[prisoner of conscience]].
 
==Early life==
Born on 14 March 1972 in Imphal<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Mehrotra |first=Deepti Priya |title=Burning Bright: Irom Sharmila and the Struggle for Peace in Manipur |publisher=Penguin Books India |year=2012 |isbn=9788184751536 |location=New Delhi |chapter=The Making of an Activist}}</ref> to Nanda, an attendant in the state veterinary hospital, and Sakhi, a housewife. Sharmila was the ninth child, and her mother was 44 years when she gave birth to her. Her mother had problems with breastfeeding her, and she was suckled by women in the neighbourhood.<ref name="Tehelka">{{cite web|url=http://www.tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?filename=Ne051209irom_and.asp|title=Irom and the Iron in India's Soul|author=Shoma Chaudhury|date=5 December 2009|work=Tehelka|access-date=8 May 2011|archive-date=16 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316064741/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?filename=Ne051209irom_and.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> As an average student, Sharmila would stay aloof from most of the 17-member strong joint family that she grew up with.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sethi |first=Nitin |date=July 30, 2016 |title=Irom Sharmila: Born again |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/specials/irom-sharmila-born-again-116072901555_1.html |work=[[Business Standard]]}}</ref>
 
She completed high school studies in 1991. She took short-term courses in [[shorthand]], [[Typing discipline|typing]], [[tailoring]], and [[Journalism school|journalism.]] She worked with different organisations to gain to understand abuse in Manipur.<ref name=":0" />
 
== Activism ==
In September 2000, she applied for an internship with Human Rights Alert (HRA), a non-governmental organisation working in Manipur, documenting human rights violations. She joined the organisation at the age of 36 and assisted Babloo Loitongbam, lawyer and founder of the organisation.<ref name=":0" />
 
She documented human rights abuse in Manipur. She became part of HRA's preparatory committee for a citizen's inquiry on the impact of [[Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act|AFSPA]]. The inquiry was headed by [[Hosbet Suresh]], former judge of the [[Bombay High Court]].<ref name=":0" /> Sharmila spoke to survivors of gang rapes, and relatives of people killed by the Indian armed forces.<ref name="Tehelka" /> These cases received protection against prosecution because of the [[Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act]].
 
On 2 November 2000, in Malom, a town in the [[Imphal|Imphal Valley]] of [[Manipur]], [[Malom Massacre|ten civilians were shot and killed]] while waiting at a bus stop.<ref name="Tehelka" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://twocircles.net/2010nov03/afspa_and_unsolved_massacres_manipur.html |title=AFSPA and Unsolved massacres in Manipur |author=Anjuman Ara Begum |date=3 November 2010 |publisher=Twocircles |archive-date=11 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111064705/http://twocircles.net/2010nov03/afspa_and_unsolved_massacres_manipur.html |url-status=live |access-date=21 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://kanglaonline.com/2013/11/malom-massacre-horror-relived-13-years-later/ |title=Malom Massacre horror relived 13 years later |author=Imphal Free Press |date=2 November 2013 |newspaper=Imphal Free Press |access-date=17 October 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112012649/http://kanglaonline.com/2013/11/malom-massacre-horror-relived-13-years-later/ |archive-date=12 November 2013  }}</ref> It was allegedly committed by the [[Assam Rifles]].<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/world/asia/09iht-letter09.html |title=Torchbearers for Victims in a Violent Land |author=Nilanjana S. Roy |archive-date=5 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605050259/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/world/asia/09iht-letter09.html?_r=1& |date=8 February 2011 |work=The New York Times |access-date=8 May 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref name="IE">{{cite web |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/52530/ |title=Why Malom is a big reason for Manipur anger against Army Act |author=Rahul Pathak |date=6 August 2004 |work=The Indian Express |access-date=8 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817153357/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/assembly-elections/manipur/news/irom-sharmila-suffers-defeat-gets-only-90-votes/articleshow/57601062.cms |archive-date=17 August 2017  }}</ref> The victims included a 62-year-old woman and 18-year-old Sinam Chandramani, a 1998 [[National Bravery Award]] winner. On 5 November, Sharmila sat under a shelter near the site of the killings with a placard, announcing she was fasting until Afspa was repealed.<ref name="bright">{{cite book|last1=Mehrotra|first1=Deepti Priya|title=Burning bright : Irom Sharmila and the struggle for peace in Manipur|date=2009|publisher=Penguin Books India|location=New Delhi|isbn=9780143103691|edition=2009}}</ref>[[File:Irom.jpg|right|thumb|Charcoal portrait of Irom Sharmila with her nasogastric tube by [[Amitabh Mitra]]]]
Her primary demand to the Indian government was the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).<ref name="Bagchi"/><ref name="Tehelka"/><ref name="Manipur Fasting Woman Re-arrested"/> Three days after she began her strike, she was arrested by the police and charged with an "attempt to commit suicide",<ref name="Bagchi">{{cite news |last=Bagchi |first=Suvojit |title=Manipur woman's marathon fast |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5348414.stm |access-date=11 November 2013 |newspaper=BBC News, Manipur |date=19 September 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112014339/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5348414.stm |archive-date=12 November 2013}}</ref> which was unlawful under the [[Indian Penal Code]] (IPC), and transferred to judicial custody. [[Nasogastric intubation]] was forced on her from 21 November in order to keep her alive.<ref name="Independent">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-decade-of-starvation-for-irom-sharmila-2124608.html |title=A decade of starvation for Irom Sharmila |first=Andrew | last=Buncombe |archive-date=4 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504210337/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-decade-of-starvation-for-irom-sharmila-2124608.html |date=4 November 2010 |work=The Independent |access-date=8 May 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="bright" />
 
