After AFSPA was recently extended in Manipur, rights activist Irom Sharmila said the "oppressive law" was not a solution to the ongoing ethnic violence in the state and that the diversity of Manipur needs to be respected.?
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA was extended by another six months in Manipur on Wednesday, barring 19 police station areas in the Imphal valley and an area that shares its boundary with neighbouring Assam.?
"The extension of AFSPA is not a solution to the problems or ethnic violence in the state. The Centre and the Manipur government have to respect the diversity of the region," she said.?
"The values, principles, and practices of different ethnic groups must be respected. India is known for its diversity. But the central government and the BJP are more interested in creating uniformity through proposals like the Uniform Civil Code," she added.?
Sharmila questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited the state even once since violence broke out in May.?
"PM Modi is the leader of the country. If he had visited the state and spoken to the people, the problems would have been resolved by now."?
Sharmila insisted that the solution to the current violence lies in compassion, love and humane touch.?
Criticising Chief Minister N Biren Singh, she alleged, "Wrong policies of the state government have pushed Manipur towards this unprecedented crisis."She also criticised the Centre over the condition of women in the Northeastern state.?
"Women of Manipur have been facing the brunt of AFSPA and this ethnic violence. The talks of women's empowerment and the women's reservation bill would serve no purpose if you can't protect the dignity of the women. Are the women of Manipur any different from those of mainland India? Just because we look different doesn't mean we can be treated like this," she said.?
Irom Chanu Sharmila is an Indian civil rights activist, political activist, and poet from Manipur.?
Irom Sharmila had begun a hunger strike on 5th November 2000 to abolish the AFSPA - and for 16 years, she remained steadfast - while being force-fed through a nasal tube and imprisoned in an Indian government hospital.?
AFSPA is a Parliamentary act that grants special powers to the Indian Armed Forces and the state and paramilitary forces in areas classified as "disturbed areas" to act in contravention of law and arrest and search any premises without a warrant and with protection from prosecution and legal suits.?
After ending her fast on 9 August 2016, she launched a political party named Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance to contest two Assembly constituencies of Khurai and Khangabok in October.?
She then contested the next state elections in Manipur. But at the election, held in March 2017, Sharmila managed to win just 90 votes. Two days after the result was announced, she left Manipur.?
Currently, she chooses to remain away from the limelight.?
In Manipur, Meiteis account for around 53% of the population and live mainly in the Imphal Valley. In contrast, tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, account for another 40% of the population and live primarily in the hills surrounding the valley.?
The current spate of violence in Manipur began in the first week of May after a rally by the indigenous communities against a move to grant tribal status to the leading ethnic group (Meiti) in the State.?
It soon spiralled into a serious ethnic clash - with at least 180 deaths officially till now and thousands displaced.??
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