The prisoner of conscience: The Iron Lady

                 

Agonies which she is enduring gloriously

             A shudder goes through all over my body when I try to walk in the shoes of ‘the iron lady’ of India, a woman who hasn’t taken a meal voluntarily since last 13 years, government had to force-feed her and charge her with attempt to commit suicide.  It forces us to wonder how a law could be so draconian that it can make her spent over 13 years of her crucial life in hunger strike.  How could giving few additional rights to Army make someone fast unto death, it could not, unless these same rights can make armed forces kill innocent civilians, rape someone and never get prosecuted and if some of that have occurred right in front of your eyes than it makes less hard to imagine why Irom Sharmila Chanu has been on fast since last 13 years to repeal the AFSPA.

       

                      It all started on November 2, 2000 when armed forces killed 10 innocent civilians, including 62 year old lady and 18 year old girl (a national bravery award winner), who were waiting for a bus in Malon, a town close to the capital city of Imphal. The matter was brought to court and the other party (Assam Rifles) claimed that insurgents had attempted to bomb the paramilitary convoy and the civilians died in cross firing. Lives were wasted but no one was brought to justice.  It’s hard to imagine the agonies she must have went through all these years, separated from her family and close ones and spending most of the time in the hospitals with a nasogastric intubation inserted through her nose.  No wonder why her supporters have given her the name ‘Iron-lady’. 

           I don’t know how righteous her cause is but the pain she has endured to bring peace to her hill-state is incredible. The government has its reasons to support the act and she has other reasons to fight against the act but one thing of which I am sure that she deserves far more attention and praise than what she is getting because her intentions are quite righteous.  Had it been other developed countries like some European countries, she would have gathered a huge support but our countries’ youths are more obsessed with Bollywood or Hollywood celebrities and most of who would never have done any heroic activities in their lives apart from giving donations here and there.

        Her news has travelled far and wide which brought attention of many international organizations yet she is facing apathy from her own country’s citizens.  My aim to write article about her was to bring attention of people to her cause because it deserved contemplation of general people. Her heroics need to be spread far and wide and most importantly the state finds its peace for which she is fighting for.  I would appeal to my friends and fellow citizens that come out from this hibernation of not standing for a cause or at least give her moral support so that peace could be brought not just for the hill state but for the country. Come out from obsession of reel heroes and follow real heroes who are suffering for us so that we could live in peace. They are  the ones who are fighting to make this world a better place not the actors who are getting paid in millions.

       

Kudos to the iron lady!!!!