‘Iron Lady’ not ready to meet her mother yet

She is sticking to her resolve not to clip her nails, comb her hair or meet her mother till the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act is repealed.

Updated - December 04, 2021 11:01 pm IST - Imphal

Irom Sakhi Devi, 84, mother of Irom Sharmila, sits as Irom Sunibala, 27, an air hostess and niece of Irom Sharmila who has arrived to meet Sharmila on Tuesday stands at her home in Imphal, northeastern Manipur state, India, Monday, Aug.8, 2016.  Sharmila, the 44-year-old activist who has been on a hunger strike for nearly 16 years to protest alleged brutality by India's military is expected to end her fast on Tuesday, Aug. 9. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Irom Sakhi Devi, 84, mother of Irom Sharmila, sits as Irom Sunibala, 27, an air hostess and niece of Irom Sharmila who has arrived to meet Sharmila on Tuesday stands at her home in Imphal, northeastern Manipur state, India, Monday, Aug.8, 2016. Sharmila, the 44-year-old activist who has been on a hunger strike for nearly 16 years to protest alleged brutality by India's military is expected to end her fast on Tuesday, Aug. 9. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Having broken the >world’s longest hunger strike yesterday, Manipur’s ‘Iron Lady’ Irom Sharmila is maintaining her resolve not to clip her nails, comb her hair, go to her house and meet her mother till AFSPA is repealed.

On November 5, 2000, when she took a vow to start an indefinite hunger strike till the government repeals AFSPA, which gives armed forces immunity against prosecution for their actions, her protest had multiple dimensions which went beyond not taking food and water.

The toughest one was not to go home and meet her 84-year-old mother Shakhi Devi till achieving her goal of getting AFSPA revoked. Sharmila has not visited her house at Kongpal Kongkham Leikai, on the edge of Imphal city, even once all these years.

Despite breaking her fast with a dab of honey yesterday, the 44-year-old ‘Satyagrahi’ made it clear that she would not go home till AFSPA is repealed and preferred to stay in an ashram till then.

Her associates said to avoid any emotional outbursts Sharmila had not been meeting her mother during the fasting period.

Her elder brother Singhajit said their mother is waiting for the moment of her victory which will come only when AFSPA is repealed. Although living only few metres away from each other, the duo has met only once in all these years when Shakhi was admitted to Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital, where Sharmila was force-fed through nasal tube and kept under detention by the police for attempt to suicide.

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