Sharmila has been regularly released and re-arrested every year since her hunger strike began.<ref name="Manipur Fasting Woman Re-arrested">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7932116.stm |title=Manipur Fasting Woman Re-arrested |date=9 March 2009 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=8 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412004649/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7932116.stm |archive-date=12 April 2011  }}</ref>
 
By 2004, Sharmila was said to be an "icon of public resistance."<ref name="NYT"/> Following her procedural release on 2 October 2006 Sharmila went to [[Raj Ghat]], New Delhi, which she said was "to pay floral tribute to my idol, [[Mahatma Gandhi]]." Later that evening, Sharmila headed for [[Jantar Mantar]] for a protest where she was joined by other concerned citizens. On 6 October, she was re-arrested by the Delhi police for attempting suicide and was taken to the [[All India Institute of Medical Sciences]], where she wrote letters to the Prime Minister, the President, and the Home Minister.<ref name="Tehelka"/> At this time, she met and won the support of Nobel-laureate [[Shirin Ebadi]], who promised to take up Sharmila's cause at the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]].<ref name="Tehelka"/>
 
In 2011, anti-corruption activist [[Anna Hazare]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2403845.ece |title=Irom Sharmila urges Anna to visit Manipur |author=Vidya Subramaniam |author-link=Vidya Subramaniam |date=28 August 2011 |work=The Hindu |archive-date=12 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112012712/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2403845.ece |access-date=21 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> sent two representatives to meet her.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/highlights-of-anna-hazare-s-interview-to-ndtv-133365 |title=Highlights of Anna Hazare's interview to NDTV |date=13 September 2011 |publisher=NDTV |archive-date=20 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020061024/http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/highlights-of-anna-hazare-s-interview-to-ndtv-133365 |access-date=21 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
In September 2011, [[Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist)]] (CPI ML) stated its support for her and for repeal of AFSPA.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://kanglaonline.com/2011/09/cpi-ml-to-show-solidarity-to-sharmila-with-nationwide-agitation/ |title=CPI (ML) to show solidarity to Sharmila with nation-wide agitation |date=29 September 2011 |newspaper=Imphal Free Press via Kanglaonline |archive-date=18 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121218002745/http://kanglaonline.com/2011/09/cpi-ml-to-show-solidarity-to-sharmila-with-nationwide-agitation/ |access-date=21 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
Following that in October 2011, the Manipur Pradesh [[All India Trinamool Congress]] announced their support for Sharmila and called on party chief [[Mamata Banerjee]] to help repeal the AFSPA.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-17/india/30289358_1_sharmila-chanu-afspa-full-support |title=Mamata's help sought for raising voice against AFSPA |date=17 October 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718180427/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-17/india/30289358_1_sharmila-chanu-afspa-full-support |archive-date=18 July 2012 |work=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=dead }}</ref> Then in November, at the end of the eleventh year of her fast, Sharmila again called on Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] to repeal the law.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-04/guwahati/30358807_1_irom-sharmila-chanu-jawaharlal-nehru-institute-prime-minister |title=PM should realize I am struggling for people: Irom |date=4 November 2011 |agency=Times News Network |archive-date=20 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020061034/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-04/guwahati/30358807_1_irom-sharmila-chanu-jawaharlal-nehru-institute-prime-minister |access-date=21 October 2012 |work=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 3 November 100 women formed a human chain in [[Ambari]] to show support for Sharmila, while other civil society groups staged a 24-hour fast in a show of solidarity.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-03/guwahati/30354514_1_irom-sharmila-chanu-military-act-village-near-imphal-airport |agency=Times News Network |title=Civil society groups in state back Irom's cause |date=3 November 2011 |archive-date=20 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020061040/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-03/guwahati/30354514_1_irom-sharmila-chanu-military-act-village-near-imphal-airport |work=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
In 2011 the Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign (SSSC) was launched to highlight Sharmila's struggle<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/save-sharmila-solidarity-campaign-launched/article2506988.ece|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108092911/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/save-sharmila-solidarity-campaign-launched/article2506988.ece|url-status=dead|title='Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign' launched|date=2 October 2011|archivedate=8 November 2012|via=www.thehindu.com}}</ref> and in December 2011, [[Pune University]] announced a scholarship program for 39 female Manipuri students to take degree courses in honour of Sharmila's 39 years of age.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-10/guwahati/30501580_1_girl-students-sharmila-scholarship |title=Scholarship for Manipuri girl students in Sharmila's honour |date=10 December 2011 |archive-date=16 July 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716044503/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-10/guwahati/30501580_1_girl-students-sharmila-scholarship |work=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
She only met her mother once during the fast, as she believed that seeing her mother's anguish might have broken her resolve. She said "The day AFSPA is repealed I will eat rice from my mother's hand."<ref>{{cite journal|title=A Life-Affirming Fast|journal=Economic & Political Weekly|date=23 March 2013}}</ref><ref name=Sarkar>{{cite journal|last1=Sarkar|first1=S.|title=The Iron Lady of Manipur|journal=Indian Journal of Gender Studies|date=18 January 2013|volume=20|issue=1|pages=147–151|doi=10.1177/0971521512465965|s2cid=147673483}}<!--|access-date=11 July 2015--></ref>
 
