WHY WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS TURN AWAY FROM IROM CHANU SHARMILA?

This is more than about Irom Chanu  Sharmila whose fast unto death demanding the repeal of AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) has entered the twelfth year, from the North North-East State of Manipur, which is in force across the North-Eastern States and Jammu & Kashmir.

Giving the armed forces a blank cheque to commit whatever they deem fit in the name maintaining law and order, they often launch terrorizing steps like arresting and incarcerating innocent citizens, blood-chilling assaults on both men and women  irrespective of children, young men and women even elders not exempted,  perpetrate large-scale rapes and sexual abuses, gun down innocents, suppress even peaceful protest marches by the civilians forcing them to be confined to their dwellings, to put it bluntly establishing a reign of terror.

In the year 2000 when ten such innocent persons were brutally gunned down, the whole Manipur erupted in protests and Irom Chanu Sharmila then in her twenties went on a fast unto death demanding the repeal of the draconian AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) which gave the armed forces the license to maintain rule of law by adopting even worst types of inhuman acts over the citizens.

Now that eleven years have gone and this is the twelfth year since Irom Sharmila went on a fast unto death. Yet the Central govt has not even come forward to settle the issue amicably by holding talks with the leaders who have come to the front and extend moral support to Ms. Sharmila. She is still on forced nasal feeding fearing the dire consequences in the event of her death while on fast.

The whole story is known not only across India but the entire world especially among human rights activists.

Jeevan Reddy Commission which was appointed to probe the feasibility of continuing with this draconian measure which came into force in 1958, had already presented the report to the Central govt which recommended the repeal of this draconian Act at the earliest.  As I had already pointed out in one of my blogs, the Commission’s report has found its place in a shelf which has already gathered dust and is at the mercy of termites. Justice J.S.Verma Commission which was constituted recently in the wake of large-scale protests across the nation over the issue of the deadly sexual assault on a 23-year old physiotherapist student of All India Institute of Medical Sciences perpetrated by six thugs on a moving bus in Delhi, to suggest measures to rein in increasing number of rapes and murders of women across the nation, presented the report in record time which recommended punitary measures against those who commit rapes and stressed the need for bringing the armed forces in the ambit of the law who commit such atrocities be brought under the Civil Court instead holding them on trial in Military Courts. The Commission report was showered with applauses by the entire citizens declaring that Verma has done a laudable job, that too within a short span. But the govt thought otherwise instead of implementing the measures in it true letter and spirit and decided to declare an ordinance against the menace of rapes dropping the Commission’s recommendation of bringing the armed forces in the ambit of law. The bill for protection of women against sexual abuses was enacted in Parliament and got it passed yesterday by dropping certain cardinal recommendations of JS Verma Commission.

If there is one Irom Sharmila in the North-East to take up cudgels against AFSPA, in the State of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Miniister Dr.Omar Abdullah has come forward demanding repeal of this cruel Act, at least from certain provinces of his State. Even Dr.Abdullah’s request was turned down by the Central govt of which his party National Conference is a partner. He even broke down in the Assembly while discussing the murder of an innocent youth in a province by the Armed forces.

That which concerns and alarms me is that the Human Rights Activists like Arundhati Roy, Brinda Karat, Subhashini Ali, Annie Raja, Aruna Roy, Teesta Setalvad – all women activists have not so far cared to not even paying a visit to the lady on fast-unto-death since the last 12 years in Manipur. These gentle ladies, who keep not only sympathiy but also empathy to the causes of burning problems affecting the country by keeping aloof from Irom Chanu Sharmila are committing a great disservices not only towards Sharmila but towards the whole nation. Irom Chanu Sharmila too is a woman like them who is fighting for a great cause.

One important and relevant thing which I forgot to point out here is that AFSPA has not in anyway contributed to maintain law and order in the North-East and J&K, rather the slapping of this act on these parts of India has only helped in aggravating the situation. As an American writer who too was incidentally a woman writer ‘defiance not obedience is an answer of an average American to prohibition’. Her well-known quote is applicable to India as well, though in a different context.