After 16 years of a hunger strike, Irom Sharmila ended her fast to enter politics—only to be rejected by her people. Now, as Manipur burns, she watches from afar.
BY Navin Upadhyay
June 1, 2025 – As Manipur burns in the flames of ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, a question echoes through the strife-torn state: Where is Irom Sharmila, the “Iron Lady of Manipur,” who once stood as a towering symbol of resistance against oppression? For 16 years, Sharmila fasted to demand the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), a law blamed for enabling human rights abuses in the region. Her hunger strike, the longest in the world, made her an international icon of non-violent protest. Yet, as Manipur grapples with unprecedented violence, displacement, and political upheaval, Sharmila’s absence from the spotlight has left many wondering why she isn’t leading the charge for peace.
The Roots of a Reluctant Icon
Irom Chanu Sharmila was born on March 14, 1972, in Kongpal village, Imphal East, to a modest Meitei family. The youngest of nine siblings, she grew up in a state marked by insurgency and militarization. Manipur, declared a “disturbed area” under AFSPA in 1980, became a battleground between security forces and militant groups, with civilians often caught in the crossfire. Sharmila, a sensitive poet and social worker, initially led an ordinary life, but her trajectory changed on November 2, 2000, following the Malom Massacre.
That day, 10 civilians, including teenagers and a woman, were allegedly gunned down by the 8th Assam Rifles at a bus stop in Malom, near Imphal’s Tulihal airport. The killings, a reprisal following an insurgent attack on the forces, shocked the state. Sharmila, then 28, was fasting that Thursday—a personal ritual she observed weekly. Deeply shaken by the brutality, she resolved to continue her fast indefinitely, demanding the repeal of AFSPA, which granted security forces sweeping powers, including the right to kill with impunity in “disturbed areas.” Three days later, on November 5, 2000, her protest began, marking the start of a 16-year hunger strike that would define her legacy.
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The Iron Lady’s Unyielding Protest
Sharmila’s fast was not just a personal act of defiance; it became a rallying cry for Manipuris. She refused food, water, and even basic hygiene practices, symbolizing complete renunciation. Arrested within days under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code for “attempting suicide,” she was force-fed through a nasal tube in judicial custody at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal. For 16 years, she endured solitary confinement, annual re-arrests, and limited contact with the outside world, meeting her mother only once to avoid breaking her resolve.
After Centre agrees to partially withdraw AFSPA from Manipur, Assam, & Nagaland, Manipur govt acknowledges extraordinary contributions of Irom Sharmila Chanu who fasted for 16 years for repeal of AFSPA & demands its complete rollback
‘Iron Lady of Manipur’– u inspire us greatly pic.twitter.com/eYOVHyWlNY
— Chetan Kumar Ahimsa / ಚೇತನ್ ಅಹಿಂಸಾ (@ChetanAhimsa) April 3, 2022
AFSPA, enacted in 1958, was originally meant to combat insurgency in “disturbed areas” like Manipur, Nagaland, and Jammu & Kashmir. However, critics argue it has fueled human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and sexual violence. The Extra-judicial Execution Victim Families Association of Manipur (EEVFAM) documented 1,528 alleged fake encounters in the state since the 1980s, many linked to AFSPA’s immunity provisions. Sharmila’s protest brought global attention to these abuses, earning her titles like “Mengoubi” (the Fair One) and comparisons to figures like Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.
Her struggle inspired solidarity across Manipur and beyond. The Meira Paibis, a powerful women’s collective, staged protests, including a dramatic nude demonstration in 2004 against the custodial rape and killing of Thangjam Manorama by security forces. Women’s groups like the Naga Mother’s Association and Kuki Women’s Association also opposed AFSPA, often working across ethnic lines. Sharmila’s fast became a symbol of Manipur’s collective fight against militarization, even as the state’s ethnic diversity—comprising Meiteis, Nagas, Kukis, and others—sometimes led to internal tensions.
A Shift in Strategy and Public Backlash
In August 2016, after 16 years of fasting, Sharmila announced she would end her protest to pursue a new path: electoral politics. She aimed to fight for AFSPA’s repeal from within the system, forming the People’s Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) with activist Erendro Leichombam. Sharmila contested the 2017 Manipur Assembly elections against then-Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in his stronghold, Thoubal. Her campaign focused on transparency, human rights, and women’s rights—issues often overshadowed by ethnic politics in Manipur.