On 28 March 2016, she was released from judicial custody as charges against her were rejected by a local court in Imphal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/topic/irom-sharmila-released|title=Irom Sharmila Released: Latest News, Photos, Videos on Irom Sharmila Released - NDTV.COM|website=NDTV.com|access-date=16 March 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320105300/http://www.ndtv.com/topic/irom-sharmila-released|archive-date=20 March 2016}}</ref> Sharmila kept her vow of neither entering her house nor meeting her mother until the government repeals AFSPA and went to continue her fast at Shahid Minar, Imphal on the same day of her release.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 March 2016 |title=Irom Sharmila re-arrested after resuming hunger strike over Afspa repeal |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/irom-sharmila-re-arrested-after-resuming-hunger-strike-over-afspa-repeal/story-uLPBMWG4XafmRq2entR3gK.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327115940/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/irom-sharmila-re-arrested-after-resuming-hunger-strike-over-afspa-repeal/story-uLPBMWG4XafmRq2entR3gK.html |archive-date=27 March 2016 |access-date=16 March 2016 |website=Hindustan Times}}</ref> She was again arrested by the police under the same charge of attempt to commit suicide by means of indefinite fast.
 
===End of the fast===
On 26 July 2016, Sharmila, who had been on an intermittent hunger strike since 2000, announced that she would end her fast on 9 August 2017 and she would contest the next state elections in Manipur.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624191921/http://www.newindianexpress.com/|url-status=dead|title=Live Updates, News, Headlines, Videos And More|first=The New Indian|last=Express|archivedate=24 June 2016|website=The New Indian Express}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Irom Sharmila: India activist to end fast after 16 years|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36894139|access-date=27 July 2016|publisher=[[BBC]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729053552/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36894139|archive-date=29 July 2016}}</ref> She said "I will join politics and my fight will continue."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/irom-sharmila-to-end-her-fast-of-16-years-will-fight-polls/271530.html |title=Irom Sharmila to end her fast of 16 years; will fight polls |work=Trinuneindia News Service |access-date=11 August 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821063236/http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/irom-sharmila-to-end-her-fast-of-16-years-will-fight-polls/271530.html |archive-date=21 August 2016  |last1=Service |first1=Tribune News }}</ref>
 
===International attention===
Sharmila was awarded the 2007 [[Gwangju Prize for Human Rights]], which is given to "an outstanding person or group, active in the promotion and advocacy of Peace, Democracy and Human Rights".<ref name="GP">{{cite web |url=http://eng.518.org/ease/gallery.es?mid=a50301010200&bid=0033&v_type=SK3&b_list=10&act=view&list_no=4&nPage=1&vlist_no_npage=0&keyField=&keyWord=&orderby=REG_DATE0 |title=Gwangju Prize for Human Rights |publisher=18 May Memorial Foundation |access-date=24 April 2011 |archive-date=19 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019191458/http://eng.518.org/ease/gallery.es?mid=a50301010200&bid=0033&v_type=SK3&b_list=10&act=view&list_no=4&nPage=1&vlist_no_npage=0&keyField=&keyWord=&orderby=REG_DATE |url-status=dead  }}</ref> She shared the award with [[Lenin Raghuvanshi]] of [[People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights]], a northeastern Indian human rights organisation.<ref name="GP"/> In 2009, she was awarded the first Mayilamma Award of the Mayilamma Foundation "for achievement of her nonviolent struggle in Manipur".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=mar0210/oth05 |title=Kerala activists promise support to Irom Sharmila |author=Sobhapati Samom |date=1 March 2010 |work=Assam Tribune |archive-date=20 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020061054/http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=mar0210/oth05 |access-date=22 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
In 2010, she won a lifetime achievement award from the [[Asian Human Rights Commission]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-017-2010 |title=Human rights defender awarded for lifetime achievement |date=29 January 2010 |publisher=Asian Human Rights Commission |archive-date=3 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203081205/http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-017-2010 |access-date=22 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Later that year, she won the [[Rabindranath Tagore]] Peace Prize of the [[Indian Institute of Planning and Management]], which came with a cash award of 5,100,000 rupees,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_irom-sharmila-awarded-rabindranath-tagore-peace-award_1436798 |title=Irom Sharmila awarded Rabindranath Tagore peace award |date=12 September 2010 |publisher=dnaindia.com |archive-date=6 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806212006/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_irom-sharmila-awarded-rabindranath-tagore-peace-award_1436798 |access-date=21 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the Sarva Gunah Sampannah "Award for Peace and Harmony" from the Signature Training Centre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://manipuronline.com/headlines/sharmila-conferred-peace-award/2010/12/27 |title=Sharmila Conferred Peace Award |date=27 December 2010 |publisher=manipuronline.com |archive-date=27 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527204042/http://manipuronline.com/headlines/sharmila-conferred-peace-award/2010/12/27 |access-date=22 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
In 2013, Amnesty International declared her a [[Prisoner of conscience]], and said she "is being held solely for a peaceful expression of her beliefs."<ref>{{cite news |author=Manash Pratim Gohai |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Irom-Sharmila-Chanu-must-be-immediately-released-Amnesty-India-says/articleshow/23391105.cms |title=Irom Sharmila Chanu must be immediately released, Amnesty India says |work=Times of India|date=2 October 2013 |access-date=8 November 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002051805/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Irom-Sharmila-Chanu-must-be-immediately-released-Amnesty-India-says/articleshow/23391105.cms |archive-date=2 October 2013  }}</ref>
 
