44-year-old Irom Sharmila, an Indian activist, breaks world
record as she survives without food for 16 years. The campaigner who has been
on a hunger strike for 16 years broke down in tears as she
ended her 16 years hunger strike. Sharmila had
been protesting against a controversial law that gives the Indian army
draconian powers to tackle unrest in her home state of Manipur.
Described as a "prisoner of conscious" by Amnesty
International, Sharmila has been held in custody during her protest for
attempting to commit suicide under section 309 of the Indian penal code. While
in custody, she had refused food and water for all the years. Authorities have
kept her alive by force feeding her through a tube in her nose. Known as the
"Iron Lady of Manipur", she started her fast after witnessing the
killing of a group of civilians by Indian paramilitary forces in in November
2000.
Sharmila has pressed for the scrapping of the widely
criticised Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The legislation allows the
security forces to arrest people without a warrant and use deadly force, while
giving soldiers immunity from prosecution.
However, she has now decided to give up her fast and pursue
her aim through politics. She said she did not want to commit suicide and that
her protest was about "justice and peace". She broke her fast with a
dab of honey.
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