Ten years ago, insurgents ambushed an Assam Rifles convoy in the northeastern state of Manipur, India. The Assam Rifles, a paramilitary organisation, in retaliation shot dead ten civilians who were waiting for a bus around eight kilometres from the capital Imphal. This incident would have been lost among the thousands of other acts of violence in a state that has witnessed six decades of armed conflict, had it not been for a frail, 28-year-old woman. On November 4, 2000, three days after the day of the shooting Irom Sharmila Chanu embarked on an indefinite fasting protest. Her demand was that the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958, which she believed to be the root cause of the never-ending cycle of violence and rights violations, should be repealed. AFSPA gives India's armed forces sweeping powers, such as the authority to shoot, even kill, on suspicion alone. It was imposed in Manipur in 1980.
Ten years later, Sharmila has changed considerably – from a shy girl who preferred books over people, to a world-famous icon respected for her resolve and perseverance. The 38-year-old poet's journey has been an arduous and life-changing experience, not just for her, but also for her family and especially for her third brother Singhajit.
'When Sharmila started her fast, there were so many rumours doing the rounds – one was that her boyfriend was killed in the Malom incident and that was why she was doing it [fasting]. People also said that since we were poor, she was doing it for money. Another story was that she is abnormal, mentally unsound,' Singhajit recalls. He was then working as an agricultural officer with Citizen's Volunteer Training Centre (CVTC), a local NGO. 'When Sharmila took up the fasting protest and these rumours started, I was very hurt. I knew my sister and I decided to stand by her. I resigned my job and since then, I have focused on helping my sister and taking her campaign forward.'
Fifty-two year old Singhajit is now the managing trustee of the Just Peace Foundation that was formed with the USD 125,000 that Sharmila received when she was awarded the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights by the Gwangju Asian Human Rights Folk School, a South Korean human-rights body. It was Singhajit who went to receive the award on her behalf. He also coordinates meetings between Sharmila and the media as well as visitors, which require special permission and clearance from the government.