==Subsequent work==
In October 2016, she launched a political party named [[Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance]] to contest two Assembly constituencies of [[Khurai]] and [[Khangabok]]. [[Khangabok]] is the home constituency of Chief Minister [[Okram Ibobi Singh]].<ref name=AssamTrib2016-10>{{cite news|title=The Assam Tribune Online|url=http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=oct1916/oth050|work=assamtribune.com|date=18 October 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116015051/http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=oct1916%2Foth050|archive-date=16 November 2016}}</ref><ref name=TimesIndia2016-10>{{cite news|last1=TNN & Agencies|title=Irom Sharmila's new party: People's Resurgence Justice Alliance|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Irom-Sharmilas-new-party-Peoples-Resurgence-Justice-Alliance/articleshow/54915182.cms|work=The Times of India|date=18 October 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022062555/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Irom-Sharmilas-new-party-Peoples-Resurgence-Justice-Alliance/articleshow/54915182.cms|archive-date=22 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Irom Sharmila launches People's Resurgence Justice Alliance, to contest Manipur polls|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/irom-sharmila-launches-peoples-resurgence-justice-alliance-to-contest-manipur-polls-3089401/|work=The Indian Express|date=18 October 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115194317/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/irom-sharmila-launches-peoples-resurgence-justice-alliance-to-contest-manipur-polls-3089401/|archive-date=15 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Irom Sharmila Floats People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance Party in Manipur|url=http://www.news18.com/news/politics/rights-activist-irom-sharmila-floats-peoples-resurgence-and-justice-alliance-party-in-manipur-1302825.html|work=News18|date=18 October 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115193703/http://www.news18.com/news/politics/rights-activist-irom-sharmila-floats-peoples-resurgence-and-justice-alliance-party-in-manipur-1302825.html|archive-date=15 November 2016}}</ref> In the [[2017 Manipur Legislative Assembly election]] Sharmila received 90 votes;<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/elections/manipur-2017/irom-sharmila-loses-to-manipur-cm-in-thoubal/article17446698.ece|title=Irom Sharmila secures just 90 votes, loses to Manipur CM in Thoubal|last=IANS|work=The Hindu|access-date=13 March 2017|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817153357/http://www.thehindu.com/elections/manipur-2017/irom-sharmila-loses-to-manipur-cm-in-thoubal/article17446698.ece|archive-date=17 August 2017}}</ref> the fewest of the five candidates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/assembly-elections/manipur/news/irom-sharmila-suffers-defeat-gets-only-90-votes/articleshow/57601062.cms|title=Irom Sharmila suffers defeat, gets only 90 votes|date=11 March 2017|work=Times of India|access-date=11 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817153357/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/assembly-elections/manipur/news/irom-sharmila-suffers-defeat-gets-only-90-votes/articleshow/57601062.cms|archive-date=17 August 2017}}</ref>
 
In February 2018 she was invited to take part in the annual Calcutta Soi Boi Mela where She made contact with many older activists some of whom have since died.
https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/supplement/story/20180212-women-of-steel-soi-mela-bengal-writers-kolkata-1160960-2018-02-01
 
In 2019, after the death of [[Gauri Lankesh]], Sharmila criticized the NDA government, accusing it of disregarding people's sentiments when making policy decisions. In an interview with [[The Economic Times]], she mentioned that she was no more interested in politics as she already experienced electoral politics and the dirtiness involved in the process.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/centre-should-take-peoples-opinion-into-account-before-making-decisions-irom-sharmila/articleshow/68061990.cms |title=Centre should take people's opinion into account before making decisions: Irom Sharmila |author=PTI |date=19 February 2019 |work=The Economic Times |access-date=30 March 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330170237/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/centre-should-take-peoples-opinion-into-account-before-making-decisions-irom-sharmila/articleshow/68061990.cms |archive-date=30 March 2019 }}</ref>
 
In the summer of 2022 Sharmila was invited to attend the Bangalore Literature Festival where she was allowed by the organizers to speak on behalf of the Telugu poet and academic Varavara "VV" Rao who was then under house arrest in a state far from where he and his family lived. She was able to bring half a dozen books signed by the authors at the festival when she met VV in Mumbai where he remains detained without trial.
https://www.bengalurupoetryfestival.org/2022/
 
In the Autumn of 2023 she had been invited tonthe second Kerala state books festival via MLAs of the State communist party. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/assembly-book-festival-arrangements-under-way/article67362624.ece
 
The invitation was subsequently withdrawn after she informed them that she would reprise what she had done at the Bangalore Literature Festival the year before.
 
