Iron Shamirila or “The Iron Lady” is a 40 year old
veteran Indian protestor who is being charged for trying to kill herself after
a 12 year hunger strike. She has been protesting since 2000 and the way that
she is doing this is by fasting. She is refusing to feed herself to protest a
law that suspends human rights protections in areas with major conflict. She lives
in the state Manipur in India which is the poorest and most violent part. In 2006 she received the attempted suicide
charge from police offers who took her to a hospital. The last meal that she
had that was voluntary was November 4, 2000. During this time a shooting took
place by the paramilitary assault rifles and 10 people were killed. 3 days
later she was arrested. She has been forced fed through a tube since then and
is released once a year to see if she will give into law. Every year for 12
years now she has refused and has been taken back into custody and forced fed.
This is seen as attempted suicide and goes against the law. Her trial date is
set for March 22 and again if she refuses to eat she will be sent to prison. She
wants the super powers act to be withdrawn or she will continue her fast. She does
say she loves life but wants peace and justice to those who deserve it. The army
is against withdrawing the act saying that it is necessary to deal with
insurgents. Human rights workers say Indian army is killing rebel suspects and
using staging gun battles as reasons to kill. Others like Ashwini Kumar who is India’s
law minister also like the army believes the act is needed for conflict zone
areas and there is no need to get rid of the act. Also student activists think
that the military is missing its powers. There has been a government panel that
has to re-exam whether or not the law needs to be re-examined. There was a gang
rape and killing of a student on a bus after India re-evaluated its sexual
violence laws. The only way that these
military officials will be prosecuted is if given the ok by federal government.
This is a significant and maybe extreme form of
protest for any individual to do. Iron Shamirila is risking her own health to
protest how she feels about an act that is blatantly refusing to help those in
poor areas in mist of conflict. The way she is fasting is similar to how Gandhi
protested but only much more extreme due to the fact that she has not fed
herself in 12 years. Gandhi on the other hand if correctly stated did in fact
eat but did his fast for health reasons as well as protest reasons. This article
is also significant in the fact that it talks about and shows a woman who has
so much power for not eating and yet it is rare to see a woman stand up for an
issue as serious as this one. She seems to not have any fear of arrest or of
being killed. Her whole life is depended upon whether or not this act is going
to be appealed or removed if not surely she is going to let herself die.
Chanel Martin
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