Activist Irom Sharmila on Tuesday broke her 16-year-long fast against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, ANI reported. "I will never forget this moment," she said after ending her hunger strike, adding that she wanted to be the "real embodiment of revolution".
The "Iron Lady of Manipur" had announced on July 26 that she would be breaking her fast. She had also declared her intention to contest the state elections. Sharmila said she wanted to become the chief minister of Manipur and continue her fight against AFSPA. The 44-year-old, who was granted bail in the case related to her hunger strike by an Imphal court, emphasised that she will do her utmost to bring about positive changed in society, starting with repealing the "draconian law".
Addressing the media after breaking her fast, she said she failed to understand why a few radical groups were against her decision to join politics. "I want to join politics as I've been called the 'Iron lady of Manipur', and I want to live up to that name," she said, according to ANI. "Let them kill me the way people killed Mahatma Gandhi after accusing him of being anti-Hindu," she said, referring to the threats she received from the Alliance for Socialist Unity.
The Imphal court, which has repeatedly tried her for attempted suicide, allowed her to sign a bail bond of Rs 10,000. But it has not issued a release order yet, which means she is still in judicial custody.
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