After the MHA tweeted removal of the AFSPA from swathes of the North East the Chief Minister of Manipur called for a day of celebration to which he would invite Irom Sharmila as a guest.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhKFokgqglg|title = AFSPA curtailed in Manipur: N Biren remembers Irom Sharmila's sacrifice|website = [[YouTube]]| date=31 March 2022 }}</ref>
 
==In popular culture==
Deepti Priya Mehrotra's ''Burning Bright: Irom Sharmila and the Struggle for Peace in Manipur'' details Sharmila's life and the political background of her fast.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.himalmag.com/component/content/article/702-reluctant-heroine-burning-bright-by-deepti-priya-mehrotra.html |title=Reluctant heroine: 'Burning Bright' by Deepti Priya Mehrotra |author=Laxmi Murthy |date=December 2009 |work=Himal South Asian |archive-date=20 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020061115/http://www.himalmag.com/component/content/article/702-reluctant-heroine-burning-bright-by-deepti-priya-mehrotra.html |access-date=21 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
IronIrom: Two Journeys : Where the Abnormal is Normal (2012, with Minnie Vaid and Tayenjam Bijoykumar Singh)
 
Ojas S V, a theater artist from Pune, performed a mono-play titled ''Le Mashale'' ("Take the Torch"), based on Irom Sharmila's life and struggle.  It is an adaptation of ''Meira Paibi'' (Women bearing torches), a drama written by Malayalam playwright Civic Chandran. The play was performed in several Indian states.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/theatre/article1407240.ece |title=For a noble cause |author=T. Saravanan |date=11 February 2011 |work=The Hindu |archive-date=13 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110213135054/http://www.thehindu.com/arts/theatre/article1407240.ece |access-date=21 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Single-act-that-captures-a-dozen-wounds-of-Manipur/articleshow/7479236.cms |title=Single act that captures a dozen wounds of Manipur |author=Shalini Umachandran |date=12 February 2011 |archive-date=20 October 2013 |agency=Times News Network |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020061122/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-12/chennai/28542440_1_irom-sharmila-manipur-imphal |access-date=21 October 2012 |work=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
==Personal life==
On Thursday 17 August 2017, Irom Sharmila Chanu married her British partner Desmond Anthony Bellarnine Coutinho in [[Kodaikanal]], a hill station in [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/irom-marries-in-kodaikanal-sans-family-and-fanfare/article19512589.ece |title=Irom Sharmila marries in Kodaikanal, sans family and fanfare |date=18 August 2017 |work=The Hindu |access-date=30 March 2019 }}</ref> On Sunday 12 May 2019, at the age of 47, she gave birth to twin daughters in [[Bengaluru]], [[Karnataka]], named Nix Shakhi and Autumn Tara.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/city/life-in-bengaluru/irom-sharmila-has-twins-on-mother-s-day-733531.html |title=Irom Sharmila has twins on Mother's Day |author=Akhil Kadidal, DH News Service, Bengaluru |date=13 May 2019 |work=Deccan Herald |access-date=13 May 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513130149/https://www.deccanherald.com/city/life-in-bengaluru/irom-sharmila-has-twins-on-mother-s-day-733531.html |archive-date=13 May 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/on-mothers-day-twin-girls-for-irom-sharmila-5724379 |title=On Mother's Day, twin girls for Irom Sharmila |date=13 May 2019 |work=The Indian Express |access-date=13 May 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513021443/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/on-mothers-day-twin-girls-for-irom-sharmila-5724379/ |archive-date=13 May 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/irom-sharmila-delivers-twin-girls-in-bengaluru/article27114623.ece |title=Irom Sharmila delivers twin girls in Bengaluru |date=13 May 2019 |work=The Hindu |access-date=13 May 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513084503/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/irom-sharmila-delivers-twin-girls-in-bengaluru/article27114623.ece |archive-date=13 May 2019 }}</ref>
 
==See also==
* [[Indian general election, 2014 (Manipur)]]
* [[Insurgency in Manipur]]
* [[Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act]]
* [[Human rights abuses in Manipur]]
 
==Bibliography==
* Fragrance of Peace (2010)
* IronIrom: Two Journeys: Where the abnormal is norm
 
==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}
 
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191011/http://www.museindia.com/viewarticle.asp?myr=2012&issid=41&id=3092 Analysis of Sharmila's poetry]
* [http://repealafspa.blogspot.in/ Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign]
* [http://act.amnestyusa.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1839&ea.campaign.id=32367&ea.tracking.id=Country_India~MessagingCategory_CensorshipandFreeSpeech~MessagingCategory_PrisonersandPeopleatRisk~MessagingCategory_PrisonersandPeopleatRisk-PrisonersofConscience~MessagingCategory_WomensRights~Region Amnesty International USA's campaign page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821045147/http://act.amnestyusa.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1839&ea.campaign.id=32367&ea.tracking.id=Country_India~MessagingCategory_CensorshipandFreeSpeech~MessagingCategory_PrisonersandPeopleatRisk~MessagingCategory_PrisonersandPeopleatRisk-PrisonersofConscience~MessagingCategory_WomensRights~Region |date=21 August 2016 }}
{{Authority control}}
 
{{Footer Gwangju Prize for Human Rights laureates}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharmila, Irom Chanu}}
[[Category:1972 births]]
[[Category:Indian activist journalists]]
[[Category:Indian civil rights activists]]
[[Category:Indian women activists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Meitei people]]
[[Category:Indian nonviolence advocates]]
[[Category:Political repression in India]]
[[Category:Writers from Northeast India]]
[[Category:Indian hunger strikers]]
[[Category:People from Imphal]]
[[Category:Indian women journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian journalists]]
[[Category:Indian prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by India]]
[[Category:Women writers from Manipur]]
[[Category:Activists from Manipur]]
[[Category:Journalists from Manipur]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:Poets from Manipur]]
[[Category:Women civil rights activists]]

Latest revision as of 17:55, 23 May 2026


In this Meitei name, the family name is Irom and the given name is Sharmila. "Chanu" is a name suffix.

