Irom Chanu Sharmila (born 14 March 1972) is an Indian civil rights activist and poet from Manipur. From November 2000 to August 2016 she refused food and water in protest against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), a law that gives soldiers wide powers and legal protection in areas declared “disturbed”. Kept alive by force-feeding through a tube in her nose, she carried on what is described as the world’s longest hunger strike and became known as the “Iron Lady of Manipur”.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Irom Chanu Sharmila |
| Born | 14 March 1972, Kongpal, Imphal, Manipur, India |
| Age | 54 |
| Occupation | Activist, poet |
| Known for | 16-year fast against AFSPA (2000–2016) |
| Spouse | Desmond Coutinho (m. 2017) |
| Children | Twin daughters (born 2019) |
| Honours | Gwangju Prize for Human Rights (2007), Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize (2010) |
Early Life
Sharmila was the youngest of nine children of a veterinary attendant in Imphal. She finished school, took a course in journalism and worked with a human rights organisation documenting abuses in Manipur, where an insurgency and army operations had gone on for decades.
The Fast
On 2 November 2000 soldiers of the Assam Rifles shot dead ten civilians waiting at a bus stop at Malom, near Imphal, after a bomb attack on their convoy. Among the dead were a 62-year-old woman and a teenager who had won a national bravery award. Sharmila, then 28, began her fast two days later, vowing not to eat, drink, comb her hair or look in a mirror until AFSPA was repealed.
Within days she was arrested and charged with attempting suicide, then an offence punishable by a year in jail. For the next sixteen years she was held in a guarded ward of a government hospital in Imphal, released each year and rearrested within days. In 2006 she slipped away to Delhi and fasted at Jantar Mantar. Amnesty International declared her a prisoner of conscience.
Ending the Fast
On 9 August 2016 she ended the fast by tasting honey, saying she would try to achieve her aim through politics and that she wanted to marry. Many supporters were upset. She founded the Peoples’ Resurgence and Justice Alliance and stood against the Chief Minister in the 2017 Manipur election; she received only 90 votes.
Later Life
She married Desmond Coutinho, a British citizen of Goan origin who had written to her for years, in Kodaikanal in August 2017. They have twin daughters, born in Bengaluru on Mother’s Day 2019. AFSPA has since been lifted from many parts of Manipur and the North-East, though not entirely. She has published a long poem, Fragrance of Peace.
Recognition
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Irom Sharmila born?
Irom Sharmila was born on 14 March 1972 in Kongpal, Imphal, Manipur, India and is 54 years old.
What is Irom Sharmila known for?
Known for: 16-year fast against AFSPA (2000–2016).
What honours has Irom Sharmila received?
Gwangju Prize for Human Rights (2007), Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize (2010).
Featured image: Irom Sharmila on the beach at Kozhikode, Kerala, March 2017. Photo by Zuhairali, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