However, her decision to end the fast and enter politics was met with mixed reactions. Many Manipuris felt betrayed, viewing her fast as a sacred commitment. Her personal life also came under scrutiny when she revealed her intent to marry Desmond Coutinho, a Goan-born British national she had corresponded with during her protest years. The relationship, opposed by her family and many in Manipur, was seen as a distraction from her cause. In the election,she was abandoned by her Sharmila secured only 90 votes—the lowest among PRJA candidates—while Ibobi Singh won with over 18,000. Disillusioned, Sharmila left Manipur shortly after, retreating to Kodaikanal with Coutinho.
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A New Chapter Away from the Spotlight
Sharmila’s exit marked a turning point. She married Coutinho in 2017 and settled in Bengaluru, where she gave birth to twin daughters, Nix Sakhi and Autumn Tara, in May 2019. Photographs of her cradling her newborns contrasted sharply with the image of the gaunt, nasal-tube-fed activist that had defined her for over a decade. In interviews, she expressed a desire for a normal life, free from the burden of being a symbol. She told The Guardian in 2023 that she felt isolated by the idolization she received, believing the fight against AFSPA should have been a collective effort, not her burden alone.
While Sharmila stepped back, the anti-AFSPA movement in Manipur continued, albeit with less visibility. A 2016 Supreme Court ruling on 1,528 alleged fake encounters in Manipur curbed some abuses by security forces, but AFSPA remains in place in most of the state’s hill areas. In 2022, the Centre partially withdrew AFSPA from parts of Manipur, Assam, and Nagaland, prompting Chief Minister N. Biren Singh to announce plans to honor Sharmila for her contributions. She welcomed the move but insisted on complete repeal, telling a local news channel, “The law should be repealed entirely.”
Manipur’s Current Crisis and Sharmila’s Absence
Since May 2023, Manipur has been engulfed in ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, triggered by a Manipur High Court order recommending Scheduled Tribe status for Meiteis, which Kukis opposed. The conflict has claimed over 200 lives, displaced thousands, and exposed deep-seated ethnic and political fault lines. Reports of atrocities, including the alleged murder of two Meitei students by Kuki militants in July 2023, have fueled public outrage. The state’s BJP-led government, under N. Biren Singh, has been criticized for its handling of the crisis, with Sharmila herself calling for Singh’s resignation in 2024.
In February 2025, President’s Rule was imposed in Manipur after Singh resigned, amid ongoing violence and political instability. Sharmila, speaking to The Hindu at the time, criticized the move as a way to “evade democratic accountability.” She proposed a unique solution: appointing the titular king of Manipur as a unifying figure with gubernatorial powers, alongside three intra-state mini-assemblies for the Meitei, Naga, and Kuki communities to ensure fair representation. She also called for the Centre to invest in development rather than militarization, questioning why Manipur’s plight is ignored compared to larger states like Uttar Pradesh or Maharashtra.
Yet, despite her occasional statements, Sharmila’s physical absence from Manipur has left many feeling abandoned. The state’s current crisis, marked by ethnic divisions rather than just militarization, differs from the context of her anti-AFSPA struggle. However, the continued enforcement of AFSPA in Manipur’s hill areas—extended for another six months in September 2023—has exacerbated tensions, with security forces accused of bias against Kukis. Sharmila, who once united Manipuris across ethnic lines, could have been a powerful voice for peace. Her absence has led to a void in moral leadership, with some on platforms like X recalling her 90-vote election defeat in 2017 as evidence of Manipur’s complex political landscape, where symbolic heroism doesn’t always translate into tangible support.
A Legacy That Endures
Sharmila’s 16-year fast may not have repealed AFSPA, but it reshaped India’s human rights discourse, bringing Northeast India’s struggles into national and global conversations. Her legacy lies in her moral authority—she showed that one person’s conscience can challenge a powerful state. The Meira Paibis and other groups continue her fight, but without a figurehead like Sharmila, the movement lacks the visibility it once had.
Now 53, Sharmila lives quietly in Bengaluru with her family, far from the chaos of Manipur. Her journey—from a reluctant activist to an international symbol, and now a mother seeking peace—reflects the personal toll of such a public struggle. While she may no longer be at the forefront, her story continues to inspire those fighting for justice in Manipur and beyond. As the state grapples with its deepest crisis in decades, many hope the Iron Lady’s voice will once again rise to guide Manipur toward healing. For now, though, her silence speaks as loudly as her fast once did.