Irom Sharmila Chanu
Irom Sharmila at a reception given by Solidarity Youth Movement to her in Kozhikode
Born (1972-03-14) 14 March 1972 (age 54)
Kongpal, Imphal, Manipur, India
OccupationCivil rights activist, political activist, poet
Known forHunger strike against Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act
Spouse(s)
Desmond Anthony Bellarnine Coutinho
​
(
m. 2017)
ChildrenNix Shakhi and Autumn Tara
Parent(s)Irom c Nanda (father)
Irom Ongbi Sakhi (mother)
AwardsGwangju Prize for Human Rights

Irom Sharmila Chanu (born 14 March 1972), also known as the "Iron Lady of Manipur" or "Mengoubi" ("the fair one")[1] is an Indian civil rights activist and poet from the state of Manipur. In 2000, she began a hunger strike to abolish the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958. She ended her intermittent fast in 2016, after being force-fed for over 500 weeks in custody. Amnesty International has declared her a prisoner of conscience.

Early life[edit | edit source]

Born on 14 March 1972 in Imphal[2] to Nanda, an attendant in the state veterinary hospital, and Sakhi, a housewife. Sharmila was the ninth child, and her mother was 44 years when she gave birth to her. Her mother had problems with breastfeeding her, and she was suckled by women in the neighbourhood.[3] As an average student, Sharmila would stay aloof from most of the 17-member strong joint family that she grew up with.[4]

She completed high school studies in 1991. She took short-term courses in shorthand, typing, tailoring, and journalism. She worked with different organisations to gain to understand abuse in Manipur.[2]

Activism[edit | edit source]

In September 2000, she applied for an internship with Human Rights Alert (HRA), a non-governmental organisation working in Manipur, documenting human rights violations. She joined the organisation at the age of 36 and assisted Babloo Loitongbam, lawyer and founder of the organisation.[2]

She documented human rights abuse in Manipur. She became part of HRA's preparatory committee for a citizen's inquiry on the impact of AFSPA. The inquiry was headed by Hosbet Suresh, former judge of the Bombay High Court.[2] Sharmila spoke to survivors of gang rapes, and relatives of people killed by the Indian armed forces.[3] These cases received protection against prosecution because of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.

On 2 November 2000, in Malom, a town in the Imphal Valley of Manipur, ten civilians were shot and killed while waiting at a bus stop.[3][5][6] It was allegedly committed by the Assam Rifles.[7][8] The victims included a 62-year-old woman and 18-year-old Sinam Chandramani, a 1998 National Bravery Award winner. On 5 November, Sharmila sat under a shelter near the site of the killings with a placard, announcing she was fasting until Afspa was repealed.[9]

Charcoal portrait of Irom Sharmila with her nasogastric tube by Amitabh Mitra

Her primary demand to the Indian government was the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).[10][3][11] Three days after she began her strike, she was arrested by the police and charged with an "attempt to commit suicide",[10] which was unlawful under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and transferred to judicial custody. Nasogastric intubation was forced on her from 21 November in order to keep her alive.[12][9]

Sharmila has been regularly released and re-arrested every year since her hunger strike began.[11]

By 2004, Sharmila was said to be an "icon of public resistance."[7] Following her procedural release on 2 October 2006 Sharmila went to Raj Ghat, New Delhi, which she said was "to pay floral tribute to my idol, Mahatma Gandhi." Later that evening, Sharmila headed for Jantar Mantar for a protest where she was joined by other concerned citizens. On 6 October, she was re-arrested by the Delhi police for attempting suicide and was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where she wrote letters to the Prime Minister, the President, and the Home Minister.[3] At this time, she met and won the support of Nobel-laureate Shirin Ebadi, who promised to take up Sharmila's cause at the United Nations Human Rights Council.[3]

In 2011, anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare,[13] sent two representatives to meet her.[14]

In September 2011, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) (CPI ML) stated its support for her and for repeal of AFSPA.[15]

Following that in October 2011, the Manipur Pradesh All India Trinamool Congress announced their support for Sharmila and called on party chief Mamata Banerjee to help repeal the AFSPA.[16] Then in November, at the end of the eleventh year of her fast, Sharmila again called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to repeal the law.[17] On 3 November 100 women formed a human chain in Ambari to show support for Sharmila, while other civil society groups staged a 24-hour fast in a show of solidarity.[18]

In 2011 the Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign (SSSC) was launched to highlight Sharmila's struggle[19] and in December 2011, Pune University announced a scholarship program for 39 female Manipuri students to take degree courses in honour of Sharmila's 39 years of age.[20]

She only met her mother once during the fast, as she believed that seeing her mother's anguish might have broken her resolve. She said "The day AFSPA is repealed I will eat rice from my mother's hand."[21][22]

On 28 March 2016, she was released from judicial custody as charges against her were rejected by a local court in Imphal.[23] Sharmila kept her vow of neither entering her house nor meeting her mother until the government repeals AFSPA and went to continue her fast at Shahid Minar, Imphal on the same day of her release.[24] She was again arrested by the police under the same charge of attempt to commit suicide by means of indefinite fast.

