Sharmila refuses to accept awards until repeal of AFSPA in Manipur

[ajtr]

Sharmila refuses to accept awards until repeal of Armed forces Act in Manipur

IMPHAL: Taking into account Irom Sharmila Chanu's decision not to accept any award unless the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (Afspa) is repealed from Manipur, the Just Peace Foundation, a trust set up for her cause, has returned a prestigious award conferred on her.

On October 9, Sharmila had said she would not accept any award from any individual or organization until and unless the military act is scrapped.

"Before October 9, the Kerala-based Kovilan Trust had already intimated us about conferring the Kolivan Smaraka Activist India National Award on my sister," Irom Singhajit, Sharmila's elder brother and a trustee of the JPF, said on Sunday.

"To honour the Kovilan Trust as well as Sharmila's decision, we accepted the award handed by the globally-renowned writer and activist Mahaswata Devi at a ceremony held on Saturday in Kolkata and returned the same promptly," he said.

While returning the award, he requested the Kolivan trustees to keep the award and hand it over to Shamila after the Army act is repealed.

Fondly called 'Memngou' by her family and locals, Sharmila (41) has been fasting since November 5, 2000, a couple of days after Assam Rifles soldiers mowed down 10 civilians, including a National Child Bravery Award winner, near a bus stand at Malom village in Imphal West.

Sharmila, whose fast has earned her the epithet 'Iron lady of Manipur', is being forced fed through her nose at the state-run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Science close to her Kongpal Kongkham Leikai residence in Imphal East.

"A series of programmes to observe the 12th year of her struggle against Afspa has been lined during the first week of November," said Kshetrimayum Onil, a JPF trustee.

The Congress-led Secular Progressive Front (SPF) government had lifted Afspa from Imphal municipal areas covering seven assembly constituencies in 2004 in the aftermath of the massive public protest against the rape and killing of Thangjam Manoram Devi by Assam Rifles soldiers.

 

[harpoon]

Well..if the Manipur Assembly elected by the people of Manipur decides against the AFSPA, I believe it could be repealed.

 

[American Pakistani]

lol, i thought it was Sharmila Faruqi of Pakistan.

 

[Tshering22]

I agree with Sharmila's views. There's no effing point of AFSPA in Manipur anyways. The terrorists do what they have to do, injure troops and attack people. This frustrates soldiers and only creates tensions with civilians.

Instead, if we have a genuine government than this colonial residue called Congress and its allies, the right government should build a robust INTEL network in the state via institutions, academies, local companies etc, and strike terrorists when they least expect it using special forces tactics which comes as a surprise.

Armed troops in uniform only alerts any miscreants with those uniforms and easily distinguishable attire. This is where we need to seriously learn from Shin Bet of Israel. Their agents and special units look like casual tourists but when they strike, it is almost impossible to guess.