End of the fast[edit | edit source]

On 26 July 2016, Sharmila, who had been on an intermittent hunger strike since 2000, announced that she would end her fast on 9 August 2017 and she would contest the next state elections in Manipur.[25][26] She said "I will join politics and my fight will continue."[27]

International attention[edit | edit source]

Sharmila was awarded the 2007 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, which is given to "an outstanding person or group, active in the promotion and advocacy of Peace, Democracy and Human Rights".[28] She shared the award with Lenin Raghuvanshi of People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights, a northeastern Indian human rights organisation.[28] In 2009, she was awarded the first Mayilamma Award of the Mayilamma Foundation "for achievement of her nonviolent struggle in Manipur".[29]

In 2010, she won a lifetime achievement award from the Asian Human Rights Commission.[30] Later that year, she won the Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize of the Indian Institute of Planning and Management, which came with a cash award of 5,100,000 rupees,[31] and the Sarva Gunah Sampannah "Award for Peace and Harmony" from the Signature Training Centre.[32]

In 2013, Amnesty International declared her a Prisoner of conscience, and said she "is being held solely for a peaceful expression of her beliefs."[33]

Subsequent work[edit | edit source]

In October 2016, she launched a political party named Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance to contest two Assembly constituencies of Khurai and Khangabok. Khangabok is the home constituency of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.[34][35][36][37] In the 2017 Manipur Legislative Assembly election Sharmila received 90 votes;[38] the fewest of the five candidates.[39]

In February 2018 she was invited to take part in the annual Calcutta Soi Boi Mela where She made contact with many older activists some of whom have since died. https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/supplement/story/20180212-women-of-steel-soi-mela-bengal-writers-kolkata-1160960-2018-02-01

In 2019, after the death of Gauri Lankesh, Sharmila criticized the NDA government, accusing it of disregarding people's sentiments when making policy decisions. In an interview with The Economic Times, she mentioned that she was no more interested in politics as she already experienced electoral politics and the dirtiness involved in the process.[40]

In the summer of 2022 Sharmila was invited to attend the Bangalore Literature Festival where she was allowed by the organizers to speak on behalf of the Telugu poet and academic Varavara "VV" Rao who was then under house arrest in a state far from where he and his family lived. She was able to bring half a dozen books signed by the authors at the festival when she met VV in Mumbai where he remains detained without trial. https://www.bengalurupoetryfestival.org/2022/

In the Autumn of 2023 she had been invited tonthe second Kerala state books festival via MLAs of the State communist party. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/assembly-book-festival-arrangements-under-way/article67362624.ece

The invitation was subsequently withdrawn after she informed them that she would reprise what she had done at the Bangalore Literature Festival the year before.

After the MHA tweeted removal of the AFSPA from swathes of the North East the Chief Minister of Manipur called for a day of celebration to which he would invite Irom Sharmila as a guest.[41]

In popular culture[edit | edit source]

Deepti Priya Mehrotra's Burning Bright: Irom Sharmila and the Struggle for Peace in Manipur details Sharmila's life and the political background of her fast.[42] IronIrom: Two Journeys : Where the Abnormal is Normal (2012, with Minnie Vaid and Tayenjam Bijoykumar Singh)

Ojas S V, a theater artist from Pune, performed a mono-play titled Le Mashale ("Take the Torch"), based on Irom Sharmila's life and struggle. It is an adaptation of Meira Paibi (Women bearing torches), a drama written by Malayalam playwright Civic Chandran. The play was performed in several Indian states.[43][44]

Personal life[edit | edit source]

On Thursday 17 August 2017, Irom Sharmila Chanu married her British partner Desmond Anthony Bellarnine Coutinho in Kodaikanal, a hill station in Tamil Nadu.[45] On Sunday 12 May 2019, at the age of 47, she gave birth to twin daughters in Bengaluru, Karnataka, named Nix Shakhi and Autumn Tara.[46][47][48]

See also[edit | edit source]

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

  • Fragrance of Peace (2010)
  • IronIrom: Two Journeys: Where the abnormal is norm

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Chatterjee, Rituparna (20 April 2011). "Spot the Difference: Hazare vs. Irom Sharmila". Sinlung. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Mehrotra, Deepti Priya (2012). "The Making of an Activist". Burning Bright: Irom Sharmila and the Struggle for Peace in Manipur. New Delhi: Penguin Books India. ISBN 9788184751536.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Shoma Chaudhury (5 December 2009). "Irom and the Iron in India's Soul". Tehelka. Archived from the original on 16 March 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  4. ↑ Sethi, Nitin (30 July 2016). "Irom Sharmila: Born again". Business Standard.
  5. ↑ Anjuman Ara Begum (3 November 2010). "AFSPA and Unsolved massacres in Manipur". Twocircles. Archived from the original on 11 January 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  6. ↑ Imphal Free Press (2 November 2013). "Malom Massacre horror relived 13 years later". Imphal Free Press. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Nilanjana S. Roy (8 February 2011). "Torchbearers for Victims in a Violent Land". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  8. ↑ Rahul Pathak (6 August 2004). "Why Malom is a big reason for Manipur anger against Army Act". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Mehrotra, Deepti Priya (2009). Burning bright : Irom Sharmila and the struggle for peace in Manipur (2009 ed.). New Delhi: Penguin Books India. ISBN 9780143103691.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Bagchi, Suvojit (19 September 2006). "Manipur woman's marathon fast". BBC News, Manipur. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Manipur Fasting Woman Re-arrested". BBC News. 9 March 2009. Archived from the original on 12 April 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  12. ↑ Buncombe, Andrew (4 November 2010). "A decade of starvation for Irom Sharmila". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  13. ↑ Vidya Subramaniam (28 August 2011). "Irom Sharmila urges Anna to visit Manipur". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  14. ↑ "Highlights of Anna Hazare's interview to NDTV". NDTV. 13 September 2011. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  15. ↑ "CPI (ML) to show solidarity to Sharmila with nation-wide agitation". Imphal Free Press via Kanglaonline. 29 September 2011. Archived from the original on 18 December 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  16. ↑ "Mamata's help sought for raising voice against AFSPA". The Times of India. 17 October 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  17. ↑ "PM should realize I am struggling for people: Irom". The Times of India. Times News Network. 4 November 2011. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  18. ↑ "Civil society groups in state back Irom's cause". The Times of India. Times News Network. 3 November 2011. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013.
  19. ↑ "'Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign' launched". 2 October 2011. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012 – via www.thehindu.com.
  20. ↑ "Scholarship for Manipuri girl students in Sharmila's honour". The Times of India. 10 December 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  21. ↑ "A Life-Affirming Fast". Economic & Political Weekly. 23 March 2013.
  22. ↑ Sarkar, S. (18 January 2013). "The Iron Lady of Manipur". Indian Journal of Gender Studies. 20 (1): 147–151. doi:10.1177/0971521512465965. S2CID 147673483.
  23. ↑ "Irom Sharmila Released: Latest News, Photos, Videos on Irom Sharmila Released - NDTV.COM". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  24. ↑ "Irom Sharmila re-arrested after resuming hunger strike over Afspa repeal". Hindustan Times. 3 March 2016. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  25. ↑ Express, The New Indian. "Live Updates, News, Headlines, Videos And More". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016.
  26. ↑ "Irom Sharmila: India activist to end fast after 16 years". BBC. Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  27. ↑ Service, Tribune News. "Irom Sharmila to end her fast of 16 years; will fight polls". Trinuneindia News Service. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Gwangju Prize for Human Rights". 18 May Memorial Foundation. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  29. ↑ Sobhapati Samom (1 March 2010). "Kerala activists promise support to Irom Sharmila". Assam Tribune. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  30. ↑ "Human rights defender awarded for lifetime achievement". Asian Human Rights Commission. 29 January 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  31. ↑ "Irom Sharmila awarded Rabindranath Tagore peace award". dnaindia.com. 12 September 2010. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  32. ↑ "Sharmila Conferred Peace Award". manipuronline.com. 27 December 2010. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  33. ↑ Manash Pratim Gohai (2 October 2013). "Irom Sharmila Chanu must be immediately released, Amnesty India says". Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  34. ↑ "The Assam Tribune Online". assamtribune.com. 18 October 2016. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016.
  35. ↑ TNN & Agencies (18 October 2016). "Irom Sharmila's new party: People's Resurgence Justice Alliance". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016.
  36. ↑ "Irom Sharmila launches People's Resurgence Justice Alliance, to contest Manipur polls". The Indian Express. 18 October 2016. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016.
  37. ↑ "Irom Sharmila Floats People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance Party in Manipur". News18. 18 October 2016. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016.
  38. ↑ IANS. "Irom Sharmila secures just 90 votes, loses to Manipur CM in Thoubal". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  39. ↑ "Irom Sharmila suffers defeat, gets only 90 votes". Times of India. 11 March 2017. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  40. ↑ PTI (19 February 2019). "Centre should take people's opinion into account before making decisions: Irom Sharmila". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  41. ↑ "AFSPA curtailed in Manipur: N Biren remembers Irom Sharmila's sacrifice". YouTube. 31 March 2022.
  42. ↑ Laxmi Murthy (December 2009). "Reluctant heroine: 'Burning Bright' by Deepti Priya Mehrotra". Himal South Asian. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  43. ↑ T. Saravanan (11 February 2011). "For a noble cause". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 February 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  44. ↑ Shalini Umachandran (12 February 2011). "Single act that captures a dozen wounds of Manipur". The Times of India. Times News Network. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  45. ↑ "Irom Sharmila marries in Kodaikanal, sans family and fanfare". The Hindu. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  46. ↑ Akhil Kadidal, DH News Service, Bengaluru (13 May 2019). "Irom Sharmila has twins on Mother's Day". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  47. ↑ "On Mother's Day, twin girls for Irom Sharmila". The Indian Express. 13 May 2019. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  48. ↑ "Irom Sharmila delivers twin girls in Bengaluru". The Hindu. 13 May 2019. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.

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